by Dr. Margaret Aranda
Women who are older usually go through something called Menopause. Menopause occurs when the ovaries don't make hormones any more, so the monthly periods stop. It may take 1 year for the periods to stop, or a woman might have her period twice a year for a few years. Whenever a woman has had no period for 1 year, she is officially in Menopause.
The interesting thing is that she does not usually know that she is IN menopause until after 1 Year after it is over.
First I need age and ethnicity information, to distinguish you from everyone else:
Age and Ethnicity:
A. How old are you now?
B. What is your ethnicity?
Questions:
1. Did you have your uterus taken out by surgery? __ Yes or __ No
3a. If you had your uterus taken out, did you also have your ovaries taken out at the same time? __Yes __ No)
3b. If you had your uterus taken out, how old were you when you had the surgery? ____ Years old
2. Did you have any complaints after you stopped having your period? __ Yes __ No
3. What were they? (Did you have __ hot flashes? __ Vaginal dryness? __ Bone or joint pain? __ Thinning hair, or __ hair falling out? __ Insomnia? __ Mood swings? __ Irritability? __ Trouble concentrating? __ Memory problems? __ Dry skin? __ More wrinkles?
4. Did any one offer you hormone therapy after your ovaries stopped working? __Yes __ No
5. If you take medications, what are they? __ Estrogen __ Progestin __ Testosterone
6. Are you still having symptoms? __Yes __ No)
7. How do you feel now that you are in menopause?
Then we need this information on the First Period:
#1. How old were you when you had your first period? ___ Years old
#2. Where were you? (e.g., at school, in the garden, etc.)
#3. Who was with you? (e.g., your sister, no one, etc.)
#4. What did you do?
#5. Did you tell your mother? __ Yes __ No Your father? __ Yes __ No
#6. How did you feel?
#7. (And since I'm a doctor, I have to ask...) Did you tell your doctor? __ Yes __ No
To Participate, Simply copy and paste the Research Questions into an email. Answer the questions, check the box below with an "X", and your data will be included.
Informed Consent for Research on Menstruation and Menopause
I, ____________________________________________, understand that Margaret A. Ferrante, MD, is interviewing me about my menstrual period and/or menopause. She is collecting information from about 1,000 women for inclusion in her book, From Menarche through Menopause: A Journey Through Time; and her data may be presented at national and/or international professional meetings about women, culture, ethnicity, age, menstruation, menopause, or any related topic.
I agree that I am not getting paid, that I am giving up all my rights to the information, and that I cannot change my mind. If I do change my mind about allowing Dr. Margaret A. Ferrante to use my information, I need to tell her; afterwards, it is up to her whether she will omit my information or include it.
Dr. Ferrante will keep all information confidential. My name will not be used in connection with the information. If any of my stories are used, she will change my name and/or identifiers so that no one knows my identity. I am providing my contact information in case Dr. Ferrante does a follow-up or other Research study that I may be interested in. She may contact me at her discretion, even if it is 10 years from now, to follow up on additional research questions.
I promise that the information I give Dr. Ferrante is true and that I’m not making anything up. Information is anticipated to benefit society, medicine, and culture for women’s issues. Thank you for your kind and benevolent participation.
Signed,
Printed name
Address:
_____________________________________ ________________________________
Street City, State, ZIP
_____________________________________ ___(_____)_____________________
Email address Phone
__ By placing a Checkmark "X" here, I agree to the above.
Please email to: MenopauseResearch@yahoo.com
________________________
Articles by Dr. Margaret Aranda
Testosterone has an effect both directly and indirectly on many menopausal symptoms. Directly it affects testosterone receptors in the brain and in the skin and hair follicles. Indirectly it is converted to estradiol and thus has estrogen effects such as relieving hot flashes, and improving calcium deposition in the bones. Check out this site http://www.bio-identical-testosterone.com/testosterone-in-women/ they can help those who suffers from low testosterone!
ReplyDeleteAnd there is a misconception that only men need testosterone. This is not true. Women, especially post-menopausal women, may have decreased testosterone levels that could contribute to fatigue, low energy levels, mood swings, increased body fat, decreased lean muscle mass, and decreased cognitive function.
ReplyDelete