Es ist nach wie vor ein ungelöstes Rätsel: Warum kommen Frauen in die Menopause? Bislang gibt es unter EvolutionsbiologInnen widersprüchliche Theorien. AnthropologInnen um Susanne Huber und Martin Fieder von der Universität Wien formulieren jetzt eine weitere Erklärung: Die Menopause könnte evolutionsbiologisch die Folge der begrenzten Haltbarkeit der Eizellen sein. Die aktuelle Studie erscheint im renommierten Fachjournal “Scientific Reports”. (more…)
Wenner uses AHA funding to investigate hormones, vascular function
Hormones are the chemical envoys for our bodies. They communicate with our brains, heart, bones, muscles and, yes, reproductive organs. University of Delaware physiologist Megan Wenner is working to understand how sex hormones influence vascular function. (more…)
Hot flushes are not “in the head,” but new research suggests they may start there. A UA research team has identified a region in the brain that may trigger the uncomfortable surges of heat most women experience in the first few years of menopause.
Hot flushes – also called hot flashes – affect millions of people, and not just women. Yet, it is still unclear what causes the episodes of temperature discomfort, often accompanied by profuse sweating.
Now a team of researchers around Dr. Naomi Rance, a professor in the department of pathology at the UA College of Medicine, has come closer to understanding the mechanism of hot flushes, a necessary step for potential treatment options down the road. This research was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)
*Large-scale study finds soy may alleviate hot flashes in menopause*
In the most comprehensive study to date to examine the effects of soy on menopause, researchers have found that two daily servings of soy can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes by up to 26 percent, compared to a placebo.
The findings, published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Association, reviewed 19 previous studies that examined more than 1,200 women. (more…)
An international team of researchers has discovered 13 new regions of the genome associated with the timing of menopause.
These genes shed light on the biological pathways involved in reproductive lifespan and will provide insights into conditions connected to menopause, such as breast cancer and heart disease.
Menopause is a major hormonal change that affects most women when they are in their early 50s. The timing of menopause can have a huge impact on fertility, as well as influencing the risk of a range of common diseases such as breast cancer. It has been known for some time that genetic factors influenced the onset of menopause, however until recently very few genes had been identified.
In the new study, published in the journal Nature Genetics on 22 January 2012, Dr Anna Murray, University of Exeter, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) Dr John Perry, PCMD and WTCHG, University of Oxford, and dozens of international collaborators, examined the genomes of over 50,000 women. They identified 13 novel gene regions associated with menopause onset, and confirmed four previously identified. Most of the 17 regions include genes related to DNA damage/repair or the immune system, whilst others are linked to hormonal regulation. (more…)
The issue of breast cancer avoidance concerns many women. Opinion polls reveal that 98% of them overestimate the threat. Olga Budiakova, a breast physician, talked to “MedPulse.ru” to dispel certain myths about breast cancer.
