GynoFiles

Hormone therapy is one of the most studied treatments in medicine. The effects of estrogen, the main component in most hormone therapy, are so wide ranging, that it's important that each individual work with a provider to decide if and when to begin therapy, what dosages and formulations to use, when to change, how to monitor, and when to stop. Given that large population studies have only given pieces of advice to providers, often women have been told what they perceive is conflicting advice. Much of the confusion stems from an interpretation of 'risk' and what some perceive as too much risk is viewed as virtually no risk to others. Given that some women are willing to assume more risk than other women, we have to recognize that Women do need to discuss their individual risk factors, and it is going to be the most beneficial if you begin your therapy within the first 10 years after your natural age of menopause, or at least by age 60. A new Revised Global Consensus statem...

It's tough to know how exercise is going to translate into health for all your body parts, and ultimately end up with the right amount of fitness, the ideal weight range, and your healthiest body shaping while maintaining healthy bones, joints, breasts and waist. Both shape and fitness goals are often in concert, but some fine tuning may be necessary. If you suffer injury, or are slow to recover, you need additional adjustment to fitness. Your physician's exercise goals may be quite extensive, whether you have discussed or not! Fitness program goals for you includes: to maintain enough exercise to be vigorous, have better cardiovascular health, to lessen risks of strokes and blood clots, to think better, to sleep, to have better sex, to feel better, keep your weight in the healthiest range it can be, prevent obesity, and finally perhaps to look better! While all those benefits can be obtained, for long term sustaining of those benefits you have to look at exactly the relations...

Sometimes you just want to read in bed, or cuddle, or perhaps get an early night of sleep, but your legs are twitching and you just can't. It may be due to a medical condition called restless leg syndrome (nocturnal myoclonus). Restless leg syndrome is characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the lower legs that persist unless the legs are moved. The symptoms can include numbness or actual cramping. These sensations usually occur shortly after going to bed but may also occur during the daytime. The urge to move the legs can last for an hour or longer, and prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep. Severe cases may cause interruptions in sleep throughout the night. Restless leg syndrome most often occurs in middle-aged and older adults, but there is no specific association with menopause. The cause of the disorder is unknown, but it is a contributing factor in menopausal sleep disturbance for many women. The problem seems to be exacerbated by many factors including low ir...

Everyone knows about hot flashes and sleeplessness, sweating and night sweats, as well as the host of vaginal symptoms that do occur at the time of menopause. But there are many symptoms not officially designated in 'the menopause' that do occur with great frequency. So the formal definition of symptoms attributable to menopause becomes a bit blurry when you talk to women and then get the take on menopause definition from their physicians. Lets take the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and moodiness. Is it formally due to menopause? A consequence of untreated menopausal symptoms or just due to what else goes on at that time of life? A consequence of the empty nest some women find themselves in when it is, coincidentally, their menopausal time. How about headaches? Is that due to the lack of sleep, the lack of the birth control pills you used to be on, the attempts to diet, the blood pressure or blood sugar problems that you may be having, or just simply menopause? It's n...