"A major misperception concerning postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is that the associated risks are large in magnitude and unique to HRT", say Drs Howard Hodis and Wendy Mack in the second part of a two-part review of HRT and prevention of coronary heart disease, published online in May 2013 by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

In part 1, the authors compared data on the effects of aspirin, statins and HRT on coronary heart disease risk - Neither aspirin nor statins were found to be effective in a "primary prevention" setting in women, but starting HRT before age 60 significantly reduced both disease risk and mortality.

In the second article, the authors review safety data from randomised controlled trials, concluding that the risks of HRT are "predominantly rare" (less than 1 event per 1,000 women treated) and it can be used safely for primary coronary heart disease prevention in women under 60 years old or less than 10 years past menopause.

On 7 June, The Conversation website published a thought-provoking article by Dr Dyani Lewis, sexual health researcher at University of Melbourne, summarising various theories as to why women experience menopause. "Media focus with regard to menopause typically involves symptoms, treatment options and risks of treatments at and around the menopause," says Dr Sonia Davison, an endocrinologist at Jean Hailes. Dr Lewis' article, says Davison, "takes one step back and looks instead at why human females undergo menopause whereas other mammalian species do not." The article briefly discusses a few theories that may explain why human females undergo menopause. One that interests Dr Davison suggests menopause may serve to reduce "conflict between women and their mothers-in-law" by altering the roles that women of different reproductive status have within the family.

Girls who drink more milk carry less body fat and have a lower body mass index (BMI), according to a study of 1,001 teens in Portugal.

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It feels appropriate to kick off the Jean Hailes blog with a post about blogging:

New mothers who write blogs may feel less alone and more supported, according to US researchers. Assistant Professors Sarah Coyne and Erin Holmes of Brigham Young University and grad student Brandon T. McDaniel of Penn State University (US) used an online survey to ask 157 new, first-time mothers about their emotional wellbeing and their use of various media, including computers.

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In future, women could remain fertile for longer by undergoing an ovarian tissue transplant, according to a paper published in April 2012 by American and Danish researchers.

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“Modern women have alarming misconceptions about their own reproductive systems and the effectiveness of assisted reproductive technologies”, warn researchers at Yale University (US).

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A stress management program for women with breast cancer has been found to inhibit disease processes at the molecular level, turning on genes that produce “healthy” immune responses and turning down expression of genes that promote cancer progression.

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Jean Hailes is proud to announce the launch of Your Fertility, a campaign to inform Australians about how age and lifestyle factors such as weight, smoking and alcohol use can affect their ability to conceive and have healthy children.

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Complaints of forgetfulness during menopause may reflect real difficulties with attention and ‘working memory’, according to a study in the USA.

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Professor Henry Burger was interviewed last week for an article on The Conversation news website, regarding a series of articles published in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health.

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We often worry about the physical factors that affect our health, but sometimes forget about the role of emotional or psychological factors. Social connections, friendships and our relationships with other people help shape who we are and how we behave, but they also impact on our health.

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