Purely Menopause Blog

Osteoporosis is a chronic, progressive, and incurable disease requiring lifelong intervention. A study conducted in 2013-2014 revealed that 6.8% of women aged 50-59 already had osteoporosis, and 34.9% were diagnosed with osteoporosis by the age of 80. Although the impact of osteoporosis manifests in the form of fractures during older age, the most significant bone loss occurs during the menopause transition. Recognizing and addressing this menopausal transition bone loss is c

As the last post of 2023, I'm reposting the top viewed post of 2023. Anyone want to guess the topic? Yep, you got it. Menopausal weight gain!

As I mentioned in last week's blog, we will end the year by reposting the top posts of 2023. The 3rd most popular post was about GSM . Today, we switch to sex - the second most popular post was "Let's Talk About Sex & Menopause." Note that that post was the first of a three part series. Read the other 2 here and here .

You may not be surprised to learn that the most popular menopause subjects of 2023, as determined by blog post views, were weight, sex, the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), and alcohol. Please let me know if you have specific questions or topics that you'd like addressed in 2024.

Breast cancer treatments can lead to significant hormonal changes in the body, specifically a dramatic decrease in estrogen or estrogen effectiveness. Practically speaking, women undergoing breast cancer treatment can be launched into menopause nearly overnight. Most of the women will experience severe symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, GSM, and others. In some cases, the menopause symptoms will abate once treatment has concluded. However, many breast cancer treatm

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about the supplement DIM. I wasn't enthusiatic about its use for menopause symptoms. This week, I'm going to talk about a supplement that shows some promise to help with the sleep disturbances of menopause - L-theanine (Be aware that L-t hreo nine is a completely different molecule - don't confuse them!)

Most of my blog posts have talked about menopause that occurs naturally in women over 45. But some women experience menopause earlier in life and shouldn't be left out of the conversation. About 5% of women experience menopause between ages 40-45, and they are said to have "early menopause." Another 1% of women are diagnosed with "primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)" before they are 40 years old. Women of any age can have a surgically-induced menopause. (If they are younger t

I've had a few questions lately from patients about using specific supplements for menopause symptoms. I wrote a blog post on supplements a few months ago, but there are always new marketing claims for new and old supplements so I will talk intermittently about ones that my patients are bringing to my attention.

Hype around new weight loss drugs (glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists) is soaring. And who wouldn't be interested in a drug that can reduce body weight by 20% and curb hunger? Some experts see these drugs as the holy grail, but others are advising caution. So, are these drugs the right for you?

Although menopausal women no longer need to worry about unwanted pregnancy, the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains. STIs are infections spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, genital touching, oral sex, or manual sex. STIs are caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. The eight most common STIs include four curable infections (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomonas) and four that are treatable but incurable (hepatiti

During menopause, many women experience a range of gastrointestinal (GI) issues, including bloating, gas, acid reflux, constipation, and diarrhea. Some of the GI symptoms can be explained by aging, but some are clearly linked to the the menopausal decrease in estrogen and progesterone. The presence of estrogen receptors throughout the gut and progesterone receptors in the colon point to a direct effect of sex hormones on digestion and absorption. In addition, estrogen and pr

Menopause is a stressful time in a woman's life. Changes in sex hormones can evoke a myriad of troublesome, life-altering symptoms like depression, hot flashes, headaches, sleep disruption, brain fog, gastrointestinal issues, and loss of libido. At the same time, a woman has the most responsibility she's ever had at work, has children leaving home, and often is responsible for elderly parents. In response to this onslaught of physical and emotional turmoil, some women increas

Menopause marks the end of ovulation, which is the stage of the menstrual cycle when a mature egg is released from the ovary. Every egg that a woman will have in her lifetime is made during fetal development. Once mature eggs cease to be released - that is, the follicles no longer function in a normal fashion, the menstrual cycle stops. We refer to the day 12 months after your final period as menopause.

Last week, we looked at some of the problems that the genitourinary syndrom of menopause (GSM) can cause when you ride a bicycle (or Peleton) and discussed ways to mitigate the problems. This week will be examine some of the other ways that menopause can complicate your cycling (and all exercise for that matter).

Last week, we talked about the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), a chronic, progressive condition of the vulva, vagina, and lower urinary tract that begins during menopause and continues throughout a woman's life. GSM can impact negatively multiple aspects of a woman's life but today, we will talk about how GSM and other genital concerns of menopausal women can complicate exercise, particularly cycling.

Pay attention ladies. Every one of you will experience the so-called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) if you live long enough. For a lucky few, the symptoms will be mild. For others, know that there are things you can do to delay and/or reverse some of the symptoms.

As many as 77% of women report changes in their voice, typically described as deepening, raspiness, and/or fatigue, associated with menopause. For most women, the change is, at most, annoying, but for women who use their voice professionally, a subtle voice change can end their careers. Sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) have a profound effect on voice, particularly during puberty and menopause. Testosterone causes the larynx to elongate and enlarge as we

Many of my menopausal patients list weight gain as one of their most bothersome symptoms. And with good cause. Not only does increased weight put you at higher risk for serious disease, but also it impacts your confidence, sense of self, and mood. In good news, menopause does not cause weight gain per se. In bad news, there's no good way to counteract the real culprit.

Testosterone is a hormone found in men and women of all ages. Women typically have levels of testosterone between 1/10 and 1/20 of that...

Hot flashes and night sweats (also referred to as vasomotor symptoms (VMS)) affect as many as 80% of menopausal women and often begin during perimenopause. They are the most reported unwanted symptom of menopause. Hot flashes and night sweats are characterized by feelings of warmth that spread over the body and can last as long as a few minutes. They may be accompanied by redness of the skin, excessive sweating, tingling fingers, increased heart rate, anxiety, and chest tight