“We go through puberty, and everybody is happy, then pregnancy, and it’s all parties and gifts and gender reveals. When you go through menopause, suddenly no one wants to hear about it.”
-Lisa Mosconi, a neuroscientist at Weill Cornell Women’s Brain Institute as quoted in the M Factor documentary
It was so uplifting to see a packed house at the Wilmette theater for the M factor documentary: Shedding the Silence on Menopause. Women want more information and are demanding it from the medical community. To date, we hushed the impact menopause has on women’s overall physical and mental health. Now it’s the topic of every conversation among midlife women (at least those I know!)
We know menopause is more than cessation of our menstrual cycle. Women have the power to change the narrative for ourselves and the next generation.
Practice updates:
We plan on repeating our Member event, “Glow through menopause, how to maintain healthy skin” with founding physician of the Derm Collective and local dermatologist, Dr. Rachel Pritzker. We’ll review science behind skin changes, share solutions and answer questions and this time in person! Details coming soon. Look for an invitation through Spruce.
Stay tuned for May Osteoporosis awareness event and free exercise class with a Bone fit certified trainer.
Dr. DeSapri in the news:
Reviewing the science behind the trending weighted vest
Midlife must know!
How we view hormone therapy (MHT) has evolved since the Women’s Health Initiative
(WHI) published in 2002. A contemporary view on MHT requires 3 things. 1.An educated clinician 2. An informed woman 3. Patience
The statistics are real, less than 1/3 of gynecology residents (doctors in training) receive menopause education. It is not surprising that many women I see have more knowledge than well-meaning doctors and allied health clinicians.
What we know:
There are few well designed observational trials that inform our post WHI recommendations for prescribing HT to prevent disease and reaffirm the timing or healthy cell hypothesis.
One study called ELITE(Early vs Late postmenopausal treatment with estradiol) was an RCT evaluating the effects of oral bio-identical estradiol-17b on subclinical atherosclerosis (surrogate marker for cardiac disease). 643 postmenopausal women were divided into 2 groups: those that were less than 6 years (early)vs 10 years or more past menopause(late). They were randomly assigned to receive either oral estradiol-17b (1 mg/d) plus sequential micronized vaginal progesterone gel (45 mg/d, day) or placebo and followed for 5 years. The women in the early group were on average 55 yrs and late group average age was 63 yrs. Women treated with oral estradiol/vaginal progesterone had significantly slower carotid intima–media thickness progression (plaque accumulation), but only among women who initiated estradiol-17b therapy less than 6 years after menopause and only at the 5-year follow-up.
If you want a deeper dive, I recommend this expert series article by Dr. Barbara Levy and Dr. James Simon in the Menopause Journal.
What’s good to know?
Generations of women in the post WHI era have been denied MHT for various reasons. Notably misunderstanding of risk, lack of education amongst the medical community and fear perpetuated by media channels.
Menopause is getting a makeover. It’s a call to action- setting the stage for your health trajectory in the decades to follow. It’s not a time to suffer with hot flashes, insomnia, bone loss and low libido – just to name a few.
What does this mean for me?
Have the conversation about MHT. Ask me about updated research. Remember my 3rd point about patience. Initiating and continuing HT requires time and persistence to find the ideal combination of hormones for each woman.
As a nationally certified menopause provider since 2010 I have seen and heard from thousands of women wanting to navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence. Beyond merely addressing hormonal changes and so-called “bothersome symptoms,” I seize opportunities to educate and empower women for the decades ahead.
We look forward to seeing you at our practice.
Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri