Early Menopause.org

Recommended Web Link: Click to visit NAPS (National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome).

Booklet Continued

I interviewed Joan Pitkin on 28 July 2005:

When was the POF clinic set up?

The menopause clinic has been running here since 1981. We did try to set up a young menopause clinic, a few years ago. It ran for a few months but the situation wasn't quite suitable. Lack of resources, management changes, and at the time we were merging with another hospital. It all took it's toll. This second attempt, we planned carefully, because we didn't want to go that way again. It has been running for about a year now.

How many patients do you see with POF? Or premature menopause?

The numbers are growing, because when we started we just picked out women from our own group of the combined menopause clinic. Now we are beginning to get specific referrals from GP's. Last year we had a big meeting, to which we invited a lot of GP's to attend, and find out about what kind of specialist services we offer here, to young women with POF. I would say we normally see about thirty follow-ups in a standard clinic, and about fifteen new patients. In the young menopause clinic, it is more time consuming. The problems are more intense, so I would say we probably see in the range of about seven new patients. However the current climate, with primary care trusts means that many new referrals, have to go back to the G.P. for approval. This is obviously for financial reasons, and practically this can mean a longer waiting time for a first clinic appointment.

BMS CONFERENCE TORQUAY, MENOPAUSE MANAGEMENT
“Meeting the Challenge” July 2005

On Thursday and Friday 7th-8th July I attended the British Menopause Society annual Conference. This year for the first time it was being held in sunny Torquay at the Riviera International Centre. As I was a little apprehensive about what to expect from the next two days, I was pleased to be accompanied by Susan, our new Chair, for Day One. On our arrival, we enthusiastically picked up our delegates goodie bags, (alas no Devon cream teas were included in them). We then made our way into the exhibition hall, to browse the stands. Among these were Novogen Red Clover, who we were pleased to see, and also Francis and Taylor, stockists of specialist gynaecological literature. I continued acclimatising to the venue, when my sense of smell led me to the piece-de-resistance, a gigantic chocolate fountain the like of which I have never seen, a complete chocoholics heaven! My challenge for the next two days had now been set, were my eyes going to be bigger than my stomach? The next 48 hours would be crucial to my hip size!

Welcome to the new Early Menopause web site. Please click on 'Introduction' in the top menu to find out more about out new web site

I've found a good introductory article on Osteoporosis by Dr. Verna Brooks-McKenzie on Cayman Net News

Twin sisters face triple the odds of entering menopause prematurely compared to women who don't have a twin, researchers report.

"It's a three-to-five-fold increase in risk of having menopause before the age of 40," said study lead author Roger Gosden, director of reproductive biology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. However, he added, "We have to bear in mind that over 95 percent of women who are twins will still have menopause at the normal time. There shouldn't be any general alarm."

The study was published this week in the October 25 online edition of Human Reproduction.

Vitamin K deficiency could contribute towards osteoporosis, according to a new study. Vitamin K is needed to make a bone protein called osteocalcin fully functional. A new study from the University of Michigan School of Nursing now reveals what may happen if a woman's diet is deficient in vitamin K.

The researchers studied a group of healthy young or middle-aged women, determining both dietary intake and bone density at the lumbar spine and hip. The findings suggested that declining estrogen levels impair vitamin K function and have an early impact on bone density. Most of those in the study were not consuming sufficient vitamin K for their bone health and this effect sets in even before menopause-related bone loss occurs.

Cola may not be so sweet for women's bones, according to new research that suggests the beverage boosts osteoporosis risk.

"Among women, cola beverages were associated with lower bone mineral density," said lead researcher Katherine Tucker, director of the Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

There was a pretty clear dose-response, Tucker added. "Women who drink cola daily had lower bone mineral density than those who drink it only once a week," she said. "If you are worried about osteoporosis, it is probably a good idea to switch to another beverage or to limit your cola to occasional use."