Many women experience memory problems in their 40s and 50s as they approach and go through menopause. Therefore, it’s probably no surprise that a new study confirms that these symptoms are real (not in your head). But their findings don’t end there.

The study also pinpoints when these cognitive challenges tend to occur and eliminates some possible causes--both of which may lead to better treatment of this common menopausal complaint.

Study Details

The study followed 117 women in various stages of menopause as they took a variety of tests to assess their cognitive skills and reported on menopause-related symptoms such as hot-flashes, sleep disturbance, depression and anxiety. They also had serum estradiol (an indicator of estrogen levels) and follicle stimulating hormone levels taken.

Results were analyzed to determine if there were differences in cognitive performance based on each woman’s stage of menopause, and if these differences were due to menopausal symptoms.

The researchers learned that cognitive problems were most pronounced in the first year following their final menstrual period.

They also found that self-reported symptoms such as sleep difficulties, depression, and anxiety did not predict memory problems. Nor could cognitive problems be associated with specific changes in hormone levels found in the blood.

However, the researchers noted that hormonal fluctuations that occur during this time could play a role in the memory problems that many women experience. The process of learning new information, holding on to it, and employing it are functions associated with regions of the brain known as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. These parts of the brain are rich with estrogen receptors. 

By identifying how these memory problems progress and when women are most vulnerable, the study illuminates the window of opportunity during which therapeutic or lifestyle changes may be beneficial.

The good news for women, say study authors, is that these problems, while frustrating, are normal and, in all likelihood, temporary. 

Source:

University of Rochester Medical Center

To mark World Menopause Day (October 18) the International Menopause Society (IMS) released a comprehensive review of current research on weight gain and menopause. The bottom line is this: menopause does not cause weight gain. However, the fall in estrogen that comes with menopause does affect the way fat is distributed.

The Dreaded “Menopot”

According to review leader, Professor Susan Davis, "It is a myth that menopause causes a woman to gain weight. But there is no doubt that the new spare tire many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made. Rather this is the body's response to the fall in estrogen at menopause: a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist."

Weighty Health Concerns

The review acknowledges that women do tend to gain on average about one pound per year through midlife, but it sites non-hormonal factors such as normal aging and lifestyle (diet and exercise) as the cause of “middle age spread.”

This weight gain coupled with increases in abdominal fat during menopause raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease--the number one killer of postmenopausal women. Estrogen therapy (HRT) can help prevent increasing abdominal fat after menopause but it too is not without risks such as blood clots and certain cancers.

Rather than accept weight gain as a side effect of menopause, Davis says women going through menopause should be proactive and control their weight before it becomes a problem. If you have put on a few extra pounds in midlife, menopause is a good time to make lifestyle changes. This means being thoughtful about what you eat and for many, being more active every day, she added.

As uncomfortable as it can be, it’s important to remember that menopause is a natural phase of life -- and as such, it doesn’t require any treatment whatsoever. However, if you are in need of relief from the wide ranging symptoms brought on by perimenopause or menopause, consider these natural relief therapies.

Source:

Science Daily

A 29-year study found that women who went through menopause before age 47 were twice as likely to have osteoporosis later in life. These women also had a greater risk of fracture and higher rates of mortality.

The study started in 1977 with 390 white women from northern Europe who were 48 years old at the time. The women were divided into two groups based on those who went through menopause before age 47 and those who started menopause at age 47 or later. The women were followed for about 30 years in which their bone mineral density was measured.

Of the 198 women who remained at the end of the study, researchers found that 56% of the women with early menopause had osteoporosis compared with 30% of those who experienced later menopause.

Women who started menopause early were also found to have a higher risk of fragility fracture and mortality. The fracture incidence rate was 44.3% in the early menopause group compared to 30.7% in the late menopause group. The mortality rate was 52.4% in the early menopause group compared to 35.2% in the late menopause group.

The study’s strength is the length of time the women were observed. However, the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The higher mortality rate in women with an early menopause will need to be explored further as many other factors could affect this such as medication, nutrition, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Osteoporosis Prevention

There are other risk factors for osteoporosis and steps you can take now to support strong, healthy bones. Learn more with It’s Never Too Early (or Too Late) to Bone Up on Calcium.

Source:

British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Since it’s National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, we thought we’d do our part to start a conversation about bone health--and dispel a few myths about osteoporosis.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the key to preventing osteoporosis and maintaining your independence as you get older is taking these five steps—and the sooner you start, the better:

1. Know Your Family History: Speak with your parents and grandparents about your family history of osteoporosis and share this information with your doctor.

2. Know Other Risk Factors: Take steps to eliminate avoidable risk factors and/or reduce their impact.

• Being female
• Infrequent menstrual periods/low estrogen levels
• Low body weight
• Poor nutrition
• Inadequate exercise
• Smoking and drinking alcohol
• Certain medications and medical conditions can affect bone density. Speak with your doctor about ways to minimize these risks.

3. Get Enough Bone-Building Nutrients: While calcium is considered the primary constituent of healthy bones, many other nutrients like vitamin D and magnesium are necessary to promote calcium absorption and utilization. Other trace minerals and vitamins also play a role in healthy bones.

Be sure you eat a balanced diet which includes five servings of fruits and vegetables every day and at least five ounces of lean protein daily.

Daily Calcium and Vitamin D Recommendations

Women

• Under age 50 need a total of 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium* and 400-800 international units (IUs) of vitamin D every day.
• Age 50 and older need a total of 1,200 mg of calcium* and 800-1,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D every day.

