Search results for vaginal dryness

HRT – the cat’s outta da bag

Posted by Liz on Dec 14, 2009 in HRT | 0 comments

Does Wyeth’s hormone replacement therapy agent Prempro cause breast cancer? Yes, according to a jury, who recently awarded Connie Barton $75 million in punitive damages.

According to a statement quoted in a New York Times expose, a spokesperson for the pharma giant Pfizer (which recently merged with Wyeth) emphatically claims that Preempro is “a safe, federally approved drug that did not cause [the woman’s] breast cancer.”And yet, Preempro is the very same drug caused the abrupt halt of the Women’s Health Initiative trial when it was found to double the risk for breast cancer as well as increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and blood clots. Moreover, later analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative data showed that hormones also increased the risk for dementia in a subset of women. Still, the company plans to fight every Preempro award, maintaining that it has acted responsibly and has posted every warning in line with FDA guidelines.

So what do you do when a drug has known dangers, a warped risk-benefit ratio and is still widely marketed? As I’ve written time and again on this blog, many in the medical profession continue to believe in HRT and  prescribe it regularly,  not for “good health” or to slow the aging process but to control the more troublesome symptoms of menopause (e.g. hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness). And thousands of women continue to toe the party line, believing that that hormone replacement is essential to easing the aging journey (as the article’s author so aptly points out, the term “replacement” implies that it is something that is needed).

Interestingly the article maps out strategies that have been used to influence physicians, professional societies and women so as to deflect attention away from cancer concerns towards the positive, risk-preventive properties of hormone therapy. And while this piece makes me want to jump on my soapbox, I won’t attempt to dissect it further because it’s one of the most thorough and well-researched articles I’ve read in some time.  The only thing I will leave you with is that Wyeth’s actions are a true reflection of everything that’s wrong with the modern view of menopause, from menopause as a disease to waning estrogen as a symbol of all that is unattractive about an aging woman.

Rather than “rebalancing” our bodies through modern medicine, shouldn’t we be focusing on what we can do to balance the transition as we move through our lives by focusing on our relationships, our activity levels, our psyches, our connections and our diets? You can’t fix something when it’s not broken. And the only thing that appears to be broken here is the hype.

Yes, the HRT cat’s outta da bag. What do you think?

Tender breasts and HRT – Do you need to worry?

Posted by Liz on Oct 16, 2009 in breast cancer | 2 comments

Yes, you do, according to UCLA researchers, who examined data from more than 16,000 postmenopausal women participating in the halted Women’s Health Initiative estrogen plus progestin trial. If you recall, this trial abruptly ended in 2002 when researchers learned that women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had a significantly increased risk for developing breast cancer.

In this latest study, which appeared in the October 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers took a closer look at the data to identify which factors, if any, could predict the possible development of breast cancer in women taking hormones. At the study’s start and every year until it was stopped, participants underwent mammography and were asked to do breast self-examinations. In addition to providing information on factors that might increase their breast cancer risk, they were also asked to to rate the degree of breast tenderness at the beginning of the trial and after one year.

Study findings showed the following:

• Women taking HRT who did not have any sort of breast tenderness at the study’s start had three times the risk of developing tender breasts at the one-year mark compared to women taking placebo.
• Breast tenderness at one year was associated with a 48% higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer than peers who never developed breast tenderness.

The researchers say that they are unclear about the reasons for this relationship and wonder if it might be possibly due to the fact that HRT causes breast tissue cells to multiply rapidly, thereby leading to more tenderness and an increased cancer risk. They also caution that the results just apply to this particular form of combination hormone therapy (which goes by the trade name Premarin®).

So, should you worry?

Emerging evidence continues to point clearly to a skewed risk benefit profile when it comes to hormone therapy, with risks outweighing any subjective benefits such as a decline in hot flashes, improved sleep or less vaginal dryness. It’s up to you to decide if you want to continue using hormones is you presently take them, or if you want to start HRT in the first place. And of course, if you are using hormones and develop breast tenderness, you should contact your practitioner as soon as possible to discuss your symptoms.

Ultimately, we all have control over certain factors in our health lives and don’t have control over others. Choose wisely.

Wednesday bubble: sexuality during menopause – blurring the lines

Posted by Liz on Jul 8, 2009 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

This week’s Bubble comes to us care of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and a fascinating study in the journal Latino American Nursing Reviews. The report attempts to address the limitations imposed by solely examining physical aspects of sexuality during the menopause as opposed to the intimate and relational dimensions.  In others words, signs and symptoms of the climacteric (the period marking the transition from reproductive to non-reproductive status) that specifically relate to sexuality, such as vaginal dryness and painful intercourse, are less important than the sum of their parts.

