Menopausal Musings

Predicting the Age of Menopause

2005-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Scientists in Scotland have developed a method that predicts when a woman is likely to go through menopause. Researchers say that by measuring the volume of a woman’s ovaries with ultrasound they can predict the reproductive age of a woman from age 25 to 51 and how many eggs she has left. If the ovaries are larger than average for her age, she is likely to have a later menopause, and if they are smaller, she is likely to have an earlier menopause. This knowledge could dramatically change fertility treatments.

What we have done is to come up with a method that may allow us to predict for a woman what ovarian reserves she has and at what age she is likely to experience the menopause,

says Dr. Hamish Wallace, a pediatric oncologist and lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. It is believed that women are born with an estimated 800,000 eggs but the number dwindles with age. When a woman hits 37, there are about 25,000 eggs left. After 37, the decline speeds up and the ovaries shrink until most of the eggs are depleted and menopause occurs. The age of menopause is approximately around 50. Doctors believe that knowing a woman’s reproductive lifespan will enable them to predict how long she will be fertile and whether or not she will enter menopause early.

Versatile Stem Cells and egg reproduction

2005-11-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

A team of Harvard scientists claims to have discovered a reservoir of cells that seem capable of replenishing the ovaries of sterilized mice. If similar cells are found in humans, these findings could revolutionize the understanding of female reproduction. As Jonathan L. Tilly says,
This may launch a new era in how to think about female infertility and
menopause.
Tilly is a reproductive biologist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who led the research, which was published in the journal Cell. Tilly said he was confident of his findings, which could enable women to bank egg-producing cells when they are young in case later they have health problems that leave them infertile.

In theory, these cells could provide an insurance policy. We could harvest
them and store them for 20 years. Then you put them back in and they are
going to do exactly what they are supposed to—find the ovaries and generate new
eggs.

The discovery could also lead to the prevention, delay or reversal of menopause, perhaps by stimulating dormant cells in the bone marrow or “tweaking” the ovaries to accept them. In addition, because the cells appear to be a particularly versatile type of adult stem cell, they could provide an alternative to those obtained from embryos, thus avoiding the political and ethical debates raging around the use of those cells.

Ovarian failure provokes early menopause

2005-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Although the average age to undergo menopause is around fifty years old, some women reach menopause as early as their twenties. This early, or premature, menopause is also called premature ovarian failure, because the ovaries stop producing eggs. Some of those women who reach menopause this young become depressed since they are unable to reproduce. There are a myriad of support and information groups online for women who undergo premature menopause. However, this occurrence only afflicts about one percent of women, and even then, there are options such as adoption for them to consider if they wish to raise a child. They can also become pregnant through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which is when eggs given by an egg donor and fertilized by the woman’s partner are placed into a woman’s uterus, allowing the eggs to develop into a fetus. So although premature menopause may be depressing to the women who encounter it, they can still have the benefit of raising children if they so desire.

Postmenopause

2005-11-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Postmenopause is the name given to the time after regular menstrual cycles have ceased for a full year. If it is still difficult to tell whether or not menopause has concluded, women can measure the amount of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in their bodies. If there an increase in the amount of this hormone, it signifies that the pituitary gland is trying to produce more hormones to encourage the ovaries to produce eggs. However, the fact that the hormone level had to increase means that there are no eggs left for the ovary to produce. Most doctors say that when the level of FSH reaches between 35 and 50 postmenopause has begun. Although this level remains high throughout the rest of a woman’s life, it presents no known danger.

However, an increase in FSH is not the only after-effect of menopause. By postmenopause, estrogen is no longer produced in the ovaries but instead by fat cells. As a result, the ovaries become smaller, although they still produce hormones such as testosterone.

Herbal Remedies - An analysis

2005-11-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

The internet is full of hoaxes and scams. For example, this website is a typical website which advertises herbal cures for menopause. This page lists ingredients found in their herbal remedies. In the descriptions for each component of the pill, reasons are given to support the efficacy of the herbal remedies. Unfortunately, these arguments do not hold up to scrutiny.

