AMS Newsletter 30 May 2024

In this edition

• Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) patch shortages May 2024
• In search of a well-balanced narrative of the menopause momentum
• Premature menopause linked to increased musculoskeletal pain and likelihood of sarcopenia
• Promoting oral healthcare among women in perimenopause/menopause: A mixed methods study to inform intervention strategies
• IMS World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne 2024

Health Professionals - join AMS for Members-only content 

• Menopause Matters
• The Menopause Society (TMS) Provides Highlights From the May 2024 Women’s Health Initiative Publication
• Association between serum estradiol levels and cognitive function in older women
• Use of menopausal hormone therapy beyond age 65 and its effects on women's health outcomes by types, routes, and doses
• Perimenopausal Contraception - IMS Webinar online now
• IMS Newsletter May 2024
• European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) Newsletter

In this edition

Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) patch shortages May 2024

There are a number of MHTs that are currently unavailable. Please note that the TGA has approved some unregistered products under Section 19A and some substitute doses are currently in supply in Australia. 

See full details here

In search of a well-balanced narrative of the menopause momentum

Rossella E. Nappi, Nick Panay & Susan R Davis AO

The International Menopause Society has published an editorial in the June issue of Climacteric which responds to the recent Lancet series on menopause.

Menopause is a reproductive milestone marking the beginning of a new biopsychosocial era in each woman’s life trajectory. The evolutionary significance of this universal experience, occurring most often naturally in women between the age of 45 and 55 years, remains uncertain [1]. Ecology research considers menopause as an advantage most likely serving positive and altruistic purposes, without any negative stigma [2,3]. As a natural life event, menopause is certainly not a disease. However, there is no doubt that the biological changes that occur at menopause may greatly influence quality of life and general health 4].

Read the full editorial here

Premature menopause linked to increased musculoskeletal pain and likelihood of sarcopenia

Musculoskeletal pain is a prevalent menopause symptom, which helps explain why women typically experience more pain than men, especially around the age of 50 years. Beyond pain, muscle function and mass are also affected by menopause. A new study suggests premature surgical menopause can lead to an increased risk of muscle disorders. 

The highly publicized Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation spotlighted a number of symptoms that are common during the menopause transition. Among other findings, it confirmed that muscle stiffness complaints were most prevalent during menopause, affecting 54% of US women aged 40 to 55 years.

This is also the time when ovarian hormone levels decrease significantly. In women who have experienced premature menopause, either spontaneous or surgical, the decrease is even more prominent. In addition, testosterone levels have also been shown to fall significantly in women with premature menopause.

These facts led researchers to conduct a new study specifically designed to evaluate the effect of different types of menopause on muscle discomfort and function in late-postmenopausal women aged 55 years and older. The study, which included nearly 650 women, concluded that women experiencing premature surgical menopause were more likely to develop musculoskeletal discomfort and sarcopenia than those with natural menopause at age 45 years or older. They theorized that the pain and decline in muscle mass in the late-postmenopause stage was more closely linked to hormone deficiency than to chronologic age alone.

Read more here

Promoting oral healthcare among women in perimenopause/menopause: A mixed methods study to inform intervention strategies

Women are at higher risk of developing oral health problems during menopause. These oral health problems can significantly affect their quality of life. However, there is currently limited evidence on the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women in perimenopause/menopause worldwide. Providing appropriate assistance during the early period of the menopausal transition could potentially reduce the prevalence of oral health problems in the perimenopausal/menopausal period and improve overall well-being in the later years.

The Australian Centre for Integration of Oral health (ACIOH), Western Sydney University your patients to participate in their study (involving a survey and/or interview) which aims to explore their experience regarding oral healthcare and identify challenges in this area. The information provided will help identify future strategies and services that could improve oral healthcare for women in perimenopause or menopause. Participation is voluntary and the information provided will be strictly confidential. They will be reimbursed for their time participating in an interview.

Read more here

IMS World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne 2024

Registrations are now open for the IMS World Congress in Melbourne this October. AMS members have access to the same discounted IMS member rate for the IMS World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne, 19-22 October 2024.

Registration for Australian and New Zealand trainees is FREE until 23 September 2024.

We look forward to welcoming you to the IMS World Congress on Menopause.

Health Professionals - join AMS for Members-only content 

Menopause Matters: Professor Athol Kent has reviewes and comments on recent journal articles.

9 May 2024: The Menopause Society (TMS) Provides Highlights From the May 2024 Women’s Health Initiative Publication
Long-term Follow-up From the Women’s Health Initiative Trials Reports Key Findings and Clinical Messages

IMS Live 29 April 2024: Association between serum estradiol levels and cognitive function in older women
Estradiol is a sex steroid hormone, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive impairment. Bearing this in mind, Xu et al. [1] performed a cross-sectional study aimed at examining the relationship between serum estradiol levels and cognitive performance in older American women. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014. A total of 731 women aged ≥ 60 years who met the inclusion criteria were included in this analysis... 

IMS Live 15 May 2024: Use of menopausal hormone therapy beyond age 65 and its effects on women's health outcomes by types, routes, and doses
Recently Baik et al. [1] performed a study that aimed to assess the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) beyond the age of 65 and its health implications by types of estrogen/progestogen, routes of administration, and dose strengths. For this, they used prescription drug and encounter records of 10 million senior Medicare women from 2007-2020 and using Cox regression analyses adjusted for time-varying characteristics of the women, they examined the effects of different preparations of MHT on all-cause mortality, five cancers, six cardiovascular diseases, and dementia... 

Perimenopausal Contraception - IMS Webinar online now
Moderator: Prof Rossella Nappi

International Menopause Society (IMS) Newsletter - See latest copy.

European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) Newsletter AMS is an affiliate of EMAS. See latest copy.