OurGYN

Women everywhere go through menopause. But have you ever wondered how other cultures perceive menopause? Do women from the eastern hemisphere experience the same daunting symptoms as women from the western hemisphere? Think about how various diets, modes of exercise and styles of living affect people in so many different ways. How can we make the right treatment choices for ourselves if we are unaware of all of our options?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has instructed participants in the estrogen-alone study of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a large multi-center trial, to stop taking their study pills and to begin the follow-up phase of the study. Letters have been sent to all participants in the estrogen-alone study, 11,000 healthy postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy, informing them of a recent NIH review of the study data. After careful consideration of the data, NIH has concluded that with an average of nearly 7 years of follow-up completed, estrogen alone does not appear to affect (either increase or decrease) heart disease, a key question of the study. At the same time, estrogen alone appears to increase the risk of stroke and decrease the risk of hip fracture. It has not increased the risk of breast cancer during the time period of the study.

Listen to our expert Amy Stein by clicking this link HERE.

Amy Stein is regular contributor to Vibrance Associates sites and their forums.  Rather than excerpt a single chapter from her new book, Ms. Stein has chosen information from various chapters to share from her book, Heal Pelvic Pain: The Proven Stretching, Strengthening and Nutrition Program for Relieving Pain, Incontinence, I.B.S. and other Symptoms without Surgery (McGraw Hill, 2008) Published with permission. This is the first of four parts.

We know all about The Pill, but how about the Patch, the Ring, and the progesterone IUD? In the last few years the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several completely new forms of birth control for sale in the United States. They offer major benefits and some improvements over contraceptives such as The Pill, which works extremely well with correct use but less so with circumstances such as missed pills.

Many gynecologists incorrectly make the diagnosis of an imperforate hymen or thickened hymen instead of a condition known as vulvar vestibulitis syndrome. In vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, the vestibule and the hymen have too many nerve endings and are very tender when touched lightly with a cotton swab. In my opinion, since the diagnosis of imperforate or thickened hymen is so frequently incorrectly made, I suggest that any women considering a hymenectomy or hymenotomy get a second opinion from a vulvar specialist prior to surgery.

Maybe you want to show a guy that you like him, or maybe your lifelong partner enjoys having you tease her into ecstasy. Using your mouth to say what's on your mind can add a special spin to an evening in PJ's or a night on the town. Let's start with the basics. Men really tend to be the more visual and women the more auditory and kinesthetic. I did my Ph.D. dissertation on pornography films (yes, they used to be made as films then as videos and now on disks) and found the research to back up this assumption. Of course, like all generalizations not ALL men are motivated sexually by what they see, just like not ALL women are cajoled into the bedroom by sexy words or a quick pat on the cheek (either kind).

Let's talk breasts! As women, we all need to be concerned with breast health, but as we age and especially after menopause, breast health becomes an even greater concern.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women. The average woman has a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. It is the most common type of cancer among American women. In fact, each year almost 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer. Two-thirds of them will be over age 50.

Jill couldn’t sleep. She desperately wanted to be sleeping before Steve, her husband of 18 years, came to bed.  She felt she couldn’t bear it if he lay close to her, stroking her in the hopes she would be willing to make love.  She was so tired of avoiding him in the evenings.  So tired of feeling trapped in a sexless, distant marriage.  She knew she needed Steve, she believed that she loved him, but she no longer wanted to make love to him.  She willed herself not to cry, because if she started, she wasn’t sure she’d ever stop.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, April 6,2011)) sheds new light on taking estrogen. Here is what it means to you.

Estrogen versus Estrogen and Progesterone and Uterine Cancer

Like all medications, estrogen is a powerful hormone with benefits and risks that have to be weighed and personalized for each woman. Forty years ago estrogen was so popular and considered so beneficial that almost all women were encouraged to take it from the time of menopause until death. Unfortunately, it was found that estrogen alone can cause cancer of the uterus. Women who have had a hysterectomy and had their uterus removed don’t have this problem.

Then researchers discovered that women who take daily estrogen combined with progesterone for at least 10 days of the month did not get uterine cancer. There were some risks of blood clots and strokes, but overall it was believed that estrogen plus progesterone protected the uterus from uterine cancer and estrogen helped to prevent heart disease. The heart disease part of this changed with more research.

Read More