Menopause

Vaginal atrophy doesn’t have to be a life sentence of painful sex. New research describes a solution for dyspareunia that can take sex from “painful” to “comfortable.”

Women undergoing the menopausal transition may be prone to prolonged bleeding with periods of heaviness, according to a new study in BJOG.

Prolonged bleeding as women transition into menopause is common. Although disconcerting, these changes generally require nothing more than watchful waiting.

A study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the basis for this article in Woman's Day. A link to the North American Menopause Society’s website is offered in the introduction, but not one to the study abstract itself.

New research expected this year will bring about significant changes to clinical practice. Here, society leaders share what’s on their radar for 2014.

The two widely used surgeries for apical prolapse work equally well for both apical prolapse and stress urinary incontinence two years postsurgery, research shows.

What research from the past year will have the most significant impact on women's health care? The leaders of five major ob/gyn societies weigh in.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation can improve cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women, lowering the “bad” cholesterol and increasing the “good.”

For postmenopausal women who are taking hormone-replacement therapy (HRT), moderate exercise can help mitigate the increased risk of stroke associated with HRT use.

Premenopausal removal of the ovaries accelerates bone loss and carotid artery thickening in postmenopausal women, putting women at higher risk for both osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

More than a third of women experience hot flashes for 10 years after menopause and may benefit from HRT for longer than the 3 to 5 years that current usage guidelines recommend.

Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for at least 6 months after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) may reduce risk of repeat surgery. So say the results of a community-based cohort study of women in the UK who had undergone TKA or THA for osteoarthritis.

Progesterone therapy deserves another chance when it comes to alleviating hot flashes and night sweats, new data shows.

Hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women with breast cancer taking aromatase inhibitors were significantly improved after acupuncture, study finds.

In younger postmenopausal women, higher progesterone levels were linked with improved memory and cognition; other hormones were unrelated to mood or cognition.

An ob/gyn continues to fill prescriptions for HRT despite a patient's breast cancer diagnosis.

Women should not feel that they need to log long hours of vigorous exercise to see any benefits, says a study from Spain.

A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50% for at least 6 months, new research shows.

The latest results from the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Trials provide new details on risks and benefits of therapy across age groups and time.

The FDA has approved Duavee, the first medication to combine estrogen with bazedoxifene, for the treatment of hot flashes and the prevention of osteoporosis after menopause.

The first drug combining estrogens with bazedoxifene has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

A new registry-based study sheds light on patient factors that may influence risk of breast cancer associated with use of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT)-including race, weight, and breast density. Findings from the report, published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest the greatest association between HRT use and breast cancer in women with low/normal body mass index (BMI) and extremely dense breasts.

The best first- and second-line therapies for vulvovaginal atrophy are highlighted in an updated position statement from The North American Menopause Society.

Estrogen therapy is still the mainstay of therapy for moderate-to-severe symptoms and long-term studies on endometrial safety of local estrogen and ospemifene are lacking. Those are the key conclusions from an updated position statement on management of symptomatic vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) in postmenopausal women issued by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Vasomotor symptoms related to perimenopause and menopause in sedentary women are not alleviated by exercise, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial from the MsFLASH Research Network.

Women with a history of cancer are nearly twice as likely to experience severe menopausal symptoms, according to the results of a new study.

The use of conjugated equine estrogens in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 55 years was not associated with any long-term benefit or risk to cognitive function, according to findings of the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study of Younger Women.

FDA has approved low-dose paroxetine capsules (Brisdelle, Noven Pharmaceuticals), 7.5 mg/day, for treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause, also referred to as hot flashes and night sweats.

In an unexpected move, the FDA approved Brisdelle (paroxetine), the first non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes associated with menopause, in spite of a recent panel’s recommendation against the drug.