OSTEOPOROSIS

FIGHTING OSTEOPOROSIS:  The Simple Steps You Can Take to Keep Your Bones Healthy

Most of us have heard the frightening news: that osteoporosis is a real threat for women who go through an early menopause or suffer from premature ovarian failure. When your estrogen levels are low, your bones suffer the consequences. They become weaker, more brittle, less dense -- and more prone to fractures.

It's a difficult thing to come to grips to. Usually when we think of osteoporosis, we think of elderly women....not women in their 20s and 30s. But it's something that any of us going through early menopause have to think about.    -more-

BONING UP ON CALCIUM: What you need to know

You probably know that one of the unfortunate health consequences of early menopause and premature ovarian failure is an increased risk of osteoporosis -- the weakening and loss of bone. And you also probably know that making sure you get enough calcium is one of the most widely recommended ways of helping to keep your bones strong.

But there are so many different forms of calcium out there -- and so many different opinions, claims, and so forth....it can very confusing...   -more-

HRT and BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

MAKING SENSE OF HRT:   Natural?  Synthetic?  What's What?

Hormone replacement therapy is confusing enough, but it sometimes gets even more so when you’re faced with an array of different products -- natural estrogen, equine estrogen, progestin, natural progesterone gel, patches, pills, and so on and so on. . . . all with different names, claims, positives and negatives.

Probably one of the more confusing aspects of HRT is when people talk about synthetic versus natural HRT. You’ve heard the terms being used -- but what do they really mean? What’s natural and what’s synthetic, what’s the difference......and what works best?  -more-

BIRTH  CONTROL PILLS OR HRT?

Some of us going through early menopause or premature ovarian failure are put on birth control pills; others on hormone replacement therapy. Both act as hormone replacement; in other words, in both cases, you’re taking them to replace the hormones your body used to make. But there are significant differences between the two.

So, inevitably, questions come up: What are the differences? Is one better than the other? Why am I on one and not the other? Here’s an attempt at explaining this issue, the pros and cons of each...and the reasons your doctor may have prescribed one of these for you.  -more-

The Women's Health Initiative HRT Study:  What it means to you

Since so many of us heard about the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study and the decision to stop the study due to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease, it's no wonder this has become the number one hot topic.

Of course, many of us are a little concerned! It's tough not to be when you hear news stories saying, "Get off HRT now!" or words to that effect. The problem is, it can be difficult to get a handle on the actual findings. What exactly did the study find? And what does it mean for those of us with premature ovarian failure or early menopause?  -more-

SEX and RELATIONSHIPS

SEX AND EARLY MENOPAUSE

First, the good news: No matter how you feel right now, there is sex after early menopause. Good sex. Satisfying sex. Sex like you used to have!

But often, especially in the beginning stages of premature ovarian failure or early menopause, sex is a problem. It may be painful for you. Your libido might be lagging, or virtually non-existent. Or it might just be that you aren’t in the mood because you feel so depressed.

There is a way to cope with this often difficult problem...a way to work things out with your partner and to enjoy sex again. -more-

EARLY MENOPAUSE AND YOUR PARTNER

Going through premature ovarian failure or early menopause isn’t only an individual process. It also affects those around you. . . especially your partner. And, in turn, his reaction may have an enormous effect on you.

Dealing with your partner -- and his dealing with you -- is a very special, sometimes very helpful, sometimes very difficult, element in coping with POF or EM.  -more-

FINDING -- and WORKING WITH -- THE RIGHT DOCTOR

FINDING THE RIGHT DOCTOR WHEN YOU’RE COPING WITH EARLY MENOPAUSE

It’s tough enough for anyone to find a doctor who can work well for and with you -- and it’s sometimes even more difficult when you’re coping with early menopause or premature ovarian failure.

