About Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy – From the FDA

Note:  This Blog is now being published at www.menopausetheblog.com. Please visit and continue reading about Menopause there. For an explanation of Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) — a term that the FDA does not recognize — and the issues that led to the FDA’s action this week against certain compounding pharmacies, see the agency’s latest [...]

Power Surge + Hot Flash = Insomnia

It happens just about every night.  After reading for about a half hour, I’m finally sleepy and relaxed. I turn out the light and sink into my down pillows and high thread-count sheets. I’m just falling asleep when, wham – it happens. It feels like my body has been plugged into an electrical socket and… who turned [...]

Exercise Doesn’t Alleviate Hot Flashes After All

Contrary to what we’ve read (and hoped was true), exercise is not a cure for hot flashes, according to a study whose results were just published in the January issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  Researchers had hoped to prove that exercise could be an alternative to HRT for women suffering from hot [...]

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 [...]

What to Expect

The Mayo Clinic website offers a 10-question, true/false quiz about menopause. After you submit your answers, you’re provided with explanations for each response. With all the reading I’ve done on the topic and consultations with doctors, I still got one wrong.  There’s lots of good information here and worth a read.

Is this Menopause?

My younger sister, who has yet to hit menopause, but clearly approaching this time of her life, told me that she recently left the keys in the car…and the motor running…for two hours while she shopped. “Is this menopause?” she asked.  Perhaps as a stand-alone occurrence, you could chalk it up to being pre-occupied or [...]