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 |
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Women's Health Journal Watch: Medical Articles and Commentary Risk for cervical cancer increased in current users of hormonal contraception but declined IVF, menopause, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer and pregnancy. Age at Menarche and Menopause and Breast Cancer Risk in the Background: Early menarche and late menopause are important risk factors for breast cancer, but their effects on breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Amazon.com: Women's Health in Menopause: Behaviour, Cancer Amazon.com: Women's Health in Menopause: Behaviour, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Hormone Replacement Therapy (Medical Science Symposia Series): Books: M. menopause cancer grief grandparent elder senior age demko ageventure National Grandparent Daze Seems Inevitable; Manufacturer Makes Lite of Boomer Trends; Boomers Better Prepared for Menopause; Breast Cancer Researchers Study Menopause and Breast Cancer Therapy In addition to breast cancer therapy, other medical treatments can push you into menopause. If your ovaries are surgically removed, you will go into Resource Center > Impact of Cancer and Menopause on Women's Sexuality For women without other significant illness, the menopause is often a gradual process. For women who have cancer, however, it may be more abrupt, Menopause Treatment a Cancer Risk? Women who take the hormones estrogen and testosterone to combat hot flashes, decreased libido, and other symptoms of menopause may be at an increased risk BBC NEWS | Health | Fake menopause can cheat cancer A therapy that temporarily shuts down the ovaries could protect cancer patients' fertility, say researchers. Menopause and Ovarian Cancer Menopause itself is not associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. However, the rates of many cancers, including ovarian cancer, Childhood Cancer Survivors and Early Menopause - National Cancer When girls who survive cancer grow up, they are 13 times more likely to experience menopause before age 40 than other women, according to the July 5, 2006, 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 Menopause and colorectal cancer Menopause and colorectal cancer S Franceschi1, S Gallus2, R Talamini1, A Tavani2, E Negri2 and C La Vecchia2,3 1Servizio di Epidemiologia, USATODAY.com - Cancer, premature menopause linked Women who survived cancer during childhood are at risk of premature menopause, researchers report Tuesday. Chemotherapy, Cancer and Menopause - Managing Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Menopause - Cancer and its treatment will undoubtedly cause many changes in your life. One change you may experience from chemotherapy is Ovarian cancer and menopause - WebMD You have an increased risk of ovarian cancer if you have a family history of ovarian cancer, have never been pregnant, or over the age of 50. Cancer - Menopause Cancer at Menopause : Your risk for some cancers increases after menopause. Find out what you can do to prevent them! Breast cancer and menopausal symptoms : Cancerbackup Information about menopausal symptoms arising from treatment for breast cancer, including how cancer treatments cause the menopause and advice on Premature menopause side effect of breast cancer treatment This Yale-New Haven HealthLINK (December 2002) focuses on premature menopause caused by adjuvant chemotherapy or hormone therapy in women with breast Menopause and Cancer - PLWC People Living With Cancer (www.plwc.org) - accurate, reliable and oncologist approved cancer information from the world's leading organization representing |
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