Just a quick reminder, BMI stands for Body Mass Index which is a measure of how much body fat you have. BMI is calculated using your height and weight to determine if you are underweight (less than 18.5), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9) or obese (above 30).

Obesity is a known risk factor in perimenopausal women, but a new study has shown that obesity is a factor in women under 45 who get uterine cancer. It showed that women who had their last period before the age of 45 and had a BMI over 35 were 22 times more likely to get uterine cancer than women of the same age group. Women who had a BMI above 25 were 6 times more likely to develop the disease than similar women.

Women who had their last period after the age of 45 and had a BMI above 35 were about 4 times more likely to get ovarian cancer than women of the same age.

The theory behind this is that of “unopposed estrogen”. After menopause (when your periods stop) there is virtually no progesterone or estrogen produced by the ovaries. However, estrogen is produced in the fat cells of the body. The more body fat you have, the more estrogen you produce. Without any progesterone, there is nothing to oppose the estrogen. This leads to a hormonal imbalance which encourages the growth of endometrial cancer.

Obesity increases your chances of getting heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and a host of other problems. It is important to realize that being overweight also increases your chances of developing cancer.
Source

False positives are mammograms in which it looks like there is cancer present in the breast even though the breast is actually normal. If your mammogram looks abnormal in any way, you are usually asked to come back for a repeat mammogram. This can produce a lot of unnecessary anxiety in women who actually have nothing to be worried about.

New research has shown that temporarily stopping hormone therapy before a mammogram has no benefits in terms of reducing the number of false positeve results. Repeat mammograms for false positives contribute about 25% to the overall cost of mammograms to the U.S. government. An additional problem is that women are being exposed to additional x-rays which are potentially harmful to the body but which is necessary to confirm that they don’t actually have breast cancer. In spite of all the criticism of mammograms for breast cancer screening, right now this is the most effective, readily available way for women to get screened for breast cancer.

Meat produces chemicals called “meat mutagens”, which are thought to cause changes in the DNA in cells. Changes in the DNA (mutations) are what triggers cancer. Apparently, eating any type of meat, whether white or red, no matter how it’s cooked, does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Researchers found that even in those who were already had high risk factors for developing breast cancer e.g women who smoked, drank alcohol, used menopausal HRT, had no children or were obese, eating meat did not appear to increase their risk of developing breast cancer.

I need to stress that this study looked at the diet of post-menopausal women in relation to breast cancer. It is still possible that eating large amounts of meat as a teenager when the breasts are developing, may increase breast cancer risk.

The results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a large study carried out over several years, showed several things. One of them was that women on combined estrogen/progestin hormone were (40%) less likely to get cancer of the colon.

A new study carried out in Iowa, found that women between the ages of 55 and 69 years on combined HRT had a 28% less chance of developing colon cancer. This is good news for women that are already taking HRT. This isn’t a good enough reason to start HRT if you’re not on it already though.
Because of the risks associated with HRT, women are still advised to start it for severe menopause symptoms only if it’s absolutely necessary, to take the lowest dose possible to relieve symptoms, and to get off HRT as soon as possible.

The link between HRT and colon cancer may point the way for researchers to develop new therapies that may help to cure this disease.

A study carried out in Switzerland examined the records of 683 people who were referred to a lung cancer centre from 2000 to 2005. They found that even though the women they examined smoked less cigarettes than the men, they tended to develop lung cancer at an earlier age. This suggests that women are more sensitive to the cancer-causing agents in cigarettes.

It is already quite well established that smoking is bad for your health and plays a part in the development of various cancers including breast cancer and cancer of the cervix. Even though many people see smoking as a male disease, it is becoming a major problem for women as well. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States- not breast cancer or cervical cancer which you’re more likely to hear about.

The only up side is that the study showed that women were likely to live twice as long as the men after having surgery for some types of lung cancer. That is very little consolation. The best thing to do for yourself is not to start smoking at all. If you do smoke, the sooner you stop, the better. Your chances of developing lung cancer start to drop almost immediately you stop puffing. It’s hard, but in the end it’s worth it.

Risks of removing your ovaries

Recent research has shown that women who have their ovaries removed have a much higher risk of developing heart disease.
Two groups of women (one group had their ovaries removed and the others kept theirs) were studied and the results showed that the women who had their ovaries removed:

• had a higher chance of dying (12% increase)
• had a higher risk of developing heart disease (17% increase)
• had a higher chance of developing lung cancer (26% increase)

However, they did not develop ovarian cancer and were less likely to get breast cancer.

In the US about 14,700 women die from ovarian cancer each year. While this is a painful experience for the woman and her family, this is much less than over 400,000 deaths in women from from heart disease and stroke combined.
Other studies have shown an increase in osteoporosis and dementia women who had their ovaries taken out.

Every little helps

After menopause, your ovaries stop producing progesterone, but they keep producing testosterone and small amounts of estrogen. The testosterone is changed into estrogen outside the ovaries e.g the fat cells. This helps to protect against diseases like heart disease, osteoporosis and dementia.

What does this mean for you?

Ovarian cancer is a horrible disease which is very difficult to catch early and to cure. But quite frankly, there are other diseases that are more likely to kill you. If you have a low risk for developing ovarian cancer and breast cancer, there’s really no good reason for removing your ovaries. If you’re having a hysterectomy for a problem that’s not cancer-related, discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor. Consider your own personal risk factors and circumstances to help you make an informed decision.

