Asima Ahmad, MD, MPH, FACOG’s Post

#menopause is certainly making the rounds in public discourse more than it has ever before. One in four Americans is a woman over 40. That's right- 25%. What's more, is that 53-68% of all informal caregivers are women. according to Family Caregiver Alliance / National Center on Caregiving. How many of you (or your loved ones) have gone to the doctor wondering if you've entered this phase of your life but got no answers, and worse, no relief? The Lancet is a trusted medical source and it is disappointing, to say the very least, that this publication would do this topic such a disservice. Not only the topic itself but the thousands of #women who provide #care for others. Why make taking care of themselves harder? Please read the rebuttal article posted below, written and signed by 250 clinicians. Patients and #healthcare staff alike must be educated not only in symptoms and treatment options but also how to connect the dots of someone who presents with any number of them to identify menopause in the first place. #pharma #womenshealth #health #wellness #womenshealthmatters #womenshealthcare #caregivers #caregiving #caregiversupport #aging

The Importance of Early Diagnosis in Women's Health Did you know that up to 10% of women in Western populations experience early menopause before age 45? The cessation of ovarian function increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases, and it also affects cognitive function. 🔬 Why Early Diagnosis Matters: - Health Risks: Early menopause can lead to serious health issues like heart disease and osteoporosis. - Cognitive Function: It can also impact cognitive abilities, underscoring the need for early intervention and management. AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone) is a key marker that helps detect the early onset of menopause. While AMH levels drop sharply in the years before menopause, they do not predict exactly when menopause will occur. Instead, AMH serves as a marker of ovarian function, providing critical information for managing women's health. 📊 Study Insights: - A systematic review highlights AMH as a reliable marker for diagnosing and predicting menopause. Read the study here - https://lnkd.in/dsDUjGQp. - Research shows the current status of AMH testing among healthcare providers, with 1% of GPs and 15% of reproductive specialists performing at least one AMH test per day. Read the full paper here - https://lnkd.in/dHD3Qiq2. - An interesting paper provides insights into the current status of performing AMH tests by 177 GPs and 185 reproductive specialists in Australia. Read the paper here - https://lnkd.in/dhmu4Qwf. Join us in promoting early diagnosis and improving women's health outcomes. #POCT #AMHTesting #WomensHealth #EarlyDiagnosis #HealthcareInnovation #LepziLtd For more information, visit our website 🌍 www.lepzi.com or contact us at 📧 enquiries@lepzi.com

🎙️NEW PODCAST EPISODE: Ep 17: Hormone Replacement Therapy as Treatment During Menopause with Roksana Karim, PhD, MBBS. 🔍 Karim is an epidemiologist researching women’s health, particularly the impact of menopause and sex hormone concentrations on atherosclerosis/cardiovascular disease and other age-related chronic inflammatory outcomes including bone density and cognition. 🫀 There is an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in women right after menopause. This finding inspired Karim to further research changes during menopause particularly estradiol levels, metabolic markers, and atherosclerosis changes in women. 💊Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) replaces estrogen that the body stops producing after menopause. 📉Karim’s research showed that higher levels of estradiol were beneficial in reducing the progression were beneficial in reducing the progression of atherosclerosis. However, similar studies had different findings impacting HRT prescribing practices. 🎧 Listen here as she discusses the findings of subsequent studies in this field and whether there is a significant impact around when women are initiating hormone replacement therapy: https://lnkd.in/gUWwQ6B7 #podcast #research #faculty #USC #menopause #menopausehealth #menopausesymptoms #hormones #hormonereplacementtherapy

This promises to be a great discussion. Come learn about the latest in the menopause standard of care. #womenshealth #menopause #healthcare

In an interview with PBS, our own Mary Jane Minkin, MD, delves into topics surrounding #menopause, including #medicaltreatments, and how #research is making this phase of #womenshealth easier to navigate. Watch the full interview. Yale School of Medicine | Yale Medicine