Many ob/gyns seem more interested in the obstetrics side of their practice and don’t seem to have as much time to spare for someone who’s not pregnant. In addition, speaking from experience, it’s sometimes uncomfortable sitting in a waiting room filled with other women your age who are pregnant, when you’re dealing with the unwelcome fact that your reproductive system has shut down. Other doctors, even those who specialize in menopause, often aren’t used to dealing with a young woman going through this.  -more-

GETTING THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTH CARE TO COPE WITH YOUR EARLY MENOPAUSE: How to Work with your Doctor

Working with your doctor -- as a partner in your healthcare is a crucial aspect of coping with early or premature menopause.  Since there are so many things that are confusing, so many options open to you in terms of treatment, and so many changes going on with you both physically and emotionally, it's important that you develop a strong doctor-patient relationship to ensure that you're getting the quality care you deserve.

And you have it in your power to get just that!  It's a matter of knowing what to expect from your doctor -- from the first visit on -- and knowing how best to work hand-in-hand with your doctor.  This way, you can rest assured that your questions will be answered, your needs carefully discussed, your options clearly explained to you, and your concerns addressed.  -more-

THE EMOTIONAL SIDE

WHY ME?:  Dealing with the Emotional Realities of an Early Menopause or Premature Ovarian Failure Diagnosis  

It sounds odd, maybe, that something can shake your self-image so much. But it can and does. Most women, when they learn that they are going through premature ovarian failure or early menopause, go through a very difficult time emotionally. It’s a devastating experience. Often you feel as if someone or something had died. And, in many ways, something has died: Your youth, or, at least, your image of it.

When you learn you have POF or EM,  you suddenly feel older, different from your peers. You feel as you have been cheated out of the normal possibilities of life. In your 20s or 30s, you are unable to fulfill the "normal" reproductive capacity women have.

You’re plunged into a completely different mind-set than the one you had before you were diagnosed. Your body is out of control and you are helpless to change what is happening. You’re angry, upset, and numb. But, somehow, you have to keep going.   -more-

HEART ISSUES

HEART DISEASE AND EARLY MENOPAUSE: What You Need To Know

If you’re going through early menopause, there’s quite a bit that you should be aware of where heart disease is concerned.

So let’s get to the, um, heart of the matter....

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women -- responsible for about 36% of deaths. And virtually every study of premature and early menopause makes a very bald statement: Women who experience early menopause or premature ovarian failure appear to have an increased risk of heart disease compared to other women their age.  -more-

WEIGHT and DIET

WATCHING YOUR WEIGHT

It’s summer -- and you’re going to the beach in your bathing suit...or wearing shorts and tank tops...or at least thinking about it. At this time of year more than any other, you’re more aware of your body.  Or it's the holidays -- and you want to look fabulous for those parties you're invited to.   Or it's just any day, and you want to look and feel wonderful.

But you step on the scale, and the little arrow is higher. Or you look in the mirror and don’t think you look as good as you used to. You feel heavier. You feel like you look different.

It’s a common problem for women like us going through early menopause. -more-

CANCER

BREAST CANCER & EARLY MENOPAUSE:  What are OUR Risks?

Breast cancer....it’s something that worries so many women, particularly those on hormone replacement therapy. There have been several studies linking estrogen and an increased risk of breast cancer, debates about the safety of HRT and whether the benefits outweigh the risks, and continual coverage about this very real—and worrisome–topic.

And the studies keep coming: looking at the effects of long-term (and even short-term) HRT usage in post-menopausal women. In average post-menopausal women....that is, women over age 50.

But what about those of us who are hormone replacement therapy long before the "average" post-menopausal woman?  -more-

 

COPING

INSOMNIA:   Dealing with Sleepless Nights

It’s definitely not fun! Right when you could use sleep the most -- due to all the physical and emotional symptoms of early menopause -- you can’t sleep. Maybe it’s night sweats keeping you up, or maybe it’s just plain old insomnia....but whatever the reason, you’re lying in bed, tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling in the dark, and wishing that you’d fall asleep.

Insomnia is one of the more typical menopausal symptoms, unfortunately. In the past, it was generally believed that insomnia was a result of night sweats. You couldn’t sleep because night sweats were waking you up.....and keeping you awake. -more-