News News Blog: Menopause

How NOT smoking could increase risk of infertility and early menopause

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PASSIVE smoking increases risk of infertility advises new study</td></tr>
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WOMEN are at high risk of infertility and an early menopause even if they DON’T smoke, frightening research has found.</div>
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Women exposed to first AND second hand smoke may be at greater risk of the conditions, with infertility rising by up to 18 per cent for women with the highest levels of passive smoking, according to a groundbreaking new study.</div>
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Although tobacco use has previous been associated with infertility issues and earlier menopause, this is one of the first studies to explore the effects of smoking AND passive smoking on women’s fertility in greater detail.</div>
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Researchers analysed tobacco exposure of 93,676 women aged 50-79. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both passive non-smokers and smokers are at risk of early menopause</td></tr>
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The women were asked whether they has ever smoked and, if so, at what age, how many years they had smoked and how many cigarettes they had each day.</div>
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Women who had never smoked were asked to provide details about whether they had ever lived with a smoker, or exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace.</div>
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Fertility data was then collected from the women and their partners, as well as information about natural menopause.</div>
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Worryingly, the study highlighted that women with the highest levels of passive smoking - living with a smoker in childhood for at least 10 years, working with a smoker for at least 10, or living with a partner who had smoked for 20+ years, meant a raised infertility risk of a huge 18 per cent.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoking raises infertility risk</td></tr>
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Compared to non-smokers, the team found that the female smokers or ex-smokers were 14 per cent more likely to experience infertility issue and a quarter more likely to experience early menopause, before the age of 50. </div>
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The women who smoked the most - before the age of 15 - experienced menopause an average of 22 months before non-smokers, not exposed to passive smoking.</div>
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Women who smoked a minimum of 25 cigarettes daily had menopause 18 months before non-smokers.</div>
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They also discovered that those exposed to the most secondhand smoke experienced menopause over a year before they turned 50.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women who smoked a minimum of 25 cigarettes daily had menopause 18 months before non-smokers.</td></tr>
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Researchers took many other influential factors in to account, such as body mass index (BMI), physical exercise, exposure to insecticides, oral contraceptive use and age of starting their first period.</div>
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The authors said: "It is one of the first studies of this size and statistical power to investigate and quantify active and passive smoking and women's health issues. It strengthens the current evidence that all women need to be protected from active and passive tobacco smoke.”</div>
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The findings have been published in Tobacco Control.</div>

How NOT smoking could increase risk of infertility and early menopause

PASSIVE smoking increases risk of infertility advises new study WOMEN are at high risk of infertility and an early menopause even...

Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dame Sally Davies has called for and end to the workplace taboo around the menopause</td></tr>
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BOSSES must tackle “the last workplace taboo,” the menopause, amid fears women are being forced out of their jobs because employers are ignoring its impact.</div>
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This is the message from the first female Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, who has called on bosses to create a culture where women feel comfortable discussing the menopause in the workplace. </div>
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Government figures have revealed that 10 per cent of women have taken days off work because of menopausal symptoms, including problems with memory and concentration as well as difficulty sleeping. </div>
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But only one in four has discussed their ailments with their manager. </div>
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Dame Sally claims it is “inexcusable” that women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms should feel unable to discuss the matter. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only one in four women going through the menopause have discussed their health with their employer</td></tr>
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<section class="text-description">She has recommended that the Faculty of Occupational Medicine produces guidelines for employers to provide appropriate support to women during their menopause. </section><section class="pull-quote on-right"><blockquote class="nointellitxt ctx_blocked" id="nointellitxt">
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            The menopause affects millions of women a year in different ways        </div>
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Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice</div>
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</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description">“The menopause is a natural part of life, but it can feel like a great taboo,” she said. </section><section class="text-description">“It is inexcusable that women experiencing menopausal symptoms should feel unable to discuss how they are feeling at work. </section><section class="text-description">“I want to encourage managers to ensure working women feel as comfortable discussing menopausal symptoms as they would any other issues affecting them in the workplace. This will help ensure the talent and potential of all women can be realised to the full.” </section><section class="text-description">Earlier this year Ros Altman, who advises the Government on how to retain over-50s in the workplace, said that while other life-changing events are recognised by businesses, the menopause is still taboo.</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description"></section><section class="text-description"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs06Ktp9Mebxtcv3AQvOsars_fh01np8dA8d1J7KAB69UYfR_DrrvfuPV_bDFChmxJWdlUgYYrFpMShFsOH2sJ9IHiogp0p6AvVH7xBYNgx_SRJrG3OrROz1FLKDwb9c4ZF6FfEiJfF1s/s1600/Dame+Sally+Davies-+First+female+Chief+Medical+Officer+tackles+workplace+menopause+%2527taboo%2527+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs06Ktp9Mebxtcv3AQvOsars_fh01np8dA8d1J7KAB69UYfR_DrrvfuPV_bDFChmxJWdlUgYYrFpMShFsOH2sJ9IHiogp0p6AvVH7xBYNgx_SRJrG3OrROz1FLKDwb9c4ZF6FfEiJfF1s/s640/Dame+Sally+Davies-+First+female+Chief+Medical+Officer+tackles+workplace+menopause+%2527taboo%2527+3.jpg" title="Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were 3.5 million women aged 50 to 65 in employment in 2013</td></tr>
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</section><section class="text-description"></section><section class="text-description">Dr Altman, an expert on pensions and finance, said some women struggling with symptoms of the menopause are perceived to be under-performing and are forced out of their jobs. </section><section class="text-description">Others, tired of battling on, will chose to leave or go part-time Dr Altman said, as she warned that the menopause was simply “not on the work radar”. </section><section class="text-description">There were 3.5 million women aged 50 to 65 in employment in 2013. </section><section class="text-description">With an ageing national workforce, research shows that better understanding by employers could support women with symptoms by helping them to feel more engaged and productive, encouraging them to stay in work. </section><section class="text-description">Last night Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice Caroline Dinenage said: “Employers know women contribute immeasurable value and skill to the workplace, so it is only right that we do all we can to drive positive change so that every woman, of every age, can achieve her full potential.</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw2boa1QRklH4IkTz2_0Xs_ItCNCeu1Fl87tvtqnVNq82Y3sMZWY_YO_M5zAC7y8g2ELplu3Tj8pN2lLbZ8h-xosUjsNAR_K_7HAqDdA1RpPKqtX8gAWnF4WzrVmpg62Yi7QNMfMWGl0/s1600/Dame+Sally+Davies-+First+female+Chief+Medical+Officer+tackles+workplace+menopause+%2527taboo%2527+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'" border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw2boa1QRklH4IkTz2_0Xs_ItCNCeu1Fl87tvtqnVNq82Y3sMZWY_YO_M5zAC7y8g2ELplu3Tj8pN2lLbZ8h-xosUjsNAR_K_7HAqDdA1RpPKqtX8gAWnF4WzrVmpg62Yi7QNMfMWGl0/s640/Dame+Sally+Davies-+First+female+Chief+Medical+Officer+tackles+workplace+menopause+%2527taboo%2527+4.jpg" title="Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A woman applying a HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) patch to her thigh</td></tr>
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</section><section class="text-description">“The menopause affects millions of women a year in different ways, and it is right that we raise awareness of a subject which is still too often seen as a taboo, so we can continue to give women the support they need, as and when they need it.” </section><section class="text-description">Dr Heather Currie, a spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Menopause Society, added: “Every woman experiences the menopause differently. </section><section class="text-description">“Symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and depression, as well as a loss of interest in sex, can be extremely debilitating and have a significant impact on a woman’s physical and psychological health, career, social life and relationships. </section><section class="text-description">“Many women are still suffering in silence. We welcome the Chief Medical Officer’s efforts to ensure employers can offer support and flexibility to women through this time.”</section>

Dame Sally Davies: First female Chief Medical Officer tackles workplace menopause 'taboo'

Dame Sally Davies has called for and end to the workplace taboo around the menopause BOSSES must tackle “the last workplace taboo,” t...

Reluctant doctors offer HRT for menopause despite risk of CANCER

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctors are being urged to prescribe HRT despite potential cancer risks</td></tr>
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HEALTH regulator argues controversial treatment is still the right choice.</div>
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Doctors are being urged to prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to women going through menopause, despite potential cancer risks.</div>
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The NHS treatments adviser has issued guidelines that hundreds of thousands more women should be taking the controversial treatment. </div>
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The guidelines have been just issued by National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). </div>
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In the report, NICE acknowledges many medical professionals are reluctant to offer HRT.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many medical professionals are reluctant to offer HRT</td></tr>
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However, the guidelines still argue that HRT is the most effective treatment for many women. </div>
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Figures show that prescriptions have almost halved in the past decade, according to NICE. </div>
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Dr Imogen Shaw is one of the experts who helped develop the guideline.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women experiencing menopause commonly suffer from hot flushes</td></tr>
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Speaking to The Independent, she said: "For the last decade, some GPs have been worried about prescribing HRT, and women worried about taking it."</div>
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Chair of the menopause guideline development group, Professor Mary Ann Lumsden, said the number of women taking HRT is less than 15 per cent in most of Britain. </div>
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Speaking to The Independent, Professor Mary Ann said: "What we would like is that people who need it and would benefit from it have the option of considering it, we're not saying any more than that."</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figures show that prescriptions have almost halved in the past decade</td></tr>
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The guideline states that "no other treatment has been shown to be as effective as HRT for menopausal symptoms."</div>
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The NICE website states: "HRT with oestrogen and progestogen can be associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer but any increase risk reduces after stopping HRT."</div>
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An estimated 1.5 million women in the UK experience symptoms of menopause that include hot flushes and night sweats. </div>

Reluctant doctors offer HRT for menopause despite risk of CANCER

Doctors are being urged to prescribe HRT despite potential cancer risks HEALTH regulator argues controversial treatment is still the ...

Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIcGecJDJIYfVaEobVX9XXnybwh9YaacITpkrSenS4JzYsjkZjpvW6biYtPxxA1QJ8zShbBoVVJLnHMlxDkPyagk2CjErJE-9TstcEgwcVRIsdWLhKto8A4u-klCEI6T7pBfAWFR2ENA/s1600/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIcGecJDJIYfVaEobVX9XXnybwh9YaacITpkrSenS4JzYsjkZjpvW6biYtPxxA1QJ8zShbBoVVJLnHMlxDkPyagk2CjErJE-9TstcEgwcVRIsdWLhKto8A4u-klCEI6T7pBfAWFR2ENA/s640/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY.jpg" title="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belinda Carlisle reveals she had up to 40 hot flushes a day</td></tr>
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AS ANY menopausal woman can tell you, hot flushes and mood swings can strike without warning and with the most inappropriate timing. But for singer Belinda Carlisle, going through "the change" meant suffering unpleasant symptoms on stage, in front of packed audiences. </div>
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<section class="text-description">"For a long time I was in denial about the menopause because my mother had horrendous symptoms and I never wanted to go through anything like that," says US-born Belinda, 57, who found worldwide fame with Eighties girl band the Go-Go's and later had solo hits with Circle In The Sand and Heaven Is A Place On Earth.</section><section class="text-description">"But when I was 51 the most terrible hot flushes hit me. I'd have up to 40 a day. I went from looking fine one minute to being completely soaked with sweat the next.</section><section class="text-description">It looked horrible and it was incredibly embarrassing.</section><section class="text-description">"So I carried tissues and a change of clothes everywhere with me, either in my car or my bag and so if I was suddenly drenched in sweat I could get changed quickly.</section><section class="pull-quote on-right"><blockquote class="nointellitxt ctx_blocked" id="nointellitxt">
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For a long time I was in denial about the menopause because my mother had horrendous symptoms and I never wanted to go through anything like that        </div>
<div class="author">
Belinda Carlisle, singer</div>
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</section><section class="text-description">"But I remember being on stage in Australia and during the very first song I had the most appalling hot flush. All of a sudden I was drenched in sweat and everything was soaked and I just had to carry on. I couldn't rush off stage after one song."</section><section class="text-description">Belinda also suffered from disturbed sleep and night sweats. "I'd wake up in the night and the bed would be wet," she says. "Having broken sleep meant I'd never feel rested which was no fun, although I could cope. But the hot flushes in public were horrible.</section><section class="text-description">"I'd feel moody, too, as though someone was revving my motor. I'm not naturally a moody person so that was horrible. I just felt wound up all the time."</section><section class="text-description">Most women start to experience symptoms in their 40s although the menopause occurs at an average age of 51 in the UK, when the ovaries start to produce less of the hormone oestrogen. At the same time levels of progesterone and testosterone drop too.</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description"></section><section class="text-description"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlFOah4yJC9NuSY_Ou7s_fSruoE6vVKgBSZ44JqPIxVL0H4_tfsJllxi2yeeUBa58Ri29dtjwJT050FJRC27U51LF6vQCVriefDs72LjnYHpOMuRWaDDC_WoNNIIalbKfAtOlWLDbcl8/s1600/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlFOah4yJC9NuSY_Ou7s_fSruoE6vVKgBSZ44JqPIxVL0H4_tfsJllxi2yeeUBa58Ri29dtjwJT050FJRC27U51LF6vQCVriefDs72LjnYHpOMuRWaDDC_WoNNIIalbKfAtOlWLDbcl8/s640/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY+2.jpg" title="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belinda, bottom left, with her band the Go-Go's in 2001</td></tr>
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</section><section class="text-description"></section><section class="text-description">Oestrogen affects the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature. A lack of oestrogen can also lead to vaginal dryness, brittle bones (osteoporosis) and cardiovascular disease.</section><section class="text-description">About 80 per cent of women have symptoms, which can last for four years, although 10 per cent have them for up to 12 years. As levels of oestrogen fall many women are offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to boost this and other hormones.</section><section class="text-description">Yet Belinda had dreaded the menopause because she knew her mother Joanne had suffered so badly. "She had low moods and depression because of the menopause which meant that she was always bedridden," says Belinda.</section><section class="text-description">"At one point she was so bad that they wanted to put her in a psychiatric hospital although, fortunately, that didn't happen. I know now that a lot of women suffer that way.</section><section class="text-description">"I'd dreaded my own menopause because I knew there was a chance I would have a bad one. But I felt that just because my mother had a bad experience it didn't mean that I would go through the same."</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcDUua5Y0431xwvlg2jsI-mxqNPkNjnS-odWZctYRQ7TnMUuwxWQii-QZwfBHLfKZhTpd5kfaYRGo2-0kUNNjxBN60RC8bD-JZdUuIvbrldIzaBSYjXWeWbaIAKYmPem0uhs8tMjtr8c/s1600/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcDUua5Y0431xwvlg2jsI-mxqNPkNjnS-odWZctYRQ7TnMUuwxWQii-QZwfBHLfKZhTpd5kfaYRGo2-0kUNNjxBN60RC8bD-JZdUuIvbrldIzaBSYjXWeWbaIAKYmPem0uhs8tMjtr8c/s640/Belinda+Carlisle-+I+had+up+to+40+hot+flushes+A+DAY+3.jpg" title="Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 80 per cent of women have symptoms which can last for four years</td></tr>
