Archive for estrogen
How to Cope With Menopausal Hair Loss
Posted by: | CommentsThere are many injustices suffered by a woman in her lifetime. But none can quite match the fear and sometimes horror of hair loss during menopause. I suppose if we knew when it would stop, we could know whether to start searching for the wig stores! But like much in menopause, we feel and are to some degree, out of control of our bodies.
Our hair is one thing that defines us. It is the representation of the kind of care we take of ourselves. It can indicate our style, like the clothes we wear. Compared to most men, we have spent a small fortune at the hair dresser getting the perfect cut, coloring, and perming.
When we see our hair falling out in clumps, we feel we are watching our womanhood fall down the drain also.
Why does this happen and what can we do to stop it?
First and foremost, understand that some hair loss is expected. If female baldness does not run in your family, you are most likely not going lose a significantly noticeable amount of hair.
Secondly, get yourself to your medical provider and make sure you are not anemic, have a healthy thyroid and iron levels, don’t have a connective tissue disease. These can be the major medical causes for hair loss.
Next, look at what sort of styling you are routinely doing to your hair. Persistent tugging and twisting of hair can strain follicles and cause them to shed their hair a little sooner. Believe it or not, most hair lasts 2-6 years, then falls out. That follicle then stays dormant for short time, then grows another hair. Harsh chemicals and dyes can dry the hair, causing early breaking off at any point on the length of the shaft.
Lastly, look at your diet and lifestyle. Do you get enough vital nutrients to feel the scalp and hair? Do you practice stress relieving activities to lower stress hormones. High levels of stress can cause the hair follicle to loosen the hair within the shaft and shed it; sometimes months after the stressful event.
Menopausal hair loss can last for up to 2 years, but usually your hair does recover most of its thickness within that time frame following the loss. You can accelerate this process by:
- Using gentle shampoos and eliminate any harsh chemicals and tight hair styling to lessen the stress on the follicle
- Consider taking hormones if you have other compelling reasons. The main reason you are losing this hair is a hormonal imbalance which makes the hair follicle less likely to grow new health thick shaft of hair. This is only a temporary solution, but it could give you time to work on healthy lifestyle changes including diet and stress reduction.
- Increase healthy nutrients in your diet by including foods high in iron, Vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium, as well as Omega-3 fish oil.
- Learn to meditate if you are stressed, or exercise to help reduce stress hormones.
- Drink plenty of water, eliminate cigarette smoking and drink alcohol only in moderation (7 drinks a week).
Hair loss occurs because of lower hormone levels, and as your hormones settle at a post menopausal level, the hair loss will stop. There are few medications for women other than topical rogaine, or the use of estrogen replacement.
The important thing is to take good care of yourself and your hair. Get plenty of rest and relaxation to keep stress low, consume a diet high in healthy nutrients. You may need to rethink your hairstyle or the chemicals you use. Don’t despair, your hair will most likely grow back.
YOU CAN CONSIDER HORMONE THERAPY AGAIN!
Posted by: | CommentsThe North American Menopause Society, NAMS, has recently released a new position paper on the use of hormone therapy during and following menopause. An analysis of several studies and data has shown that hormone therapy is not as dangerous or onerous as believed 10 years ago after the initial release of the Women’s Health Initiate study results.
The Women’s Health Initiative was designed to determine if HRT was cardioprotective; as well as to help determine if HRT caused an increase in breast cancer. This study was stopped prematurely due to an increase in cardiovascular events including stroke, heart attack and blood clots. Hormone therapy was quickly blamed for this increase in cardiovascular events, and consequently usage has plummeted.
You may be asking what is new about all this information?
Researchers have been continuing to analyze the data from this study, and have come to some conclusions which have helped guide NAM’s new position paper. This is what they have determined:
- Most cardiac events occurred in women over 60 who were placed on hormone therapy 10 or more years after menopause.
- Women who underwent hysterectomy and were placed on estrogen without progesterone had a lower rate of breast cancer, therefore taking estrogen for up to 7-8 yrs was not associated with increase risk of breast cancer.
- However, HRT started at time of menopause was associated with slightly higher risk of breast cancer than when started a few years post menopause.
- Women on estrogen therapy (ET) and estrogen/progesterone therapy(EPT) had lower rate of cardiovascular events when HRT was started at time of menopause, as opposed to several years post menopause.
- The types of estrogen and types of progesterone may influence risk of breast cancer and cardiac events.
What does this mean for you?
The recommendations suggest that you can expect the have your hormone therapy customized to your particular medical situation, including consideration for your risk for breast disease and heart disease.
For those of you who have had a hysterectomy, you could reasonably take your estrogen therapy for up to 7 years without significantly increasing your risk of breast cancer.
For those of you who still have a uterus, you would want to limit your use of HT for 3-5 years. After this, your risk of breast cancer increases.
The type of progesterone therapy may affect the risk of cardiovascular events. A natural progesterone, such as Prometrium, may have significantly less risk than synthetic progesterone, for both cardiovascular events and possibly breast cancer.
The route of delivery of estrogen may lessen the risk of HT. Topical estrogen, or estrogen patches may have less risk of thrombotic events; than oral estrogen.
Estrogen is the most effective therapy for vulva and vaginal atrophy, with topical vaginal cream, ring and suppositories being superior to oral estrogen.
Compounded Bio-identical hormones should only be used if an allergy to a component of federally approved estrogen or progestin hormone therapy exists. These compounded hormones have not been tested and may contain levels of hormones or ingredients that are harmful. For this reason, safety cannot be established as clinical trials proving safety have not been performed.
Hormone therapy can be very helpful when you are first experiencing menopausal symptoms. Now, with this statement paper, there is more guidance on safety of HRT use. Compounded Bio-identical Hormones are very popular, but their safety has not been establishes in the types of studies that this position paper discusses. There are many safe options for women that include patches, creams as well as pills; and this allows flexibility in dosing. This is is a form of customization.
This is information that you can use when you see your medical provider. Write in and share your own experience with HRT and whether or not it has helped, and even which preparation you used (your information is anonymous to our readers). It is through sharing information that we can enlighten one another about menopause and strategies to ease the common problems.