Under the section for Atractylodes Rhizome, the website claims that this herb can be

Effective in treating vomiting, fever, excessive sweating, chest congestion, diarrhea, swelling and weakness of the lower extremities, skin lesions, cataracts,
glaucoma and night blindness.

This herb seems to cure everything - but if it were truly as powerful as this website claims, everyone would know about it and no one would be arguing over its potency. Furthermore, many conditions have been connected to menopause, such as osteoporosis and weight gain, but none of them appear on this list. Even if it is an amazing plant, it cures everything but the symptoms of menopause - surely this is a useful ingredient to put into a menopause treatment. The website also says that this herb increases Chi and vitality - sounds mystical and intriguing, but unfortunately, Chi does not have any scientific basis.

Another doubtful ingredient in this list is Codonopsis root. The website says that it promotes digestion, absorption, metabolism, and inhibits adrenal cortex activity. Once again, this is a weak connection to menopause. Tossing unnecessary ingredients into a concoction can have deadly effects. If two drugs are beneficial, then theoretically, mixing the two should be even better. However, this is not always true. For example, mixing barbiturates and alcohol can be fatal, as proved by Marilyn Monroe's suicide. Clearly, mixing random herbs because they sound helpful is not logical. Furthermore, herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA. This means that the companies selling the supplements are not required to test them by law. If there is a fatal mix of herbs, it would only be realized after the casualties occurred.

In general, most of the herbs in the list of ingredients have not been proven to be scientifically helpful. Although there may be a plethora of folklore about these herbs, science is the only true means of testing the efficiency of a drug. Thus, when looking for information on the internet, only trust sources that are not selling anything. When money is involved, greedy people often manipulate the truth in order to convince people to buy their medicines.

Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain or it a Timely Coincidence?

2005-11-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

Some studies have suggested that increased weight is linked with hormonal
changes and might be considered "normal." Does this mean women face inexorable weight gain at menopause?

The years surrounding menopause are usually associated with weight gain. To establish if there was a correlation between menopause and weight gain The Healthy Women’s Study was conducted. This study investigated biobehavioral factors in 541 healthy and premenopausal women from the ages of 42 to 50. During the first three years of the study, the data revealed a 5 lb. gain in the majority of the women. It is interesting to note that weight increases are similar in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, indicating that menopause does not affect weight gain.

On average most women in this age group gained about one lb. per year. More importantly, the weight gain seems to be associated more with the process of aging than it is with menopause. Weight gain often translates into increased lipid levels, blood pressure, and insulin resistance, regardless of menopausal status. For example, Healthy Women’s Study participants who gained 10 lbs. or more over 3 years had a 17.2 mg/dl increase in cholesterol levels compared to a 4.2 mg/dl rise in women who lost weight or remained at the same weight.

However, there is a correlation between abdominal fat and menopause. Women who have experience menopause have higher levels of body fat around the abdomen than other women. From a clinical standpoint, this is worrying because abdominal obesity is a predictor of type 2 diabetes, dislipidemia, hypertension, certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Thus, menopause seems to be a good time predictor of when women will start gaining weight, but weight gain is associated more with aging than it is with menopause. Although weight gain is associated more with aging, there is a definite trend of abdominal fat among post menopausal women. In order to keep trim it is crucial for aging women to exercise and eat a healthy diet.

Perimenopause

2005-11-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, menopause consists of two phases—menopause and perimenopause (premenopause). Perimenopause is also called the transitional phase between having a regular menstrual cycle and having no menstrual cycle. Perimenopause usually lasts about ten years, and women can experience a variety of menopausal symptoms and PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) during those ten years. However, it is difficult to ascertain whether this PMS is normal or a sign of imminent menopause. Doctors have no thought of a definite test for determining PMS, so women are left to figure it out for themselves. For instance, by knowing when their mothers underwent menopause, women can discover when they will undergo menopause, and consequently can realize if they are suffering from normal or perimenopause PMS. Although smoking decreases the age at which the onset of menopause occurs,

Pregnancies, birth control pills, your age when you first began menses or breast- feeding have no impact on the age of menopause.

Another common symptom of perimenopause and menopause is depression. Depression may run in the family, and may coincide with PMS.

Does Menopause Cause Depression?

