Menopause Myths and Facts: What Every Woman Should Know about Hormone Replacement Therapy - book review and excerpts. Written by Lorraine Rothman, MS, with Marcia Wexler, PhD. Both were early activists in the women's self help movement and contributed to or wrote Federation of FWHC publications. Order the book, Menopause Myths and Facts.

Myth14 -about natural hormone replacement
Myth 22 - about Vitamins
Myth 26 - about pesticides and food additives
Lorraine's answers to some of your questions

Carol Leonard, midwife-herbalist-author shares her research and knowledge in these two extremely informative, in-depth, and fun articles. (reprinted with permission from WomenWise)

Part One: Explanation of menopause, natural therapies for hot flashes, yeast and vaginal changes in "Hotter than a Red-Assed Bee."
Part Two: Hormone replacement therapy and natural alternatives, osteoporosis.

The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women - Exploding the Estrogen Myth, new book by Barbara Seaman, July 2003. more from Barbara Seaman.

Get the 2002 book, The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy, How to Break Free from the Medical Myths of Menopause from National Women's Health Network in Washington DC (202-347-1140).

My Magic Menopause Salad - by Lynn Landes at Ecotalk.org

34-menopause-symptoms.com - symptoms, explanations, treatment options.

Hot Flash Relief

Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way by Susun S. Weed

Hormone Replacement Therapy - written in July 2002.

MenoPause ChitChat - a website that connects your to resources and people

Lorraine Rothman's answers to some of your questions.

Phytoestrogens are weak hormones found in many plants. They are currently being promoted, sometimes in highly refined forms, for relief of the symptoms of menopause. Are they safe? Can they promote breast cancer? By Susun Weed, 2002

For women who take ERT-HRT (hormone replacement therapy) - read about how herbs can help YOU. By Susun Weed, 2002

beautifulcervix.com - photos of a real woman throughout her menstrual cycle

MORE:

North American Menopause Society (NAMS) - nonprofit scientific organization devoted to promoting women's health and quality of life through an understanding of menopause.

STUDY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT: Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN, School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin and her colleagues are conducting a study to explore ethnic differences in midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity.

You are eligible to participate in this study if you are a midlife women aged 40 to 60 years old who do not have any mobility problems; who can read and write English; who are online; and whose self-reported ethnic identity is Hispanic, non-Hispanic (N-H) White, N-H African American, or N-H Asian.

Data will be collected through the Internet from Feb. 1, 2008 to May 31, 2011. Methods for the data collection include an Internet survey among 500 midlife women in the U.S. on the Internet and four ethnic-specific online forum discussions among about 30 midlife women per ethnic group recruited among the Internet survey participants.

Your involvement will consist of the following: (a) about 30 minutes are usually needed to complete the Internet survey questionnaire; and (b) the online forums will be conducted for 6 months, should you agree to participate in the additional online forum discussion. Your participation is asynchronous (you can visit the online forum site and read and post messages at your convenience). 

You will receive a gift certificate of 10 dollars for filling out the Internet survey, and an additional gift certificate of 50 dollars for participating in the additional online forum (only those who participate in the additional online forum for 6 months will be provided with this additional gift certificate). To get reimbursed for the online forums, you have to post at least one message per topic. For more information, please visit at our website (http://mapa.nur.utexas.edu/MAPA/) and/or contact us.

Contact Information:
Hyun-Ju Lim, MSN, RN,
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Assistant
Doctoral Candidate
School of Nursing
University of Texas at Austin

The Infography about Complementary and Alternative Treatment for Menopause - Online and print resources recommended by an expert who specializes in research about menopause.

Menopause Support - learn from others and contribute your own knowledge!

The Challenge of Menopause - self awareness and a whole foods diet can smooth the transition.

Medical Self Care's Guide to Menopause. guide natural treatments as well as signals to seek professional care.

Menopause Metamorphosis - Gentle solutions for body, mind, and spirit - alternative approaches, herbal remedies, wise woman support. Your body knows more about menopause than your doctor does! Solutions for: thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, fertility after forty, herbs for women taking HRT, and insights from Susun Weed.

American Menopause Foundation - independent not-for-profit health organization providing support and assistance on all issues concerning menopause. Newsletter, literature, and educational programs provide the latest information on scientific research and pertinent facts. Annual conference in Sept, Menopause Awareness Month.