ARE YOU PERIMENOPAUSAL? We are looking for volunteers to participate in a research study about how our thoughts/views may influence our menopause experience. This research forms part of an MSc Psychological Sciences degree at Brunel University London and involves answering a survey regarding different aspects of menopause. All participants must be over 18 years old, perimenopausal and female at birth. Internet access and a working knowledge of English required to complete the survey (max. 10 minutes to complete). Due to the nature of the research, we kindly request that anyone who is pre-menopausal or post-menopausal refrain from participating. We also kindly ask anyone who is living with a medical condition or taking medications which may affect physiological or psychological aspects of menopause or anyone who recently experienced a major injury/surgery/life event which may influence psychological states to be excluded from participating. This study has been approved by the College of Health, Medicine and Life Science Research Ethics Committee and will take place between 5th August 2024 to 5th September 2024. Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary and confidential. You can withdraw at any point during the survey without having to give a reason. Data is collected anonymously and cannot be withdrawn after survey is submitted. We are sorry we can’t offer any payment or rewards! Still interested? All participants must: Over 18 years old, female at birth & perimenopausal. If your answer is ‘yes’ to the above questions and you would like to take part, please follow this link for more information https:https://lnkd.in/gmsjyXch If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Researcher: Lauren Nicol (2275736@brunel.ac.uk). Thank you! Pauline Nicol #menopause #research #makemenopausematter Menopause Experts Group Limited

For the first time EVER oestrogen activity has been measured in live human brains which is going to make an immeasurable impact on our ability to understand how oestrogen affects brain health. Read the paper published yesterday in Nature here https://lnkd.in/dsZdbzyJ 3 take home messages: 1. Oestrogen works by attaching to oestrogen receptors. This study found that these oestrogen receptors INCREASE in number during perimenopause and post menopause ink order to capture every bit of oestrogen available (it was previously believed that they turned off and reduced in number). 2. Oestrogen receptors are active for up to a decade past menopause, suggesting the "window of opportunity" for HRT may be much greater than we previously thought. 3. Blood tests have never been a great predictor of where you are on your menopause journey however they found that oestrogen receptor levels in the brain predict menopausal status with 100% accuracy. VERY exciting news for the menopause community thanks to the pioneering work of Dr Lisa Mosconi, BY women FOR women! #empoweringwomen #healpharmacist #perimenopause #pharmacistlife💊 #helenthemenopausepharmacist ##menopause #thenewmenopause

🕰️Is Delaying #Menopause the Key to #Longevity? ➡️This article discusses the potential health benefits of prolonging ovarian function to delay #menopause and improve #longevity. #Menopause accelerates aging and can increase the risk of age-related diseases like dementia and heart disease. Researchers are exploring this because the ovaries influence overall health through hormonal signaling. 🥚The Oddity of #Ovaries The #ovaries are connected to virtually every aspect of #womenshealth and are the only human organ that simply “fails” one day. When a woman’s eggs are depleted and menopause is triggered, ovarian function halts. This brings an increased risk for #metabolic conditions, #heartdisease, #mentalhealth problems, #dementia, #osteoporosis, and more. Women who enter #menopause early, due to surgery, or other medical conditions, have an even higher risk for such conditions. This suggests that even after the ovaries stop releasing eggs, they may still be somewhat protective to a woman’s overall health. Scientists don’t know if the ovaries are just a marker of overall health, or that the impact of the ovarian function stopping causes poor health. ⏳How Delaying #Menopause Could Extend Life Span Scientists are now experimenting with different ways to prolong ovarian function and delay the onset of menopause. Oviva Therapeutics is in the early stages of testing whether a pharmaceutical version of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), which modulates how many follicles mature in each menstrual cycle, could be used to reduce how many eggs are lost per cycle (since usually, only one will ovulate). The idea is that if a woman loses fewer eggs, she can hold on to her ovarian reserves and the ovaries’ functionality for longer. A clinical trial currently running at Columbia University is also trying to slow the rate at which women lose their eggs. The study is testing an immunosuppressive drug called rapamycin, typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection, to understand how it influences the number of eggs that mature each month. It has been shown in mice to extend ovarian function. Other anti-aging scientists are also experimenting with rapamycin, but it’s virtually impossible to determine if the drug is extending human life without conducting a study over several decades. With the ovaries, researchers can see if there’s an effect much faster. Understanding #OvarianAging could also provide insights into aging processes in the rest of the body. https://lnkd.in/ds_9DiJr