2005-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

Menopause is often associated depression, especially during the perimenopausal years. Many women lose motivation and interest in activities that normally interest them. Unfortunately, some women believe that depression is inevitable and cannot be remedied. There is even one theory that ties the stress of menopause symptoms to the onset of depression. The theory states that

You may be finding that your symptoms of menopause are simply too difficult to
manage on your own. You already have to deal with family, friends, work, and
finances, let alone this huge physical change. Menopause may just be that
straw that breaks the camel’s back, causing the onset of depression.

This “theory” that menopause causes depression is incorrect. Furthermore, women can be proactive and take action to alleviate their symptoms since there is a clear link between the loss of estrogen and depression. Therefore, they can receive HRT treatments to alleviate their symptoms. Additionally, antidepressants can be used to treat depression in severe cases, or therapy sessions with trained psychiatrists can be scheduled to help eliminate negative thoughts. In addition to professional treatment, depressed women can try to improve their lifestyle by exercising more, sleeping more and a eating a healthier diet.

Menopause in female twins?

2005-10-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

Female twins are four times more likely to reach early menopause than other women, reports Professor Roger Gosden of Cornell University. However, of the 1,700 twins studied, there were cases where only one twin was affected and experts hope to find a molecular basis for this difference. If a difference can be identified, Professor Gosden said,

That would, for the first time, help us predict the size of the egg pool and give us a good predictor of when the menopause might happen (BBC News).

Gosden believes that premature menopause in identical twins might be linked to the embryo splitting process. Together with colleagues from Australia and the UK, data was examined from 418 pairs of identical twins and 432 pairs of non-identical twins who experienced menopause due to ovarian failure. Upon reaching 40 years of age, more than 5% of all twins had reached menopause, and by age 45, 15% had reached menopause. These percentages are greater than the 1% of all women who had reached menopause by the age of 40 and the 5% of women who had reached menopause by the age of 45.

Researchers are not convinced that genetic factors alone contribute to early menopause since the rates among identical and non-identical twins were similar. Other factors can affect the onset of menopause, such as smoking and lifestyle.

Can Dong Quai Minimize Menopausal Symptoms?

2005-10-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

In combination with herbs such as black cohosh, chasteberry, and Siberian ginseng, dong quai appears to be useful for controlling hot flashes and reducing vaginal dryness (Whole Health MD).

Dong Quai, also known as Chinese Angelica, has been used in China for thousands of years to help ease health conditions in women. Don quai contains phytoestrogens, which have proven helpful in relieving hot flashes. However, the phytoestrogens found in Dong Quai are weaker than the estrogens produced by the human body. Nonetheless, Dong Quai photoestrogens manage to bind to estrogen sites on human cells, making their potential a debated topic.

Although Whole Health MD claims that Dong Quai has potential to control hot flashes and vaginal dryness, no studies involving Dong Quai show a reduction in hot flashes. A study conducted by Kaiser Permanente Medical Care in Oakland, California in 1997 reported no significant decrease in hot flashes. In the study, half of the 71 women were given placebos while the other half were given 4.5 grams of Dong Quai root per day.

Lastly, Mayo Clinic states that Dong Quai has been called “female ginseng” since it is used in multiple gynecological disorders, such as pelvic pain, painful menstruation, and recovery from childbirth. However, additional research is necessary before any conclusions can be made.

Exercise: A powerful weapon

2005-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

When most people hear of the effects of menopause, hot flashes, mood swings and other uncomfortable but seemingly benign results spring to mind. However, menopause may cause women to be prone to long-term problems such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and heart disease. Fortunately, these side-affects effects can be prevented with exercise, according to the American Osteopathic Association. Exercise can prevent osteoporosis since it keeps the bone and cartilage strong, can prevent arthritis by keeping the muscles and joints moving, and can prevent heart disease by increasing rate of blood flow and respiration.

Many doctors agree that,

Walking is the best form of exercise for post-menopausal women. It can be done anywhere, at anytime and promotes social interaction (American Osteopathic Association).

Additionally, Donald E. Waite of Michigan State University

Suggests that people walk in shopping malls. Shopping malls are extremely safe,
plus you don't need to worry about the weather (American Osteopathic Association).

Although a variety of exercises including walking, weight lifting, and light aerobic will help prevent the onset of dangerous diseases in post-menopausal women, women still need to secure their health by taking calcium supplements, having a good diet and avoiding smoking. If done diligently, exercise should be able to prevent any dangerous long-term effects of menopause for post-menopausal women.

Even more benefits to HRT?

2005-10-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

What if it were announced that HRT not only relieves symptoms of menopause, but it also slows down the onset of Alzheimer's?

"Initially, estrogen was prescribed to ease such menopausal symptoms as hot flashes. But since the 1980s, HRT has been widely prescribed, not only to ease symptoms, but to reduce the risk of such conditions as osteoporosis, the process of bone loss common in elderly Caucasian women, heart disease and, more recently, Alzheimer's disease -- the latter afflicting twice as many women as men!"

Studies have shown that HRT can slow down the onset of Alzheimer's, which is great news. HRT improves your quality of life as a whole. Nowadays, women can spend from a third of their life to a half of their life in menopause; before, when life expectancies for women were shorter, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease didn't matter as much, since their effects were not felt as drastically as they are today. But now, since women have life expectancies past 80 years, the effects of osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease has become more important and noticable than ever. The main researcher behind this study is Barbara Sherwin, a psychologist who works for both the Department of Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology of McGill University in Canada. She found that estrogen keeps parts of the memory stronger, and increases the ability of women who already have menopause to learn more. Since HRT helps with Alzheimer's, using HRT can improve a woman's life even more.

Salty Aftertastes of Menopause

2005-10-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

In a study conducted in Miami, it was suggested that menopause increases salt sensitivity, which in turn increases blood pressure, increasing the possibility of cardiovascular disease and stroke. In several research groups of women with normal blood pressure and no diabetes that underwent menopause-inducing surgery, the amount of women with salt sensitivity increased after contracting menopause. Although these women did not develop high blood pressure, that is only because blood pressure increases over a long period of time, about five or ten years after menopause. According to Dr. Ivone Hernandez Schulman of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami and the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, who is the primary researcher in this study, “About 50 percent of people with high blood pressure are considered to be salt-sensitive. Even people with a normal blood pressure who are salt-sensitive have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and possibly cardiovascular disease.” This presents menopause as a danger to women with already high blood pressures, diabetes, or any heart problem.

However, there are always dissenting opinions, and in this case, those opinions can be summarized by Dr. Howard Weintraub, co-director of New York University's Lipid Treatment Program and associate professor of medicine at the university's School of Medicine. He believes that ethnicity and obesity are critical to salt sensitivity, neither of which were taken into account by the study, which, according to him, is inaccurate. He believes that the real problem of high blood pressure in postmenopausal women is obesity, instead of salt sensitivity.

But this study does introduce interesting questions to the medical world, such as would diuretics, which reduce salt concentrations, be more beneficial to post-menopausal women than to men, and if post-menopausal women should be more aware of their salt intake. Also, it could initiate new drugs specifically to help decrease the salt intake of post-menopausal women.

Does Menopause Affect Memory Loss?

2005-10-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Despite a widely held belief among women that they suffer from memory loss during menopause, a major new study of women in the U.S. has found no evidence for it" (Bob Beale from Health and Medicine).

There is an argument stating that menopause results in memory loss. However, as Beale says, there is no evidence found for this claim. The study, conducted by Dr. Peter Meyer, of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago was the first study ever to follow "cognitive performance" in relation to menopause. This study is published in an issue of the journal Neurology.

The study included 800 randomly selected black and white women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds who were experiencing menopause. The study was conducted over a period of six years with a cognitive test each year. These tests measured their memory and perceptual speed by measuring how quickly they could match figures and reverse numbers by memory.

There was certain criteria for women wishing to participate in this survey. The women had to be between 42 and 52 years old, have an intact uterus and at least one ovary. Additionally, they could be neither pregnant nor breastfeeding and had to have had a period within three months of the first test. Lastly, women who had HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) or a hysterectomy were not allowed to participate in the study.

