Menopause Map & Understanding Menopausal Hormone Therapy

 

Menopause Map

  • The Menopause Map & Your Journey

    For most women, adjusting to menopause takes time. However, menopause is different for each woman and your journey through this process will be unique.

    The Menopause Map is meant for women who are going through menopause or having irregular periods, or had their last period within the last three years. Use it as a guide as you and your health care provider decide the best way to treat your menopausal symptoms.

    Revisit the map annually to see how your risks, benefits, and preferences might have changed.

    Start Your Journey

  • Are you going through menopause or having irregular periods, or was your last period no more than 3 years ago?

  • What are your symptoms?

  • Because of your health history, the next step in your journey is to talk with your doctor about your options and which treatment may be the best and safest for you.

    You may have hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options. View your hormonal options (vaginal or whole-body) and your non-hormonal options.

  • Lifestyle options can help keep you healthy, no matter where you are in your journey.

    Please revisit the map and talk with your health care provider if you develop symptoms.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • You have options for vaginal therapy that can help relieve your symptoms.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • Are you considering hormone therapy?

  • Do you have unexpected spotting or bleeding?

  • There are many causes of unexpected spotting or bleeding. Before considering any type of treatment for your menopausal symptoms, please see your health care provider for an evaluation.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • Do you or anyone in your family have a history of breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer?

  • You have non-hormonal options that may help relieve your symptoms.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • See your health care provider to find out if you are at risk for heart disease or stroke. The answer may affect your options for treating menopausal symptoms.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • Do you have any of these risk factors for heart disease or stroke?

    High blood pressure, High cholesterol, Diabetes, Smoking, or Excess weight

  • Do you or anyone in your family have a history of blood clots?

  • Have you had a hysterectomy?

  • If you have had a hysterectomy, estrogen therapy may be an option for you.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

  • If you have not had a hysterectomy, estrogen plus progesterone may be an option for you.

    View the results of your personal journey through the menopause map.

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New Recommendations on Hormone Therapy

The United States Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations on October 22, 2012 about the use of hormone therapy to treat chronic diseases in women. The Endocrine Society provides clarification on these recommendations in this statement from President William Young, MD.

Start Your Journey

The Menopause Map and Your Journey

Women who are going through menopause may have symptoms like hot flashes, waking up during the night and vaginal dryness. For most women, adjusting to menopause takes time. Menopause symptoms are different for each woman and your journey through this process will be unique. The Menopause Map will help guide you through your individual journey. The map is a resource for you and your primary care provider or ob/gyn to use in discussing whether menopausal hormone therapy is a good choice for you.

Below are links to "risk factor" questionnaires that will help you assess your current risks for breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It is important to determine your risks for these conditions before starting any type of menopause treatment. These tools are not meant for you to diagnose yourself, but to give you information to discuss with your health care provider.

If you decide to take hormone therapy, consider healthy lifestyle changes as well. Taking good care of yourself could help your menopausal symptoms as well as your long-term health.

Finally, most women aged 60 and older should probably not start hormone therapy. Younger women with severe menopausal symptoms are the best candidates for hormone therapy.

Next Steps

Once you've traveled to the end of the map, print the answers out, take them with you when you see your health care provider, and work together as you decide whether hormone therapy makes sense for you. Even after you make your decision, it might take some time to find the right menopuase treatment for you. Be sure to use the map annually to see how your risks, benefits, and preferences might have changed. This is an ongoing process!


WHI: A Study of Hormone Therapy

In 2002, a large study called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) reported that hormone therapy increased the risk for blood clots, stroke, breast cancer, and heart attacks. The researchers stopped the study and concluded that the risks of hormone therapy outweighed the benefits.

The WHI tested whether hormone therapy could prevent age-related health problems like heart disease, bone loss, or colon cancer in women who were 50 to 79 years old. It did not consider the benefits of relief from menopause symptoms in women close to menopause. Health care providers already knew that hormone therapy could help hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

While it is true that hormone therapy carries some risks, the WHI report led many women to think that these risks were much more of a threat to health than they actually are. The level of risk depends on the individual woman and the number of years since menopause. In general, younger women who are closer to menopause are at lower risk than older women are.

WHI and Risk

What We Know Today

What It Means for You

Risk Factors Questionnaires

Resources

Created by Matrix Group International, Inc. ®