Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, physical activity has been consistently shown to reduce breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. More recently, there is evidence that the risk reduction is even seen in premenopausal women [1]. However, it is still unknown whether the reduction in risk of breast cancer is similar in Asian women, as… Read More
A public health paper on breast cancer incidence that does not withstand scrutiny
The recently published report from Ereman and colleagues [1] was intended to summarize recent trends in breast cancer incidence, mammography screening rates and hormone therapy (HT) use in non-Hispanic, white women (NHW) ≥ 50 years old in Marin County, California. The authors state that Marin County showed an excessively high incidence of breast cancer throughout… Read More
Menopause and irritable bowel syndrome
Up to one-third of the population suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which has a female predominance with a female-to-male ratio of 2–2.5 : 1 in those who seek health care. The female predominance is less apparent in the general population, suggesting that women with IBS are more likely to seek health care for their… Read More
Stopping estrogen therapy
Although most women in the estrogen-alone (conjugated equine estrogen, CEE) arm of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) did not suffer vasomotor symptoms, the newly published study [1] followed those women ([i]n[/i] = 3496) during the active phase and then after discontinuation of trial medication at a mean 7.4 ± 1.1 years from baseline. The mean… Read More
The fragile-bone dispute
No one would argue with the concept that a person suffering a low-trauma hip/femur neck fracture has osteoporosis and needs therapy to prevent future fractures. But does this apply to a relatively young patient with a low-trauma radius fracture? Should we automatically diagnose and treat this patient in a similar way? It is actually a… Read More
The search for an effective non-hormonal treatment for hot flushes continues
For women with hot flushes who are not able to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and especially those who are having treatment for breast cancer, the lack of effective alternative therapies remains a difficult problem. Women taking tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors will often experience severe vasomotor symptoms, which persist for at least as long as… Read More
Symptoms of depression among pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women in Turkey
A community-based sample of 685 women, aged 45–59 years (mean 51 years) living in East Turkey, was recruited in this recently published, cross-sectional study by Timur and Sahin [1]. An information form that included questions on descriptive characteristics and lifestyle variables of cases, the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory were… Read More
Endogenous estradiol and coronary calcifications in postmenopausal women
In a recently published study, Jeon and colleagues report on a retrospective analysis of coronary-artery calcium scores in 436 postmenopausal women who underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning in the hospital’s Health Promotion Center [1]. Serum estradiol, lipids and bone mineral densities were also obtained. In women not receiving hormonal therapy, the women were divided into… Read More
Women’s Health Initiative, osteoporosis prescribing and fracture incidence
In a recent publication, Lee and colleagues, using data derived from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from the US National Center for Health Statistics, evaluated changes in osteoporosis therapy in women aged ≥ 40 years, during the period January 1997 to December 2005 [1]. These office-based… Read More
Should we kill them all?
I ran into a recently published and provocative article [1] by chance. Although this is not in the mainstream of [i]Menopause Live[/i] fields of interest, it certainly deals with an important aspect of adult women’s health – treatment of cancer. The main goal of chemo- and radiotherapy is eradication of cancer cells. However, we all… Read More