Effects of Hormone Levels on Cognition after Menopause
Posted by on January 2, 2014 - 11:23pm

Do hormone levels in postmenopausal women affect cognitive function? New research sheds light on the postmenopausal brain.

In a recently published study, researchers found that estrogen levels after menopause may have no impact on cognitive skills, but progesterone levels might. Progesterone had some association with global cognition and verbal memory among newly postmenopausal women.

643 healthy postmenopausal women were part of the study, ranging from 41 to 84 years old. Neuropsychological tests were done to assess cognition and memory, and hormone levels were determined including estradiol, estrone, progesterone, and testosterone. The findings showed no association between estrogen and cognitive skills. However, women with higher levels of progesterone had better outcomes on the verbal memory and global cognition tests, particularly in those who had started menopause less than six years prior. None of the hormones appeared to have any association with depression or mood either.

More research must be done to confirm the new findings regarding progesterone levels. Also, there is no way to directly measure hormone concentrations at the brain level, but this research implies that estrogen therapy may not have a significant effect on cognitive skills. To learn more about when hormone therapy is beneficial , visit Northwestern's menopause website here.

 

Source reference: Henderson VW, et al "Cognition, mood, and physiological concentrations of sex hormones in the early and late menopause" PNAS 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1312353110.

Vegetarianism: Men and women alike?
Posted by on June 24, 2013 - 2:58pm

 

The connection between what we eat and mortality rates come as no surprise, but does changing our diet really give us a better chance of survival? According to a study by JAMA International Medicine, there is a correlation between a vegetarian diet and a longer life. However, the study also showed a difference between men and women (25-older). The study took place  in the US and Canada over a period of 6 years where the diets of 73,000 participants were observed. This community had even amounts of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. After the span of the 6 years there were a total of 2,570 deaths and the results then provided that participants with a vegetarian diet were 12% less likely to die. The study went in further to this particular statistic and found that the mortality rate was still higher for women despite the fact that they were vegetarian.

This is not to say that a vegetarian diet does not impact or influence women's health. It is always suggested to maintain a healthy lifestyle no matter what your age or gender may be. Being aware of your diet, communicating with your doctor about your health and staying active still remain for a healthier and longer life.

To read the entire study results, click here.

In the Debate on Women's Reproductive Rights, Where are the Women?
Posted by on June 19, 2013 - 2:53pm

The pro-life v. pro-choice debate continued on the House floor yesterday as party representatives grappled with sustaining women’s reproductive rights in a surfacing abortion bill.  On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved a bill banning a woman’s right to pursue an abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy, subtracting two weeks off the current cut-off of abortions at 24 weeks in utero.  The majority-Republican party passed this bill shaving off the extra two weeks based off the medically disputed theory that a fetus is capable of feeling pain 20 weeks after conception (which is equivalent to 22 weeks of pregnancy).  Democrats in the House and the White House fought against the bill, saying the legislation is an “assault on a woman’s right to choose” and is an attempt to undermine the precedent set in the 1973 Roe v. Wade trial.

The argument quickly split down party lines (only six party members from each side voting against their party) and escalated into a debate on women’s reproductive rights.  In this heated bipartisan debate, representatives from both sides evoked emotional appeals.  Though different in message, consistent across both lines is the lack of the female voice.  While the House attempted to integrate more women in this debate, only 19 of the 222 Republican House members who voted for this bill are women.  In total, the House of Representatives only has 78 women, accounting for a meager 18% voice in the House.  Furthermore, there are no Republican women on the Judiciary Committee panel that has jurisdiction over this particular legislation.

While this bill certainly made headlines, the threat of it obtaining further approval is low.  Sources agree that the bill will not find support in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and President Obama has also already voiced his opposition.  Although no abortion laws are changing today, it is important to keep abreast on the dialogue surrounding this controversial and emotional topic.  Most importantly, government representatives must do a better job of allowing women’s voices and opinions to be heard.  Female reproductive rights issues have been considered taboo for too long, and an open dialogue in the government may help bridge the gap between women and policy.

Sources: ABC News, USA Today, and The New York Times.

 

New insight into why more women than men have arthritis
Posted by on February 18, 2013 - 11:55am

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) strikes three times more women than men and researchers in Europe may have found a clue.   Scientists at the Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit at the U of Manchester have discovered 14 new genes that can lead to RA, adding to the 32 other genes that have already been identified.  The researchers latest study published in Nature Genetics, has reported genes that are specific to the female X-chromosome.  According to Professor Alan Silman, medical director at the Research Unit, "This is the first time that a genetic association has been established between RA and the X chromosome."

 

Women underuse aspirin to prevent heart disease
Posted by on August 26, 2012 - 8:41am

For years we criticized heart researchers for not including women in the early studies that recommended aspirin to prevent heart disease.  We asked:  How can you recommend aspirin in women when all the studies took place in males!  In 2007, after additional studies that included females, the American Heart Association released guidelines for the CVD preventive care in women including aspirin. Their recommendations:

  • Primary prevention (other at-risk or healthy women):   Consider aspirin therapy in women >65 years if blood pressure is well-controlled and benefit for ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction prevention is likely to outweigh the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke.
  • Secondary prevention (high risk):  Aspirin therapy should be used in high-risk women (established coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, end-stage or chronic renal disease, diabetes, and 10-year Framingham risk>20%) unless contraindicated.

A recent study, using a web-based risk assessment tool found that the majority of women for whom aspirin is recommended were not following national guidelines.  The authors led by Cathleen Rivera, MD at Scott and White Healthcare in Texas concluded that there is a need for more education about aspirin among clinicians and women for increased prevention of heart disease.  Given the rising direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease, it makes sense that health care providers take a closer, serious look at the increased use of low cost aspirin in lieu of designer heart meds.!

Source:  Rivera C, Song J, Copeland L et al.  Journal of Women's Health, Vol. 21, 2012.

Some little known aspects of the Affordable Care Act regarding women
Posted by on July 21, 2012 - 2:14pm

Several Affordable Care Act  provisions that have "remained under the public's radar" are women's health-related, according to a Kaiser Health Newslist of 10 little-known elements of the law. The following is from the Daily Women's Health Policy Report from the National Partnership for Women and Families.

One such provision reauthorizes funding through 2014 to states for sex education programs that teach students that abstinence is "the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems."

Another provision calls on the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct a study on the causes and effects of postpartum depression. The law also authorized $3 million in 2010 and more funds as needed in 2011 and 2012 to support services for women at risk of postpartum depression.

The health reform law also requires employers with 50 or more workers to provide women who are breastfeeding with a private location to pump and "reasonable break time" to do so.

Another section in the law requires CDC to carry out an educational campaign targeted at young women about "the occurrence of breast cancer and the general and specific risk factors in women who may be at high risk for breast cancer based on familial, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds such as Ashkenazi Jewish populations" (Schultz/Torres, Kaiser Health News, 7/12).