In this study, which involved interviews with postmenopausal women between the ages of 48 and 55, the researchers confirm that sexuality involves more than biology and rather, encompasses a woman’s subjective experience with her partner, her world, her perceptions of her body, how she experiences pleasure and displeasure and her values and behavior. In fact, sexuality does not “end with hormonal deficiency” bur rather changes over time.

They ask: are we overvaluing the biological aspects of sexuality at the expense of the emotional expression of experience, cultural factors and how we relate to others?

Key findings:

• It is critical to be present, open up to another being, allow oneself to be “permeated by co-existence” with our partners/lovers
• We need to connect with our bodies, remove barriers to experiencing physical pleasure — both alone and in relation to another being
• We need to be aware that we are affected by our sexual partners and their limitations, physical conditions, virility, etc
• We must embrace the ‘feedback of pleasure,’ i.e. be willing and able to not only give pleasure but to receive it as well
• Sexual satisfaction does not end (or begin) with orgasm

I have written previously on sex and sexual desire, often presenting the argument that the sum is greater than its parts, that it is time to understand and embrace the totality of the experience.

I admire these researchers for reaching outside the box and broadening the discussion about sexuality during menopause and midlife. Personally, I believe that within this new paradigm, we may finally be able to blur the lines between the biological, cultural, emotional and sociological to fully embrace that notion that menopause, and its accompanying issues, are not a “disease” to be reckoned with but rather, part of our “natural evolution” as women.

What do you think?

Something to chew on: menopause gum

Posted by Liz on Jun 26, 2009 in humour, Uncategorized | 3 comments

Hey ladies! Now you can just chew the menopause [blues/anxiety/hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, heart palpitations, urinary problems AND vaginal dryness] away! Wow – who knew it was so simple? In fact, Zoft Menopause Gum will cure what ails you in just weeks if not days, with the added benefit of fighting dental decay.

So what’s in this miracle gum you ask?

“Zoft Menopause Gum is a space age blend of Dong Quai Root, Black Cohosh Root Extract, Damiana Leaf, and Mexican Wild Yam Root.  Until now, no culture has had all these ingredients in a single formula.”

This space-age product has evidently been featured on ‘The View’ not once, but twice, which of course, provides an authoritative testimonial as to its efficacy.

Wait! There’s more….the company also offers breast gum to enlarge your breasts WITHOUT surgery, and hoodia gum to help you get back into that size 4 pair of jeans.  And just in case your partner feels left out, the company also manufactures stress gum and virility gum.

Guess if you order now you might even get ‘My Lil Reminder’ as an added bonus.

Wednesday bubble: age ain’t nothing but a…

Posted by Liz on Jun 10, 2009 in hot flash, menopause, nightsweats | 2 comments

Number?

Sometimes it is just that. And sometimes it’s not.

Confused yet? I certainly am.

Australian researchers suggest that many of the more common complaints of menopause may be possibly related to aging in general and not specifically the transition. In fact, in a study presented during last month’s 8th European Congress on Menopause, they reported that menopause is strongly associated with some but not other common complaints.

So what about the other symptoms? After reviewing data from 58,724 women (ages 45 to 50) participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, the strongest associations were seen between menopause and hot flashes/night sweats. These findings remained after adjusting for age during the study, age at menopause, smoking history, body mass index, sociodemographics (i.e. education, income, marital status and geographic location) and other factors that might influence outcomes. Other symptoms, including difficulty sleeping, stiff/painful joints and poor or fair self-reported health were also associated with menopause but to a much lesser extent. Headaches, migraines and incontinence appeared to be more strongly related to the aging process.

The researchers say that treatment (in this case, HRT) should be geared primarily towards alleviating vasomotor symptoms. Less clear, however, is how long therapy should be continued, since some symptoms can last for more than seven years. This study is scheduled to appear in Menopause.

Last September, I wrote a post about a survey being reported at the North American Menopause Society’s Annual meeting suggesting that women can actually discern the symptoms of menopause from those of aging.  Interestingly, many of the symptoms overlapped; in fact, 84%, 72%, and 77% of respondents associated vaginal dryness, urinary stress incontinence and weight gain, respectively, strictly with menopause, even though they can also be caused by aging as well.

So, what’s the primary point? It can be difficult to tease apart the effects of aging and the effects of menopause. Clearly, these new Australian data add a bit more to the confusion, and reinforce the point that more research and funding is needed in this particular area.

In the interim, I am just as happy to blame the ‘pause for my symptoms as I am to blame age. And equally as happy to take positive steps to overcome some of the more troublesome effects of the transition, regardless of whether it is a direct effect of menopause or not.

All in all, a good thing, right?