Menopause & HormonesConversation script
A Breast Biopsy Marker Before MRI: What to Tell the Team
Tell the MRI team about your existing marker and let them complete the safety check.
ArticlesTopic 09
Menopause & Hormones
Hot flashes, night sweats and the body that suddenly changed the rules.
Menopause & HormonesExplainer
Why Your Cholesterol Can Jump Around Menopause, and What to Check
If your LDL cholesterol rose even though you didn't change how you eat, menopause may be part of the reason. A study of more than 1,000 women found total and LDL cholesterol rose sharply in the year before and after the final period, beyond what aging alone explained. Here is what that means for your next blood test.
Menopause & HormonesWhat to expect
A Clinician-Proposed Memory Assessment: What to Expect
Bring examples and your medicine list, then ask how the findings fit the wider assessment.
Menopause & HormonesMyth buster
Clonidine for Hot Flushes: Ask Before Stopping
The reason for your prescription does not remove the warning about stopping suddenly.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Depression in Perimenopause: The 'Window of Vulnerability' Studies
Low mood in your mid-40s is often put down to stress. Studies that followed the same women for years found depression risk rises during perimenopause: high depression scores were four times as likely, and in another study major depression was two to four times as likely, even after accounting for stressful events. A past episode is the strongest warning sign. Here is what the studies found and what treats it.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Dizzy When You Roll Over in Bed? BPPV After Menopause
A brief spinning feeling when you roll over or look up is often benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), caused by tiny calcium crystals loose in the inner ear. It's treatable with simple head movements. Researchers have looked at hormones: a Taiwanese study linked estrogen use with less BPPV, but a UK Biobank study of 157,245 women linked hormone therapy with more. A Korean trial found vitamin D and calcium cut repeat attacks.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Do Coffee and Alcohol Make Hot Flashes Worse? What Studies Found
Coffee and wine top every hot flash trigger list, but the studies behind them are small and mixed. Caffeine users at a Mayo Clinic menopause clinic rated their hot flashes slightly more bothersome. One alcohol study found fewer hot flashes in drinkers, another found more. Here is what each found and how to test your own triggers.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Does Menopause Affect Your Hearing? What Studies Show
Turning up the TV more often in your fifties? A Korean study that tracked 4,448 women found hearing began to slip after the final period, faster in women with excess weight or high blood sugar. Whether hormone therapy helps is unclear: a Korean survey linked it with slightly better hearing, but a US study of 80,972 nurses linked longer use of hormone pills with more hearing loss. Here is what the research shows.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Does Menopause Change Your Voice? What Studies Show
Some women notice their voice sounds lower or rougher after menopause. A review of 8 studies found speaking pitch was about 1 semitone lower after menopause, a small shift most listeners wouldn't notice. Women on hormone therapy had slightly higher-pitched voices in another review. Testosterone can deepen a woman's voice, sometimes permanently. Here is what the research shows and when a voice change needs a check.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Does Smoking Bring On Menopause Earlier? What 207,000 Women Showed
Smoking is one of the few things linked to the timing of menopause that you can change. In pooled data on 207,231 women from 17 studies, current smokers had about twice the risk of menopause before 45, and women who had quit more than 10 years earlier had the same risk as never smokers. Smoking also goes with more bothersome hot flashes. Here is what the data show.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Does Walking Strengthen Your Bones After Menopause?
Walking is the exercise most women are told to do for their bones. A 2013 review of 10 trials found walking alone didn't change spine bone density, though the hip improved after six months or more. Programs that mixed walking with jogging, stair climbing or strength work did better. Here is what the reviews found and how to build a routine your bones notice.
DXA Booked After a Contrast Scan? Tell the Team
Report a recent barium examination or injected contrast before your bone density scan.
