Read senior Specialized Women’s Health fellow, Dr. Taryn Smith’s column on updates from the 2019 North American Menopause Society. Dr. Smith was honored as a new investigator award winner at the NAMS meeting for her quality improvement in osteoporosis research, as well as one of our graduated fellows, Dr. Heather Foreman Hirsh. Dr. Hirsh is now at Harvard and won the top research poster on menopause and metabolic parameters.

Dr. Taryn Smith discusses what treatments are best for high and low levels of testosterone in women.

Reuters

Question: A 53-year-old postmenopausal woman presents as a new patient consult and for a second opinion. She underwent natural menopause at age 52 and had been on oral Hormone Therapy for severe hot flashes symptoms. She complains of decreased libido and has read about oral estrogen plus testosterone as an option to improve her sex drive and her continued hot flashes. One of her friends is also on estrogen/testosterone hormone therapy and shared noticeable improvement in libido. The patient…

Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVFM) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Phexxi™ (lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate) vaginal gel for the prevention of pregnancy in females of reproductive potential for use as an on-demand method of contraception. Phexxi is the first non-hormonal, on-demand, vaginal pH regulator contraceptive designed to maintain vaginal pH within the normal range of 3.5 to 4.5 – an acidic environment that is…

Guest columnist and Cleveland Clinic Fertility Expert Dr. Laura Detti shares what new techniques are available for fertility preservation.

Dr. Tiffany Cochran discusses how women's health physicians diagnose menopause and why it's important for women to receive the correct diagnosis.

The Cleveland Clinic Skincare Aesthetician Team share tips to improve your skin overall.

Dr. Howard Tay shares treatment options for women suffering from dyspareunia and pain with sexual activities.

Dr. Howard Tay is a board-certified urologist in Arizona certified by the American Board of urology. He is an active member in the American urological Association. He has practiced urology in Arizona since 1996. Dr. Tay is recognized as a leading Arizona urologist, including several Phoenix Magazine “Top Doc” awards for urology. He is an active member in advancing Chair of Surgery at Banner Thunderbird Hospital. In addition to his practice, he is an educator training medical student and…

Pfizer and BioNTech Conclude Phase 3 Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, Meeting All Primary Efficacy Endpoints Primary efficacy analysis demonstrates BNT162b2 to be 95% effective against COVID-19 beginning 28 days after the first dose; 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were evaluated, with 162 observed in the placebo group versus 8 in the vaccine groupEfficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics; observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was…

Dr. Holly L. Thacker discusses the three stages of menopause and how women can know when they are entering each menopause stage.

If you are approaching menopause and you have some extra belly fat, new research suggests you might want to shed some inches now. Women who carry weight around their midsection during menopause may be more likely to develop heart disease even if their overall weight remains the same, researchers report. For every 20% increase in belly fat, the thickness of the carotid artery lining grew by 2%, according to their study. The carotid arteries carry blood to the head and neck, and carotid artery…

Dr. Holly L. Thacker shares tips for the best ways to protect your skin from the sun and what you really need to know about sunscreens.

Key takeaways: Myfembree (relugolix/estradiol/norethindrone acetate) was recently FDA-approved to treat heavy monthly bleeding due to uterine fibroids — the first once-daily oral medication to treat this condition.Myfembree was very effective in clinical trials and helped lighten bleeding for over 70% of people taking it. Myfembree can cause bone loss, so you should only take it for a total of two years to avoid serious bone problems like osteoporosis.Myfembree is currently available at…

Toddlers who were breastfed for any amount of time had lower blood pressure than those who were not breastfed at all, according to a new study, suggesting once again that "breast is best" for health. The reduction in blood pressure found in the study "is of clinically important magnitude and surprising," Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter told CNN in an email. Feldman-Winter, who was not involved in the study, is the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding. "I may have…

Guest columnists Alice Bast, CEO of Beyond Celiac and Alan Ehrlich, MD, Board Chair of Beyond Celiac discuss celiac disease and how it affects women's health.

Alan Ehrlich, MD, FAAFP is the Board Chair of Beyond Celiac and an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. He is board certified from the American Board of Family Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Alan graduated from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed his residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He is the Executive Editor of DynaMed and writes…

Fibroids are usually diagnosed in women ages 30-40, and up to half of all women will be diagnosed with fibroids in their lifetime. Guest columnist Dr. Sharon Sutherland discusses the new FDA-approved medication for the treatment of symptomatic fibroids.

Guest columnists Dr. Fawad Khan and Dr. Holly Pederson discuss the Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) and how these gene changes may affect a person's risk for breast cancer.