Menopause

Most older women with non-metastatic, estrogen-positive breast cancer initiate recommended treatment with an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen, research shows.

Adjuvant therapy combining ovarian suppression with an aromatase inhibitor-a class of drugs typically only recommended for postmenopausal patients-may be more beneficial for premenopausal patients with breast cancer than tamoxifen.

Study: the nonhormonal antidepressant venlafaxine was nearly as helpful as low-dose oral estrogen for reducing hot flashes/night sweats in menopausal women.

A small study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests that the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) venlafaxine hydrochloride may be as effective as low-dose estradiol for relief of hot flashes.

Vaginal dryness from vulvovaginal atrophy is a troublesome symptom of menopause. The good news: many treatments are available for this low-estrogen condition.

According to a recent study in Menopause, women who go through natural menopause at ages 40 to 45 may be at increased risk of developing heart failure and smoking may produce a similar risk among those who experience menopause at ages 46 to 49.

Menopause symptoms can make some women miserable, sometimes for months or even years at a time. This article discusses vasomotor symptoms and the available options for treatment.

Early menopause-whether natural or surgical-may be associated with negative effects on cognitive function that are not entirely offset by postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT), according to a new study in BJOG.

Vaginal hysterectomies are associated with superior patient outcomes and cost less than other methods of hysterectomy. So why is their rate of use declining?

Vaginal atrophy doesn’t have to be a life sentence of painful sex. New research describes a solution for dyspareunia that can take sex from “painful” to “comfortable.”

Women undergoing the menopausal transition may be prone to prolonged bleeding with periods of heaviness, according to a new study in BJOG.

Prolonged bleeding as women transition into menopause is common. Although disconcerting, these changes generally require nothing more than watchful waiting.

A study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the basis for this article in Woman's Day. A link to the North American Menopause Society’s website is offered in the introduction, but not one to the study abstract itself.

New research expected this year will bring about significant changes to clinical practice. Here, society leaders share what’s on their radar for 2014.

The two widely used surgeries for apical prolapse work equally well for both apical prolapse and stress urinary incontinence two years postsurgery, research shows.

What research from the past year will have the most significant impact on women's health care? The leaders of five major ob/gyn societies weigh in.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation can improve cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women, lowering the “bad” cholesterol and increasing the “good.”

For postmenopausal women who are taking hormone-replacement therapy (HRT), moderate exercise can help mitigate the increased risk of stroke associated with HRT use.

Premenopausal removal of the ovaries accelerates bone loss and carotid artery thickening in postmenopausal women, putting women at higher risk for both osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

More than a third of women experience hot flashes for 10 years after menopause and may benefit from HRT for longer than the 3 to 5 years that current usage guidelines recommend.

Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for at least 6 months after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) may reduce risk of repeat surgery. So say the results of a community-based cohort study of women in the UK who had undergone TKA or THA for osteoarthritis.

Progesterone therapy deserves another chance when it comes to alleviating hot flashes and night sweats, new data shows.

Hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women with breast cancer taking aromatase inhibitors were significantly improved after acupuncture, study finds.

In younger postmenopausal women, higher progesterone levels were linked with improved memory and cognition; other hormones were unrelated to mood or cognition.

An ob/gyn continues to fill prescriptions for HRT despite a patient's breast cancer diagnosis.

Women should not feel that they need to log long hours of vigorous exercise to see any benefits, says a study from Spain.

A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50% for at least 6 months, new research shows.

The latest results from the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Trials provide new details on risks and benefits of therapy across age groups and time.

The FDA has approved Duavee, the first medication to combine estrogen with bazedoxifene, for the treatment of hot flashes and the prevention of osteoporosis after menopause.