Study Finds Menopause Symptoms Can Be PredictedThe number of eggs left in a woman's ovaries are like the grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking away the hours on her biological clock.Researchers now say they may be able to predict when that clock will wind down. And while doctors can't actually count the number of eggs in an ovary, they can measure ovarian volume. British researchers say there's a direct correlation between the two, and by measuring ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, doctors should be able to predict when menopause will set in and how many fertile years a woman has left. According to the study authors, this information will revolutionize the care of women looking for assisted reproductive technologies, including those who were treated for childhood cancers as well as women who want to put off starting a family for whatever reason. Although information still needs to be validated in clinical studies, its benefit is most likely to start with women who are being treated for cancer and women attending fertility clinics, said Tom Kelsey, co-author of the study appearing June 17 in the journal Human Reproduction. "If women looking for some sort of assisted conception and their physicians know that they've got a long time till menopause, then you could plan for a range of treatments," said Kelsey, who is a senior research fellow at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "If you knew menopause was likely in four to five years, you'd plan a different set of IVF [in vitro fertilization] treatments." Others reiterate, however, that the findings should be treated with caution. "Should a young woman who is 30 years old go for a test to figure out whether she's got three, five or 10 years left on her fertility? Should she make career decisions and life decisions? Are these data good enough to make those determinations?" asked Dr. Alan Copperman, director of reproductive medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The answer is obviously no to all of those questions. The predictive value of this test is not good enough to go and tell someone to change their life." According to the article, eggs form in a female's ovary while she is still in the womb, peaking at several million about halfway through gestation and then starting a continuous decline. At birth, there are several hundred thousand and, when menstruation begins, about 300,000. At about age 37, a woman has about 25,000 eggs left, and at menopause only about 1,000. The time at which menopause sets in is widely believed to be based on the number of eggs reaching a critically low threshold. The authors of this study measured ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, then looked at the relationship between ovarian volume -- ovaries shrink as a woman ages -- and number of eggs. They then applied mathematical and computer models to predict menopause. The study authors are negotiating with a medical school to set up clinical trials. The idea would be to follow women to see if their predictions were indeed correct. While these authors have come up with a tool to potentially help women plan their lives, a second study in the same issue of Human Reproduction warned that women might not want to leave it too late. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) could not be relied upon to fully compensate for lack of natural fertility after the age of 35, the article stated. The authors used a computer simulation model to determine that the overall success rate of assisted reproductive technology would be 30 percent for those attempting to get pregnant from age 30, 24 percent for those trying from age 35, and 17 percent from age 40. SOURCES: Tom Kelsey, Ph.D., senior research fellow, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland; Alan Copperman, M.D., director, reproductive medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York; June 17, 2004, Human Reproduction |
| losing weight after menopause |
|
Mid-Life Weight Gain Gaining Weight During Perimenopause and After Menopause Why Do We Gain Weight After 50? Weight increase is common, almost universal, as we reach middle Weight, Diet, Menopause, Dr. Stephen Gullo Losing Weight and Keeping It Off By Stephen Gullo, Ph.D. . After the first year, I frequently ask some clients to continue to keep a food diary or to Weight Gain After Menopause Increases Risk The researchers wanted to analyze the relationship between a woman's gaining or losing weight as an adult (after age 18 as well as after menopause) and her Menopause and Weight Gain Many women find they put on weight around menopause. Loose Skin After Weight Loss · Losing Weight Success Story · Weight Loss Forum. WEIGHT LOSS INFO How To Lose Weight After Menopause How To Lose Weight After Menopause. "How To Lose Weight After Menopause." EzineArticles 05 September 2006. 01 January 2008 <http://ezinearticles.com/? Weight Gain during Menopause - loving your big beautiful body Women who gain weight during menopause have less severe hot flashes, tincture in some water during or after every meal (at least four times a day). Weight and Risk of Breast Cancer After Menopause - National Cancer Gaining weight after age 18, specifically after menopause, increases a woman's risk of breast cancer after menopause, whereas losing weight after menopause 10 Reasons You're not Losing Weight Are you having trouble losing weight? There are a number of factors that effect weight Why Can't I Lose Weight?Why Can't I Lose Weight After Menopause? Menopause: Weight Gain As you enter the early stages of menopause, maintaining weight becomes more and more difficult, and losing weight becomes almost impossible. Diet and Women - Healthy Recipes, Nutrition and Cooking Tips to When women diet to lose weight, especially after menopause, they will not be able to continue losing weight unless they also exercise. Weight Gain During Menopause Weight Gain and Weight Control During Menopause. How to Lose Last 10 Pounds of Weight · How to Lose Weight After Pregnancy |
| losing weight after menopause |
|
loss of libido during menopause breast cyst and perimenopause irregular menstrual cycles during perimenopause flash hot in menopause |