Propaganda masquerading as science in The Lancet ? The journal has run a four-part series on menopause - led, curiously, by the Australian Prof Martha Hickey who helped write the much-criticised NICE guidelines draft in the UK. The Lancet says we are “over-medicalising” menopause (despite the fact that 80% of UK women get no medical help for it) and article plays up the risks of HRT and exaggerates the benefits of other (sometimes helpful) additions like CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy. The science cited is outdated and often goes against British Menopause Society advice. Fortunately the Australian Menopause Society put out a press release today saying it was ‘disappointed’ with The Lancet series: “The authors seem determined to minimise the important role of MHT (HRT) in helping many women as they reach menopause. They ignore other published systematic reviews which all agree that MHT is the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms, is as effective as other bone-specific therapies (antiresorptive agents) in reducing postmenopausal osteoporosis and associated fractures and, unlike some antiresorptives, is not associated with an increased risk of fracture upon stopping treatment. The authors caution against “over-medicalisation” of the menopause but the messaging regarding therapy is mixed and potentially confusing. The importance of bone loss at menopause is also recognised together with the effectiveness of MHT for fracture prevention, but other long-term effects of menopause on health are called to question. This conflicts with other highly regarded expert opinions and this in turn demonstrates that this Lancet series needs to be seen as only one interpretation of the published research.” My opinion is that we should tackle menopause is every possible way, holistic and medical, and that we should be led by the latest science, particularly on the safer profile and long-term health protection of body-identical HRT. Why should we endorse suffering and struggling when one in ten women are leaving work due to menopause symptoms? Let’s give them evidence-based information. Now. Read full Lancet series here: https://lnkd.in/eAuGX32v

🕰️Is Delaying #Menopause the Key to #Longevity? ➡️This article discusses the potential health benefits of prolonging ovarian function to delay #menopause and improve #longevity. #Menopause accelerates aging and can increase the risk of age-related diseases like dementia and heart disease. Researchers are exploring this because the ovaries influence overall health through hormonal signaling. 🥚The Oddity of #Ovaries The #ovaries are connected to virtually every aspect of #womenshealth and are the only human organ that simply “fails” one day. When a woman’s eggs are depleted and menopause is triggered, ovarian function halts. This brings an increased risk for #metabolic conditions, #heartdisease, #mentalhealth problems, #dementia, #osteoporosis, and more. Women who enter #menopause early, due to surgery, or other medical conditions, have an even higher risk for such conditions. This suggests that even after the ovaries stop releasing eggs, they may still be somewhat protective to a woman’s overall health. Scientists don’t know if the ovaries are just a marker of overall health, or that the impact of the ovarian function stopping causes poor health. ⏳How Delaying #Menopause Could Extend Life Span Scientists are now experimenting with different ways to prolong ovarian function and delay the onset of menopause. Oviva Therapeutics is in the early stages of testing whether a pharmaceutical version of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), which modulates how many follicles mature in each menstrual cycle, could be used to reduce how many eggs are lost per cycle (since usually, only one will ovulate). The idea is that if a woman loses fewer eggs, she can hold on to her ovarian reserves and the ovaries’ functionality for longer. A clinical trial currently running at Columbia University is also trying to slow the rate at which women lose their eggs. The study is testing an immunosuppressive drug called rapamycin, typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection, to understand how it influences the number of eggs that mature each month. It has been shown in mice to extend ovarian function. Other anti-aging scientists are also experimenting with rapamycin, but it’s virtually impossible to determine if the drug is extending human life without conducting a study over several decades. With the ovaries, researchers can see if there’s an effect much faster. Understanding #OvarianAging could also provide insights into aging processes in the rest of the body. https://lnkd.in/gSzCEfGv