Monthly Archives: December 2007

Recommended Reading: Dr. Vliet’s “Women, Weight and Hormones”

As we wind up the holiday season, and resolve to shed the pounds we’ve gained from all the over-eating, this seems to be a good time to talk about the connection between weight gain and menopause. I’ve been reading Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet’s excellent book, “Women, Weight and Hormones: A Weight-Loss Plan for Women Over 35” in which she explains the crucial role that hormones play in keeping our bodies humming …until menopause, that is – when changing estrogen and progesterone levels cause a slowing of our metabolisms. … [Read more]

Those Lucky Chimpanzees?

The intriguing headline on the Science Daily Website, “Male Chimpanzees Prefer Mating with Old Females,” is just too good to not to comment on.  Apparently, female Chimpanzees do not experience Menopause as humans do and as a result, older females were more likely to be approached for copulation.  What’s more, “they copulated more frequently with high-ranking males and gave rise to higher rates of male-on-male aggression in mating contests!”  Of course, we humans live long after our fertility stops, whereas Chimpanzees’ reproductive system declines in tandem with overall mortality.  I guess you can’t have it all.

A Second Try

I came home from the naturopathic doctor with a shopping bag full of products to try.  Though I still have half-full containers of supplements prescribed by a nutritionist I consulted a year ago, I’m giving this approach a second try, albeit with different remedies that are intended for overall well-being, not just menopausal symptoms.  Hopefully, the saliva testing I went through helped the doctor pin-point exactly what I’d benefit from.  … [Read more]

What’s in a Name?

There’s something about the word Menopause that sounds…well, old.  I went to a BlogHer gathering a few days ago and while I’ve become accustomed to being one of the older people at any tech event here in San Francisco,  I felt particularly matronly as I told other, younger attendees, some of whom write “Mommy” blogs,  that I blog about Menopause.  “Wow, how interesting. I’ll tell my mother about it,” was the general response. … [Read more]

It Takes a Village. Really.

The Consensus on HRT

Every time I have a miserable night’s sleep, and last night was the fifth in a row that I had to take Ambien to knock me out, I reconsider taking hormones for relief of the hot flashes and the associated anxiety that keeps me awake all night and cranky during the day. It would be SOOO easy and I’d feel better in no time. Even my doctor takes them! But then all I have to do is read the latest article in the Harvard Women’s Health Watch newsletter that I now subscribe to. … [Read more]

RECOMMENDED READING: “Is It Hot In here? Or is it Me?”

This is the catchy title of a re-published book that is “a comprehensive guide to Menopause.” Its 15 chapters covers every aspect of menopause in an easy-to-read, Q&A format. The authors, Pat Wingert Kelly & Barbara Kantrowitz, start with the basics (“What’s Happening”) and do a particularly good job explaining “the hormone question” and “hot flashes”. They also provide explanations about all the things that seem to change in mid-life, whether they’re caused by menopause or not including sleep (or lack of), sex, aches & pains, bleeding, moods & emotions, bones, and eyes & ears. It’s a good book to have around when you need advice or at least an explanation for what’s happening to you. It’s also one of two books that the Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggested in an article published this month on herbs and supplements for anxiety. (The other is  Hot Flashes, Hormones, and Your Health (Harvard Medical School Guides) (Harvard Medical School Guides) by JoAnne Manson, M.D. and Shari Bassuk, ScD.)