Women Affairs

Sora Song Times Magazine What is a menopausal woman to do? A new study finds that taking soy supplements, a popular alternative to hormone-replacement therapy, does not help relieve the symptoms of menopause or protect against bone loss. After two years of taking daily soy isoflavone tablets, women showed no differences in bone density and no improvement in symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats, compared with women taking a placebo. Indeed, by the end of the study, more women taking soy were having hot flashes than women taking placebos. Soy has been considered a potentially safer alternative to hormone therapy because of its isoflavones, or plant-based estrogens. Researchers have also observed that women in Asia, whose diets are typically rich in soy, are less likely to have bone loss, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease than their Western counterparts. To date, however, most clinical trials of soy have been limited by their small size, short duration or faulty d...

Amy Scholten, M.P.H The following tips may be beneficial for these common symptoms of menopause: Hot Flashes Wear fabrics that breathe, such as cotton. Do not wear silk, polyester and other synthetics that tend to trap body heat. If you feel a hot flash coming on, drink a glass of cold water. If troubled by night sweats, keep a cold facecloth or ice pack by your bed. Instead of pantyhose, wear cotton pants or thigh high stockings. Decrease your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Avoid spicy foods and hot drinks. Avoid tobacco. Try eating and drinking more soy products. Some women claim that taking vitamin E daily helps. Vaginal Dryness/Urinary Problems (urinary tract infections, incontinence) Use a vaginal cream or lubricant (avoid petroleum jelly) to help reduce pain from dryness during sexual intercourse. Urinate before and after sexual intercourse to help prevent bladder infections. Drink plenty of fluids and empty your bladder frequentl...

If you’re confused about the treatment options for your particular menopause symptoms, now there’s an authoritative guideline, an algorithm, for your doctor or health professional to use. As estrogen declines in our middle years, the symptoms of discomfort vary greatly from woman to woman and often evolve slowly through a complex range, which if left unchecked, could lead to osteoporosis, bone fractures, and heart disease. It’s this complexity per woman that makes it such a challenge for health professionals to advise and prescribe just the right treatment. The algorithm available now was developed by eight, internationally renowned scientists and women’s health experts, led by Dr. Lila Nachtigall, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, New York University’s School of Medicine and Dr. Nancy Durand at the University of Toronto. It prescribes a hierarchy of treatment options, based on whether you are mildly, moderately, or severely symptomatic. Treatments include: • Changes in lifest...