Menopause News

The risk was lowest among those who breast-fed exclusively, meaning the baby received breast milk only -- no liquids or solid foods. Early menopause is the end of menstruation before age 45, the study authors said.

British researchers who tracked the sex lives and menopausal status of nearly 3,000 American women for a decade found that those who had less sex were more likely to begin menopause at an earlier age.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 300,000 women who were part of 15 studies around the world, and found that women who reached menopause before age 50 were more likely to have a nonfatal heart problem, such as a heart attack, angina or stroke.

To their surprise, the investigators found that more frequent night sweats were associated with longer sleep -- and that the longer women slept, the more their attention and thinking skills ("cognition") decreased.

Ten British women have undergone a first-of-a-kind surgery that could delay menopause by up to 20 years.

Family history appears to be the most important factor in the timing of menopause, researchers say. And later menopause appears to be associated with slower aging.

Compared with women who didn't get acupuncture, those who did had significant reductions in hot flashes, a recent study found.

Oxybutynin, a drug widely used to treat urinary incontinence caused by an overactive bladder, helps treat hot flashes in breast cancer survivors and women who did not have breast cancer but who were bothered by frequent or severe menopausal symptoms, new research shows.

Women who are emotionally tormented by a spouse or partner may suffer from more night sweats, painful sex and hot flashes when their periods stop, researchers say.

An analysis of data from more than 107,000 U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 42 who were followed for 20 years found no association between physical activity at any age and early menopause.

Scientists have found that a neuron present in the brains of both mice and humans causes hot flashes when it's stimulated in mice.

For the study, the researchers surveyed a group of English, Scottish and Welsh women to establish their nutritional patterns with respect to 217 specific foods. All of the women were aged 40 to 65, and none were told to alter their eating patterns.

The research showed that a woman entering menopause 10 years later than her peers was able to recall one extra word on a 15-word test for every year as she grew older.

In all stages of menopause, artery stiffening and dysfunction of blood vessels were each associated with more frequent and severe menopause symptoms among women, as well as a lower quality of life.

Some hopeful news also emerged from the study: Many women with restless sleep and insomnia during menopause did not have sleep problems before or after menopause.

While rheumatoid arthritis rates in women are three times higher than in men, and women with RA have more severe physical decline and disability, sex-based differences in RA are poorly understood, the researchers said.

Surprisingly, for women with a past history of major depression -- which is a known risk factor for future depression -- hormone therapy didn't appear to lessen the risk of depressive symptoms.

Yet again, the nation's leading authority on preventive medicine says postmenopausal women should avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

New study suggests the therapy won't increase risk of early death

When periods stop before 40, risk is 4 times greater compared to late menopause, study suggests

Women whose periods end early and those who never give birth seem at added risk, research suggests

Older age at menopause also appeared to increase the risk, study found

Study found link between menopausal symptoms in younger women and reduced blood vessel function

Study participants were fitter, felt better -- and were less bothered by hot flashes

Odds also greater if monthly periods started at 11 or younger, researchers say