Men

• Under age 50 need a total of 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium* and 400-800 IUs of vitamin D every day.
• Age 50-70 need a total of 1,000 mg of calcium* and 800-1,000 IUs of vitamin D every day.
• Age 71 and older need a total of 1,200 mg of calcium* and 800-1,000 IUs of vitamin D every day.

*This includes the total amount of calcium you get from both food and supplements.

4. Get Enough Exercise : Just as your muscles get bigger and stronger when you use them, bones get stronger and denser when you make them work. And “work” for bones means handling impact, the weight of your body or more resistance such as lifting weights.

To help build or maintain bone mass, weight-bearing exercises (walking, elliptical machine, dancing) should be done for a total of 30 minutes on most days of the week.

• Aim for 30 minutes at one time or break it up during the day. For example, 3 sessions for 10 minutes each will provide the same benefits to your bones as one 30-minute session.
• If you can’t fit 10 minutes in, spread your impact exercises throughout your day by taking the stairs or by parking farther from the store or work.

Muscle-strengthening exercises (lifting weights or using resistance bands) should be done two to three days per week.

• Try to do one exercise for each major muscle group for a total of 8-12 different exercises.
• Try to do one or two sets of 8 to 10 repetitions for each exercise. For example, if you lift a weight 10 times in a row and then stop, you have completed one set of 10 repetitions. You should also rest for about 30 seconds to one minute between each set.
• If you can’t do 8 repetitions in a row, the weight is too heavy or resistance is too much.
• If you can do more than 10 repetitions in a row, you may want to increase the weight or resistance.
• If you have osteoporosis or are frail, you may want to do 10 to 15 repetitions of a lighter weight to prevent injury.

5. Get Tested : If you are a woman who has reached menopause or a man age 50-55, speak with your doctor about when you should have your first bone density test. Depending on your individual health history and other risk factors, you may have this test as early as age 50 or as late as age 70.

Osteoporosis Myths:

I don’t have to worry about osteoporosis, I feel fine. You can’t feel your bones becoming weaker. You could have osteoporosis now or be at risk without realizing it.

I’m a man, osteoporosis is a woman’s health issue. While osteoporosis is common among white women, men and women of all races and ethnicities can develop the disease. Up to one in four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

I’m too young to worry about osteoporosis, I’m only 25. Up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and age 20 in boys, which makes youth the best time to build strong bones to last a lifetime. Also, osteoporosis can also strike at any age.

Osteoporosis is an inevitable part of aging. This may have been the view 30 years ago, but today researchers know how you can protect your bones throughout your life.

You’re never too young or too old to improve the health of your bones. Osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood, but it shouldn’t stop there. Whatever your age, the habits you adopt now can affect your bone health for the rest of your life.

Source:

National Osteoporosis Foundation

A recent study confirmed that a 2,000 year old technique may provide relief from hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, but there’s one catch. You can’t have a fear of needles. As you might have guessed, the researchers were investigating the use of acupuncture to ease symptoms associated with menopause.

While acupuncture has been practiced in China for centuries, its use in the United States is relatively new. Acupuncture is only one element of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which also utilizes herbal therapies and massage. It is often difficult for cultures like the U.S. to understand how Traditional Chinese Medicine works because it is a complex and complicated medical system that uses theories and practices unfamiliar to Westerners.

For this reason, acceptance by the medical profession has been slow. However, acupuncture has been used and studied for a wide range of conditions including back pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea, depression and osteoarthritis.

For this study, researchers assigned 53 postmenopausal women to one of two groups. One group received traditional Chinese acupuncture while the other group received “fake” acupuncture twice a week for 10 weeks. The serum oestradiol, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured at baseline and again after the first and last sessions.

The women given the traditional acupuncture had significantly lower scores on the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), somatic and psychological scales. There was also a significant decrease in the severity of hot flashes in the traditional acupuncture group compared to the fake acupuncture group.

While the acupuncture group experienced lower LH levels and significantly higher oestradiol levels after treatment than the fake acupuncture group, the researchers believe that there is little evidence to suggest that any hormone fluctuations were responsible for the changes in symptom severity.

Sources:

Acupuncture Medicine

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

If you're a post-menopausal woman considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT), no doubt, this recent Journal of the American Medical Association study that links the use of a progestin-estrogen combo to increased incidents of breast cancer and a higher risk of death may confuse and alarm you even more.

Many of your older friends may have been scared away from HRT some eight years ago after a five-plus year estrogen-progestin trial -- part of the Women's Health Initiative -- when scientists determined the risks of combination hormone therapy superseded the benefits. Still, some 20 percent of American women, needing relief from hot flashes and the other menopause-related difficulties, use it anyway.

This latest report (that tracked the health of some 12,000 women for more than a decade) found patients on progestin and estrogen experienced a greater chance of encountering breast cancer and that it would likely spread to their lymph nodes. Taking HRT also doubled a woman's mortality risks, but that was an increase from 1.3 to 2.6 deaths per 10,000 women. Also, compared to the placebo group, almost twice as many patients on hormonal therapies experienced cancer that had travelled to their lymph nodes.

Although the risk cited in the study was a real one, the lead researcher told the Washington Post that it "barely met the threshold for being considered statistically significant." That's cold comfort for women in their middle years who yearn to feel vital and vibrant in their middle years, but have to worry about lingering questions surrounding the deadly possibilities of taking a drug intended to ease their burdens, and not add to them.

Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 304, No. 15, p. 1684-1692, October 20, 2010

JournalWATCH October 21, 2010

USA Today October 21, 2010

Washington Post October 20, 2010