Maggie Tuttle operates the Menopausal Help Line as part of La Manga Health Centre, a charity to assist women who had become seriously ill from the drug Hormone Replacement Therapy. The Menopause Help line is documenting the experiences of more than than 11,000 women.Tuttle's documentation led to the publication of a 2006 book, "H.R.T. LICENSED TO KILL AND MAIM: the untold voices of the women left damaged by hormone replacement therapy" in London by Martin Walker.

Menopause Online

Midlife Health Center -  from Women's Health Interactive - based upon urgency of requests from viewers.

A Friend Indeed - Menopause and Mid-life Newsletter, A Friend Indeed provides understandable and reliable information about the menopausal transition, independent of any vested interests. AFI is published 6 times yearly.

Janine O'Leary Cobb, founder of A Friend Indeed, a newsletter about menopause and midlife for savvy consumers as concerns grow about hormone therapy. For nearly 20 years, the bi-monthly newsletter has advocated a cautious approach to overzealous promotion of hormone-replacement therapy. By Anne Rochon Ford - WEnews correspondent

Minnie Pauz - A great site with a wide variety of information, including cartoons and humor, stories, inspiration, health news and much more. Minnie is a cartoon character for the menopausal woman! Laugh with her, cry with her, share her hot flashes!

Wrinkle.com - Humor for Women in Mid-life

"Power Surge"   Website featuring online chats, AOL's Women's Interest Channel, Community Conference Online, regularly scheduled chat guests. Also weekly talks with naturopaths, authors and doctors.

News about Premarin - by Shelly Black

Natural Remedies from MenopauseRx

Perimenopause - Pathways to Change

Transitions for Women - all natural, alternative health care products to improve the health and lives of menopause-aged women.

Women at the Well: The Many Voices of Menopause - available through Xlibris by calling 888-795-4274. A portion of the book is available for viewing on the Xlibris website. The authors are available for speaking engagements by calling 215-424-3190 or 215-741-1828.

New York Times Examines Effectiveness of Over-the-Counter Menopause Test Kits
[Aug 17, 2004] .... Several menopause test kits -- which measure levels of follicle stimulating hormone -- have been on the market for the past few years, including urine tests such as Estoven, Menocheck and RU25. However, some doctors question the reliability of the tests because during perimenopause -- the time preceding menopause when women are most likely to question their symptoms -- the levels of FSH fluctuate daily and sometimes even hourly. Some physicians also question the rationale for the tests because menopause is defined as the day when a woman has not had a menstrual period for one year and, "[b]y that time, there is usually no need for a test to confirm the obvious," according to the Times (Duenwald, New York Times, 8/17). The complete article is available online. (registration with NYT required)

RELATED TOPICS

Phenomenal Women Community Forum - a discussion forum on many topics including domestic violence/sexual assault and menopause.

Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), Fibromyalgia, and low thyroid -- are more common in women than among men and affect women in menopausal years. Also see the article entitled "CFIDS as a feminist disease."

Osteoporosis - One woman's story of how she reversed osteoporosis at age 75 by diet (naturally high calcium, low cholesterol, no supplement) and exercise. Her books give the recipes and instructions and scientific references.

Alzheimer's Disease connected to Menopause? a website viewer asks the question. Oregon Menopause Network researches and responds.

Crone Chronicles - for women growing older with power and passion.

Center for Bladder Control - free bladder health education for women.

Help for Women With Fibroids - by Susun S. Weed in 2002.

Center for Uterine Fibroids at Harvard Medical School - Fibroids are the number one cause of hysterectomy in the United States (accounting for over one third of procedures annually). Moreover, they affect between a quarter and a half of all women; African-American women are affected three to nine times more commonly than other racial groups.

Endometriosis Association 1-800-992-3636 and Center for Endometriosis Care

Xenoestrogens and Breast Cancer - Toxic environmental pollution that mimics estrogen causes disaster in breast cells.

Organochlorines and How They Change Our Views on Breast Health and Illness - A European Perspective

Endometriosis, One Woman's Journey by Jennifer Lewis. Endometriosis sufferer and author covers a multitude of information, treatments, coping mechanisms and over 70 links and resources!

Does Endometriosis Affect You? A basic overview.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association (PCOSA).

Ovarian Kung Fu can alleviate or even eliminate menstrual cramps and PMS - and ensure a smooth transition through menopause

Hot Flash Report - "Opinionated liberal views of the wrongs of the right." It's a blog - you are invited to share your views.

STUDY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT:You are eligible to participate in this study if you are a midlife women aged 40 to 60 years old.

Page updated June 8, 2011 .

See FWHC's Menopause Book List

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