Menopause Hormone Therapy

Postmenopausal women and physicians should no longer fear hormone. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) released yesterday its new clinical guidelines on menopause. According to the SOGC, took the hormone for less than five years are harmless and can instead help women get rid of troublesome symptoms such as hot flashes.

By publishing these guidelines, the SOGC has sought to silence the belief that hormones increase the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease in post menopausal women.


In 2001, a study conducted in the United States had shown that after four years of hormone therapy, breast cancer increased by 26% in postmenopausal women. With the publication of this study, more than 50% of Americans have stopped their treatment.


SOGC analyzed data available to determine whether the hormone is so harmful. "We have noticed that the 2001 study was conducted mainly on women aged 60 to 70 years. The average age was too high! Especially when we know that age is the main risk factor for breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, "says the director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Queen's University, Dr. Robert Reid .

"We put women in front of exaggerated fears. Women were afraid, "says professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Laval University, Dr. Michel Fortier.

According to the SOGC, postmenopausal women who want to avoid bothersome symptoms should first change their lifestyle. Control weight, smoking and level of exercise is essential.

Dr Reid acknowledged that this method is beneficial for women with symptoms means. For those with strong symptoms, hormone therapy taken in the short term is a safe and viable option, "said Dr. Reid.

85% to 95% of women see their symptoms with reduced hormone. The risk of fractures related to osteoporosis as well as the risks of suffering from vaginal drying declining.

If the hormone is less than five years, the health risks are invalid, says the SOGC. If the treatment lasts for more than five years women see their risk of contracting breast cancer increased slightly. "The risk is greater for women who are obese or who smoke," said Dr. Reid.

Increased risk among women who gave birth after age 30

According to him, should be more concerned that mothers are becoming older. Studies have shown that mothers who had their first pregnancy after age 30 are more likely to suffer from breast cancer. A third of breast cancer could be eliminated if these factors were controlled.

As to the effects of hormone therapy on cardiovascular disease and stroke, the SOGC believes they are void. We know that the hormones slightly increased risk of clots in the legs. "But in this case, age is a risk factor even more important that the hormones," said Dr. Fortier.

As for the effect of hormones on memory, studies are contradictory. According to Dr. Fortier, only younger women will have their memory improve with treatment. "But we still can not recommend hormone therapy to treat Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Fortier.

Five Tips for a Healthy Meal

You may think this is off topic but it is not, the way we feed ourselves can impact the menopause duration and the starting of perimenopause too and for our health, many of us must improve the way we feed ourselves to have a healthy and better life but many of us don't realise that keeping things natural and simple is the perfect way to achieve this.

Here are 5 tips that you can all put into practice very easily.


1) Complete bread or cereal bread

If you have trouble to choose between cereal bread and white bread, start by choosing once in two cereal bread for starting. When the taste become usual for you, vary the breads type you take. For sandwiches also prefer cereal bread. Ideally for breakfast, eat jam sandwiches for example, I know it seem hard the first time but it isn't.

2) To cook, drop the butter and margarine in favor of olive oil

You must know that butter and margarine, the more they are hard at room temperature, the more they aren't good for health. In other words the softer the better.

If necessary, use a reduced fat margarine or butter on your toast, rice or potatoes and your other recipes.


3) Use frozen and canned vegetables and fruit

Eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day is not easy, so enjoy the forms of conservation type freezing or canning. They maintain very well the nutritional qualities of food, because vegetables and fresh food in the tray quickly lose their vitamins...

Quick and easy to prepare, frozen and canned vegetables can also vary more often, whatever the season, so you have more choice.

4) Beware of dairy products...

Some cheeses bring a lot of fat. You must limit or even avoid them on some menus. If you eat enough fat meat for example, do not finish your meal with a piece that contain cheese like pizza, quiche, gratin, pasta with cheese, etc.., because they already contain cheese, so you do not need to add it to the end of the meal.

The dairy desserts are not all equal: a cream dessert for example does not mean yogurt. The first is more caloric, the cheese also compared to yogurt is more caloric.


5) Make efforts to change your menus

The food must therefore be balanced and varied. No food is bad; it is the excesses that are harmful. Meanwhile, each food is unique and provides different nutrients and different proportion.

A good way for varying food is to reduce the proportions in order to have a complete and rich diet. A traditional meal for example must be composed of: entry + flat (meat, fish or vegetables + egg) + cheese + salad + dessert. But to achieve this variety on a daily basis without weight, it is necessary to make small portions.