The tests showed little or no change in their memory, and “Any declines measured were so minor that they could not be linked to menopause.” “If anything,” Beale states, “the pattern was for most groups to slightly improve their scores over time, although the authors caution that the subjects might simply have become better at performing the tests as they became familiar with them.”

This is an interesting issue; however, it seems to have little to no relevance in menopause according to this particular study.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_951768.htm

Do they really know what they're doing?

2005-10-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

In an interesting survey conducted by a naturopath society, health food stores seem to be completely oblivious and uninformed. In this study, a researcher would enter a health food store until approached by an employee for help. The researcher would then reveal that her mother had breast cancer and ask for suggestions. The researchers had all been briefed on what information to reveal and what questions to ask. In the 34 different health stores visited by the researchers, 27 of these stores suggested natural and herbal products. There were 33 different products suggested in total. Among these included shark cartilage, grape seed extracts, and in one case, a venus fly trap extract. There were many more, but all of these had in common that they were all unproven, none with a basis in science. Very few of the employees suggested visiting a doctor - how ridiculous is that? Do they claim to know better than the doctors? Unfortunately, nobody seems to realize how infested our society is with these herbal supplements that simply do not work. Other herbal remedies are untested. Black cohosh, which seems to have a mild effect, has not been tested thoroughly. Some studies show that black cohosh helps menopause, but others show that it can cause breast cancer. There seems to be very little research on this - nobody knows if cohosh actually works or not. For something that affects half the human population, we seem to be woefully uneducated.

Unnatural Menopause

2005-10-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Menopause is usually perceived as a troublesome but normal event that every woman must eventually cope with in her lifetime, usually starting around the age of forty. But, although every woman must still cope with menopause, it is not always natural. According to the National Institute on Aging, menopause is sometimes a result of certain surgeries such as hysterectomy, which is removal of the uterus, or oophorectomy, which is the removal of both the ovaries. Removing the uterus will cause periods to cease, therefore beginning menstruation. Removing the ovaries will onset menopausal symptoms, regardless of age. Interestingly, in a study done comparing the symptoms of naturally versus surgically induced menopause, it was found that those who had surgically induced menopause had more positive attitudes and more energy. Although this could be the cause of removal of ovaries or uterus, which causes relief and therefore a more positive outlook, it still affirms that there is nothing dangerous about menopause initiated by surgery. However, in the same study, it was found that women who contracted menopause from surgery suffered from more hot flashes than those with natural menopause. This, also, is subject to debate in that a woman’s ethnicity may play a role in the number of hot flashes she has to deal with. The hot flashes seem to be controllable with estrogen replacement.

Soy: Highly Debated and Highly Confusing

2005-10-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

“Supplements that contain concentrated phytoestrogens -- plant-based estrogens found in soy -- do not appear to improve mood, memory or menopause symptoms in women over age 45. Some studies had suggested that a diet rich in soy may alleviate symptoms of menopause. However, daily dietary supplements of a concentrated soy isoflavone extract had no effect on a small group of postmenopausal women,” (Dr. Gail Hochanadel, of the Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge).

Clearly, whether or not soy helps ease the symptoms of menopause is a highly debated topic, not to mention confusing as well. Here, a doctor from Cambridge University found that soy had no positive effects on menopausal symptoms. However, is it reasonable to ignore the fact that Asian women experience hardly any hot flashes and that isoflavones are known to have estrogenic effects just because this doctor says so? Certainly not. Both sides of the argument are worthy of examination.

As stated previously, one of the presumed "natural" remedies for reducing the symptoms of menopause is consuming more soy. The argument for soy states that soy has isoflavones, which are known to have mild estrogenic effects. Soy was considered in the first place because Asian women experienced few hot flashes, presumably because soy is a staple in the Asian diet. Since menopause is caused by a lack of hormones, delivering these hormones in the form of estrogen seemed promising. However, the rate of breast cancer in Asian women is only one fourth of America’s rate, and with such high consumption of isoflavones, one would expect the estrogen to build up in their systems and to cause higher rates of breast cancer. Thus, is it possible, yet not nearly definite, that a high ingestion of soy could reduce menopausal symptoms, although it is definitely probable that soy reduces hot flashes.