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</section><section class="text-description">Blood tests showed Belinda's oestrogen levels were very low but she was reluctant to try HRT as she had read that it could increase the risk of certain cancers. Instead she put up with the hot flushes.</section><section class="text-description">HRT was widely used in the 1960s but two studies published in 2002 and 2003 raised safety concerns about an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease.</section><section class="text-description">Some 66 per cent of women stopped taking HRT immediately although some of the findings were later retracted. In 2012, a Danish study showed that for healthy women taking combined HRT for 10 years immediately after the menopause, the risk of heart disease was actually lower.</section><section class="text-description">"While HRT is associated with a slightly increased risk of ovarian and breast cancer, current understanding is that HRT may promote growth of slow-growing cancer cells which were already there, rather than causing cancer," says Dr Heather Currie, a gynaecologist and chair of the British Menopause Society.</section><section class="text-description">"We need to balance risks and benefits. For many women HRT can bring an improved quality of life, relief from menopausal symptoms and better bone health and probably better heart health."</section><section class="text-description"> </section><section class="text-description">"HRT is effective at reducing symptoms of menopause," says Sarah Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research UK. "But research has shown that it can increase the risk of developing breast, womb and ovarian cancers."</section><section class="text-description">Dr Currie adds: "Symptoms following the menopause vary hugely from one woman to the next, so there is no blanket approach. It is important that women choose what is right for them and for many HRT is a useful option: we need to balance risks against benefits.</section><section class="text-description">"However we now believe that HRT started before the age of 60 is more likely to be beneficial than harmful. And for women who go through the menopause at a younger than average age we know that the decline of oestrogen has a bigger effect and so HRT can help to protect heart and bones."</section><section class="text-description">BELINDA saw a Harley Street specialist Dr Nyjon Eccles who recommended LadyCare, a tiny device held together by magnets.</section><section class="text-description">"You slip it into your underwear between your pelvic bones," says Belinda. The manufacturer claims the device works for 71 per cent of women, and rebalances the autonomic nervous system which controls bodily functions including sweating, body temperature and heart rate.</section><section class="text-description"> </section><iframe width="640" height="378" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/14KnbanOwdE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><section class="text-description">Some experts such as Dr Currie are more sceptical. "I know of no scientific reason why LadyCare should work," she cautions. "But if someone feels it works for them, then that's fine."</section><section class="text-description">However Belinda says she noticed the effects almost at once. "Within two days I went from 40 flushes a day to none at all. It was incredible. The hot flushes disappeared and so did the tiredness and moodiness.</section><section class="text-description">"And since the effect has been cumulative, I can go a couple of months without using it now. Then I feel the pressure in my head building, as though I'm about to have another hot flush, so I start using it again and the feeling goes."</section><section class="text-description">"I'm really happy to have found something which stops my horrendous hot flushes without an increased risk of cancer. It gave me my life back."</section><section class="text-description"><strong>• LadyCare (ladycare-uk.com) costs £28.95 and is available from Boots nationwide</strong></section><div style="text-align: justify;">
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Belinda Carlisle: I had up to 40 hot flushes A DAY

Belinda Carlisle reveals she had up to 40 hot flushes a day AS ANY menopausal woman can tell you, hot flushes and mood swings can str...

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