ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 14, 1996 TAG: 9605150036
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HEALTH NOTES
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Every day, 5,000 women turn 50, which means there are that many of us females grappling with menopause. If you aren't one of them, you know one, because in addition to those women moving naturally into this stage of life, some 650,000 women annually are abruptly thrust into menopause because of surgery or chemotherapy.
And every last woman who finds herself with decreasing hormones is faced with the decision of whether to take replacements.
The prospect of this huge audience for hormone therapy is a gleeful one for drug companies and their investors, but deciding what to do is a formidable situation for women.
Studies have proved that replacing a woman's estrogen and progesterone after menopause can help protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. (After menopause, a woman's vulnerability to heart disease equals that of a male's, because she has lost the natural hormone protection.) It's also a fact that hormones keep our skin looking better and keep the parts necessary for a healthy sexual life working right.
And hormone therapy can help a woman avoid urinary infections, which seem to increase after menopause.
The downside is that not all women are likely to develop osteoporosis. Not all women experience discomfort from menopause. And there is evidence that hormone therapy can make a woman more susceptible to breast cancer. Also, your grandmother did just fine before hormone therapy was available.
So - do you or don't you?
Asking the question is where each woman should start, said Dr. Randall Falls, medical director for women's services for Carilion Health System.
Falls thinks 95 percent of women are candidates for hormone therapy, but he admits he is a proponent of such therapy. He also thinks, however, that women's concerns about hormone therapy are genuine.
"In a role reversal, I'd feel the same way," he said.
Based on a talk with the doctor and some of the new reading material, here are some things to consider:
The decision has to be made by each and every one of us; it's not something you do or don't do because of what a friend decides.
It can help, though, to compare notes with friends and even to share literature on the issue.
Insist that your doctor discuss the issue and give you materials, and check the library for articles that review both sides of the issue.
Even if you're in your late 60s, it's not too late to start hormone therapy.
Some women who have had breast cancer can still take hormones.
If you do take hormones, you can expect some dosage adjustment as the doctor learns how your body reacts.
If you get a reaction to hormone pills, a new hormone patch that slowly releases the dosage might help.
Most of all, remember that you don't have to rush to make a decision.
"Some people think menopause is like a light switch, but it takes five to eight years to complete," Falls said.
Bargain checkups
In honor of Mother's Day month, Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge Inc. is offering half-price checkups to new patients at its Roanoke, Blacksburg and Charlottesville locations.
The checkup includes a gynecological exam, a PAP smear, breast examination, limited blood work, blood pressure and weight checks. Remember that even with the discount, costs will vary from patient to patient because they are based on family income.
Blood donors
As traditional as Memorial Day is the American Red Cross' call for donors. If you're in the mood to give up some blood to fill the coffers before the holiday, you have chances to do so at these locations: May 20, Eagle Rock Fire House, 3-7 p.m.; May 21, Roanoke Red Cross Center, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and New River Donor Center, noon-6 p.m.; May 22, Roanoke Red Cross Blood Center, noon-6 p.m.; May 24, Roanoke center, 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Blacksburg's New River Donor Center, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Migraine talk
The signs, symptoms and possible causes of migraine headache and how to relieve it will be discussed by Dr. Timothy Hormel on May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Lewis-Gale Foundation Auditorium in Salem. A migraine headache occurs when blood vessels inside the head dilate and cause pressure to build up in the brain. It can be an intermittent ache and can recur, and it usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours. Registration for the talk is required; call 774-4022.
Arthritis support
A support group for people with arthritis will meet tonight at Our Lady of the Valley nursing home near Hotel Roanoke. Peggy Byrd, a registered nurse, will speak. The meeting is sponsored by The Arthritis Foundation and Carilion Health System. For more information, call Rehse Wilson or Judy Bradley at 981-7394, or the Arthritis Foundation, Virginia Chapter, at (800)-456-4687.
You can contact Sandra Brown Kelly at 981-3393 or through e-mail at skelly@2180AOL.COM
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