Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Surgery is not a treatment for menopause, but conditions requiring surgery become more common at the time of menopause.

Menopause Surgery Choices

Procedures that may be used to diagnose or treat problems, such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, that occur during or after menopause include:

* Dilation and curettage (D&C).

* Endometrial ablation.

* Endometrial biopsy.

* Hysteroscopy.

* Hysterectomy.

What to Think About When Deciding Menopause Surgery

Bothersome symptoms and abnormal bleeding often stop naturally after menopause is completed. If menopause is nearing completion, watchful waiting may be the best approach when uterine fibroids or endometriosis is present.

Some women may prefer the risks of surgery to the burden and inconvenience of their symptoms.

Surgery may be the most appropriate treatment for cancers of the reproductive organs.

Indications for Surgery During Menopause

Surgery to treat or prevent problems during menopause may be considered when:

* Vaginal bleeding is severe and interferes with your daily activities.

* Abnormal vaginal bleeding does not respond to other treatments and anemia develops because of blood loss.

* Other problems are found or suspected, including:

a) Endometrial hyperplasia.

b) Uterine fibroids.

c) Endometriosis.

d) Uterine prolapse.

e) Gynecological cancers, such as cancer of the cervix, the ovary, or the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer).

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Side effects that can occur with all forms of estrogen but are more frequent with oral estrogen include:

* Headaches.

* Nausea.

* Vaginal discharge.

* Fluid retention.

* Weight gain.

* Breast tenderness.

* Spotting or darkening of the skin, particularly on the face.

* Deep venous thrombosis.

* Pulmonary emboli.

* Rarely, an increased growth of preexisting uterine fibroids or a worsening of endometriosis.

Some of these side effects, such as headaches, nausea, fluid retention, weight gain, and breast tenderness, may go away after a few weeks of use. The estrogen patch (trans-dermal estrogen) may cause skin irritation.

An estrogen ring must be replaced every 3 months. If the ring falls out at any time during the 3-month treatment period, you may rinse it with lukewarm water and reinsert it.

Vaginal cream may be used by women with liver or gallbladder disease.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What to Think About

Recent studies are recommending that hormone replacement therapy using estrogen and progestin (HRT) be used only for short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms. Studies involving women taking estrogen without progestin (ERT) are still in progress.

While ERT alone increases the risk of endometrial cancer, estrogen taken in combination with progestin (HRT) does not increase the risk. Women who have had a hysterectomy do not have an increased risk of uterine cancer.

A woman who has a uterus and is unable to tolerate the side effects of progestin in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may consider estrogen-only replacement therapy (ERT) if testing shows no abnormalities of the endometrium. Close observation for precancerous changes of the endometrium is required, including an annual pelvic exam and an annual endometrial biopsy.

No studies have compared different types estrogens to see whether there is a difference in their effects. Some women prefer estrogens that do not come from animal products.

Tags: Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT, Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Ultrasound may tell how much time’s left on biological clock

The number of eggs left in a woman’s ovaries is 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 trans-vaginal 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. (more…)

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment