Obese women have worse menopause symptoms nd get less relief from hormone therapy

New study suggests that women with obesity were less likely to experience symptomatic relief after either systemic and/or localized hormone therapy

2023-09-27

(Press-News.org) CLEVELAND, Ohio (Sept 27, 2023)—Obesity has already been associated with a number of adverse health conditions and can interfere with a person’s quality of life. A new study suggests that, in addition to these other problems, it may also worsen a woman’s menopause symptoms and limit the amount of relief she gets from hormone therapy (HT). Study results will be presented during the 2023 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Philadelphia, September 27-30.

HT remains the most effective treatment to manage a wide array of menopause symptoms. Little research has been done, however, on the impact of comorbidities on the efficacy of HT during menopause. More specifically, no research is known to exist relative to the effect of obesity on the effectiveness of HT.

A new five-year study involving 119 patients sought to fill some of that information void by investigating the association of obesity and self-reported efficacy of HT in peri- and postmenopausal women. In this study obesity was defined as a body mass index of greater than or equal to 30.

There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients (obese vs. non-obese) relative to age, duration of menopause, or use/acceptance of HT. Women with obesity, however, were more likely to self-identify as Black, report the presence of hot flashes, genitourinary/vulvovaginal symptoms, mood disturbances, and decreased libido.

Based on the results, the researchers concluded that menopausal women with obesity experienced an increase in menopause symptom prevalence and lower efficacy of HT. Dr. Anita Pershad from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk led the study which will be presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society.

“We studied menopausal symptoms in an underrepresented patient population that’s not often included in women’s health studies. This research can help clinicians serving a more diverse racial and socioeconomic patient population that’s severely affected by the social determinants of health to provide better tailored care and counseling to patients seeking treatment for their menopausal symptoms,” says Dr. Pershad.

“This is important for healthcare professionals to consider when counseling their patients on the various options for managing their menopause symptoms,” adds Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. “Considering that more than 40% of women over the age of 40 are classified as obese according to the CDC, these results could be meaningful to a large percentage of patients transitioning through menopause.”

Drs. Pershad and Faubion are available for interviews before and after the presentation at the Annual Meeting.

For more information about menopause and healthy aging, visit www.menopause.org.

The Menopause Society (formerly The North American Menopause Society) is dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals and providing them with the tools and resources to improve the health of women during the menopause transition and beyond. As the leading authority on menopause since 1989, the nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization serves as the independent, evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals, researchers, the media, and the public and leads the conversation about improving women’s health and healthcare experiences. To learn more, visit menopause.org.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New research identifies genetic links between schizophrenia and cardiovascular disease risk factors

2023-09-27

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 27, 2023 — New research finds that people with schizophrenia have a genetic propensity to smoking and a reduced genetic risk of obesity. The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, revealed genetic overlap between schizophrenia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, particularly body mass index (BMI) and smoking. The findings highlight the importance of environmental factors in the development of obesity and other CVD comorbidities. Schizophrenia is associated with an increased ...

Workshop synthesis paper describes value of prescribed fire in wilderness areas

2023-09-27

GUNNISON, Colorado, September 18, 2023 - Many of the wilderness areas that we treasure were historically shaped by fire. Yet today, many wilderness landscapes are caught in the wildfire paradox – widespread suppression and exclusion of burning over the last century have increased the likelihood of high-intensity fires, which are more damaging rather than restorative. In December of 2022, experts from land management agencies, Tribes, and organizations across the country convened at the Wilderness and Fire Workshop in Gunnison to consider solutions to this dilemma, including the use of prescribed fire. Today, ...

Patients who quit smoking after percutaneous coronary intervention do as well as non-smokers – unless they had smoked heavily

2023-09-27

Patients who quit smoking after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for narrowed arteries have similar outcomes as non-smokers during four years of follow-up after the procedure, according to a large study published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Wednesday). However, if they had been heavy, long-term smokers, no improvement was seen. The study of 74,471 patients who had a PCI between 2009 and 2016 is the first, large population-based study to examine the impact of smoking on cardiovascular outcomes, such as death, heart ...

USC launches liver disease study as part of $50.3 million “multi-omics” consortium

2023-09-27

The Keck School of Medicine of USC has received funding from the National Institutes of Health as part of a five-year, $50.3 million “multi-omics” study of human health and disease involving six sites. Researchers in the Multi-Omics for Health and Disease consortium will study fatty liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, asthma, chronic kidney disease, preeclampsia and other conditions, with a focus on underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Throughout the study, researchers will use ...

How silencing a gene-silencer could lead to new cancer drugs

2023-09-27

Deep inside our cells—each one complete with an identical set of genes—a molecular machine known as PRC2 plays a critical role in determining which cells become heart cells, versus brain or muscle or skin cells. When the machine is missing or broken, normal fetal development can’t occur. If it’s mutated, cells can grow uncontrollably, and cancer can arise—a fact that has made PRC2 a source of keen interest for drug developers. New research by scientists at CU Boulder and Harvard Medical School offers an unprecedented ...

A novel role discovered for vagus nerve

2023-09-27

The vagus nerve, known for its role in ‘resting and digesting’, has now been found to have an important role in exercise, helping the heart pump blood, which delivers oxygen around the body. Currently, exercise science holds that the ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic) nervous system is active during exercise, helping the heart beat harder, and the ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic) nervous system is lowered or inactive. However, University of Auckland physiology Associate Professor Rohit Ramchandra says that this current understanding is based on indirect estimates and a number of assumptions their new study has ...

THE LANCET: Gender inequalities worsen women’s access to cancer prevention, detection and care; experts call for transformative feminist approach

2023-09-27

Peer reviewed / Review, analysis and opinion Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in women and ranks in the top three causes of premature death (under age 70) in women in almost every country worldwide. New analysis finds, of the 2.3 million women who die prematurely from cancer each year, 1.5 million lives could be saved through the elimination of exposures to key risk factors or via early detection and diagnosis, while a further 800 000 deaths could be prevented if all women could access optimal ...

Prolonged mismatch between calories eaten and burned may be putting many athletes at risk of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)

2023-09-27

The estimated prevalence of REDs varies by sport, ranging from 15% to 80%. The syndrome often goes unrecognised by athletes themselves, their coaches, and team clinicians, and may unwittingly be exacerbated by the ‘sports culture,’ because of the perceived short term gains on performance from intentionally or unintentionally limiting calorie intake, warns the Statement. REDs was first recognised as a distinct entity by the IOC in a 2014 consensus statement. This latest consensus, informed by a panel of international experts, draws on key advances in REDs science ...

Government policies work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

2023-09-27

Policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been effective, however more stringent regulations are needed to limit global warming to the Paris temperature goals, finds a new analysis by UCL researchers of international efforts to fight climate change. The research, published in Annual Reviews of Environment and Resources, tracked the rate of greenhouse gas emissions over the last two decades against global efforts to reduce them. Since the early 2000s, governments around the world have enacted numerous regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Over the same ...

Researchers combat Zika-associated fetal abnormalities using microRNA

2023-09-26

Before SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the Zika virus epidemic, lasting from 2015 to 2016. The Zika virus can cause serious birth defects and abnormalities. During the epidemic, one of the most striking results of Zika virus in pregnant women was the increase in offspring with microcephaly or a head much smaller than expected, a condition that can result in abnormal brain development. While the Zika virus epidemic has ended, future outbreaks are inevitable as most of the world’s population lives in areas where the Zika virus mosquito thrives. Researchers in the Aagaard Lab at Baylor College of Medicine ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Economic evaluation of wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 testing in long-term care settings

Announcing Deep Origin as a sponsor of ARDD 2025

Cancer cells ‘power up’ when literally pressed to the limit

Huge hidden flood bursts through the Greenland ice sheet surface

The brain shapes what we feel in real time

New study confirms post-pandemic surge in gut-brain disorders

Through the shot glass, and what can be found in liverworts

Stepping for digital rewards

Developing next-generation analytical technique for gene and cell doping and ensuring ethics and fairness in sports

Debunking a life-threatening myth: "Tongue swallowing prevention" maneuvers delay CPR and might contribute to brain injury or death for collapsed athletes