This site, however, advocates the benefits of isoflavones on menopausal symptoms.

Highly debated and confusing are the only judgments ready to be passed on whether or not the consumption of soy eases the symptoms of menopause.

http://www.mercola.com/1999/archive/soy_fails_to_help_menapause.htm

Natural Remedies: Are You Sure you Want to Jump onto this Confusing Bandwagon?

2005-10-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

“If I were a woman, I don’t know what I would do. About menopause, I mean. You would think that by now scientists would have amassed some pretty conclusive information about how to best deal with a situation that affects half the world’s population directly and the other half indirectly. Alas, that is not that case.” (Dr. Joe Schwarcz in The Fly in the Ointment pg 61)

Although menopause in reality affects the entire population, and even though numerous studies have been conducted, there is no conclusive evidence as to what treatment works best for the symptoms of menopause; specifically mood swings, hot flashes and the reduction in vaginal lubrication. Menopause, like so many other ailments, has a slew of supposed treatments and natural remedies. The natural remedies are debated and confusing, and no one knows whether they actually work or not. Studies including various natural remedies have been carried out; however, there is a lack of consistency in the results.

The common non-natural therapy used to ease the conditions of menopause is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but therein lies a controversy since there is a connection between estrogen supplements and breast cancer. Therefore, many women are looking toward “natural therapies” or herbal therapies. Some of these natural therapies include consuming more soy, wild yams, flax, black cohosh, red clover, ginseng or primrose oil. Many of these natural foods, however, produce no significant effect in the reduction of menopausal symptoms, while some even have reverse effects.

As Joe Schwarcz says, the whole menopause issue is “confusing” and he would not know what to do if he was a women. There are many available “natural” remedies on the market, yet none of them seem to have large potential. The long term effects of them are unknown, and the results are too confusing and contradictory to make any decisions from. The only decision one can make regarding menopause is that there is not one answer, and to continue researching new studies that come out; hopefully with more conclusive evidence than their precursors.

https://webmail.bergen.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.shareguide.com/Menopause.html

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) right for you?

2005-10-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Menopause is the bane of older women, causing problems if left alone, and causing problems if treated. For a while, we thought that if the lack of hormones is what causes the symptoms of menopause, we should replace the hormones to make them go away, right? There are other supposed cures, but we'll discuss that later. HRT seemed to work for a while, until troubling side effects arose. Estrogen therapy seemed to solve everything at first, but then studies revealed a higher rate of endometrial cancer. Adding progestrone and some progestins to the mix solved this problem. Yet, some problems still remain.

Some of the associated risks with HRT are heart disease, osteoporosis, blood clots, breast cancer, stroke, and breast cancer, and possibly dementia in women over 65. Occasionally, monthly periods will reoccur. Doctors can tailor this mix of hormones to minimize the side effects, but they will still remain. Still, these risks should not stop anyone from undergoing HRT - the risks are not so great that women should suffer in fear of these risks.

Maybe it simply can't be helped. Today, there is a new movement of women who believe that this is natural and we should simply let it be. Maybe they're right, maybe not. After two thousand years of having this problem, we still haven't found a solution - maybe we never will

http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/hrt/hrt_home.htm

Vitamin Supplements: Helpful or Extraneous?

2005-10-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Vitamins E and C supplements have been thought to improve menopausal symptoms; however, in Dr. Joe Schwarcz’s The Fly in the Ointment, Dr. Schwarcz discusses the possibility that these vitamin supplements may have no effect on combating menopausal symptoms. The US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine conducted a study for finding alternative treatments for menopausal symptoms. The study was published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, and a summary can be found here. This study found that vitamin E supplements were as useful as placebos in eliminating hot flashes. There was a thirty-three percent response to the supplements. However, an article from Quest Vitamins, the Online Store for Vitamins, claims that both vitamin E and vitamin C help banish menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Another source, the Holistic Health Magazine and Resource Directory, also published an article claiming the benefits of vitamin E in combating hot flashes. However, since these sources do not mention studies or scientific data, the idea of vitamins reducing menopausal discomfort should be looked into before women buy bottles of vitamin supplements hoping to reduce their menopausal symptoms.