If you are on the cusp of menopause (perimenopausal) or already there it is essential you keep in mind the health risks specific to your age group. Most health risks are reduced if you have lead a healthy life up until this point but we cannot turn back the hands of time. If you haven’t been as conscientious about your … Read More
Menopausal Me and You
Menopausal Me: A tall glass of ice water and a desktop fan flank my computer today. This week’s menopause headlines carry familiar topics: heart health, hot flashes/flushes, insomnia, bone health, and bio-identical hormones vs. pharmaceutical. Yet, there’s numerous stories — almost too many to count – with the same name: Angelina Jolie. Who can do menopause better than she can? … Read More
Baby Boomers and Sexual Apathy
People and the media lob around the phrase “Sixty is the new forty.” Really? That’s a catchy phrase but is it true when it comes to … sex? Ask your 60-year-old plus friends, men and women, about post-menopausal sex and they may retort, “What is that?” Of course, they are joking. They know what it is; they simply aren’t engaging … Read More
Flibanserin Banned Again. Is It Denial or Safety?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has thrice denied Sprout Pharmaceuticals’ application for flibanserin, the so-called “Female Viagra.” Since 2010, the FDA has insisted the non-hormonal, psychiatric medication does not meet its guidelines for effectiveness and long-term use, particularly given the reported side effects, namely nausea and vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, and sleepiness. That may sound like a typical … Read More
Becoming A Grandparent
Knowing and assuming your role, how to be involved without being overbearing. The first time you become a grandparent is akin to the first time you become a parent. Observing the birth of my granddaughter was perhaps the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I got to meet her right from the get-go, which rates as one of my all-time favorite … Read More
Hot Flashes: Hot News
Over the next few years the boardrooms of America are going to light up with hot flashes. – Gail Sheehy, author, Menopause: The Silent Passage If employment and demographic trends continue, the New York Times bestselling author and prominent lecturer is spot on. Young women college graduates already outnumber their male counterparts, while their middle-aged mothers are closing ranks in … Read More
Yoga And Menopause
Chances are, someone, perhaps even your doctor, has suggested you try yoga to relieve your peri- or full-blown menopausal symptoms. Once considered an offbeat, unconventional source of healing, yoga’s potential for relieving many women’s menopausal symptoms has significantly increased, particularly since the Women’s Health Initiative and other studies linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to breast and ovarian cancer and stroke. … Read More
Are You A Perma-Parent?
My Big Fat Fabulous Life TV show stars a 30-year-old woman named Whitney, who weighs 380 pounds, ostensibly because she has PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) but also, as her trainer duly noted, a result of her overuse of a fork, knife and spoon. She lives with her 60-ish year old parents. Her father is exceedingly involved in her life and … Read More
Estrogen Dominance: What In The World Is Happening?
You have spent decades dealing with menstrual periods. You know the drill. However, something unfamiliar and weird is going on. Your periods are still regular but have become heavier. Your breasts are swollen and painfully tender to the touch. Your PMS is so out of control your significant other is threatening to abandon ship. Is this normal? Heading toward Menopause … Read More
Menopause: A Worthy Opponent
Is menopause a grand old time or not? Regardless of whether it is or isn’t, it is going to happen, sooner or later, so gird your loins, ladies. Yes, it is very true, you can no longer get pregnant. For some that is commensurate to singing the HALLELUJAH CHORUS at the top of their lungs. For others, it may bring … Read More