Causes of breast pain and swollen nipples

Ultimately, what actually makes the breasts tender and swollen is too much water in the breast tissue. This causes the pressure and stretching of the breast tissue which causes pain. This accumulation of water, also known as water retention, also causes the bloating you may feel when you have painful swollen breasts. The root cause of this water retention is usually your hormones.

Situations that may lead to sore breasts

• Pregnancy - during pregnancy you have a very high level of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen increases the amount of breast tissue while progesterone helps to make the glands in the breast mature with some accumulation of water. This prepares the breast to manufacture food for the newborn baby. In this case, the swelling of the breasts, although it’s uncomfortable, is a good thing.
• PMS - in PMS the swelling and water retention are mostly due to hormonal imbalance - estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is a situation in which the levels of estrogen and progesterone are out of balance - the progesterone in your body is not enough to balance the levels of estrogen.
• Premenopause and menopause - before menopause, up to 15% of cycles may be anovulatory (ie no egg is released) even in women with regular cycles. As you get older, production of estrogen and progesterone in your body gradually begin to wind down and you will tend to have even more anovulatory cycles until you get to menopause. Most of the progesterone in your body is produced in the ovaries after ovulation. No ovulation means almost no progesterone. Even though you’re producing less estrogen as you go through menopause, these levels are still out of balance with the very low levels of progesterone. So you can still have estrogen dominance even if you have low estrogen levels. This leads to sore and tender breasts.


• Imbalance in fat levels - an imbalance in the fats in your cells may make your breast tissue more sensitive to circulating hormones in the body causing breast pain.
• Medication - drugs like oral contraceptives, drugs used for Hormone Replacement Therapy and even some antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft.
• Pain in the heart and chest may also be felt in the breast.
• Very large breasts may also cause pain because of their weight. You may also feel pain in the neck and shoulders as well.
• Breast cancer - breast pain can also be a sign of breast cancer but it is usually a late sign in advanced cases.

How can I relieve breast pain

• If you’re pregnant, wear a good bra that gives your breasts plenty of support and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
• If you have PMS, are premenopausal or menopausal:
  • use natural progesterone cream - natural (bioidentical) progesterone cream balances the estrogen effects in the body and so helps to reduce water retention and bloating as well as sore breasts. However, using too much can cause the very symptoms you’re trying to relieve.
  • use evening primrose oil or borage oil - these help to normalize the fat levels in your tissues making them less sensitive to circulating hormones
  • take a good multivitamin supplement that contains B complex vitamins, zinc, Vitamin E, magnesium and Vitamin C
  • use a women’s herbal formula that contains some or all of the following: vitex, blue cohosh and dong quai
  • use a detoxifying formula that contains some or all of the following: milk thistle, barberry or goldenseal, burdock root, yellow dock, dandelion root

  Avoid:

  • caffeine - whether in coffee or other food and drinks
  • using estrogen without balancing with progesterone
  • dairy products as much as possible
  • meat and poultry that has been exposed to drugs and hormones, try and eat free range/ organic meat and chicken
• Practice some relaxation techniques - stress and anxiety may worsen breast pain

If your breast pain becomes really unbearable and none of these measures work for you, a trip to your doctor may be good idea.

There is even more research to show that natural hormone creams improve menopause symptoms. Researchers used creams that contained hormones from plants that are similar to the hormones produced by the body (bioidentical hormones). 150 women between the ages of 30 and 70 years were divided into 2 groups.
Half were given a cream containing natural (bioidentical) hormones (progesterone, estrogen, testosterone and DHEA - the last 2 are usually considered to be male hormones but women also need them for good hormone balance,too little and you may have low sex drive and other problems ).
The other half were given synthetic hormones -

• birth control pills for younger women
• Prempro (progesterone and estrogen) or Premarin (estrogen only) for the menopausal women

After one year of use, the women on bioidentical natural hormones reported:

• less depression
• less anxiety
• less pain
• fewer hot flashes and night sweats
• a better quality of life

Tests also showed that they :

• had lower blood pressure
• had lower levels of “bad cholesterol”
• were less likely to develop blood clots

According to one of the researchers,

“It appears this preparation could be protective against symptoms of menopause as well as heart disease..”

If you’re going to have natural hormones specially formulated for you make sure you use a licensed compounding pharmacist. You can find a good list of them here.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, use a compounding pharmacist, there are some good natural hormone creams on the market.

Natural Progesterone creams

Good for progesterone deficiency which leads to high estrogen compared to progesterone levels (estrogen dominance) during perimenopause, menopause and if you have PMS. Recommended:

• Emerita Pro-Gest progesterone cream
• Fem-Gest progesterone cream
• NatraGest progesterone cream
• ProgestaCare progesterone cream
• FemCreme progesterone cream

Natural Estrogen (phytoestrogen) creams

Useful if you have high estrogen levels which may occur in PMS. Phytoestrogens are milder than synthetic estrogens and block the actions of these stronger synthetic hormones. Some good ones are:

• Emerita Phytoestrogen cream
• EstroCare phytoestrogen cream
• DermaGest pyhtoestrogen cream

Bioidentical progesterone and Phytoestrogen combination cream

Many women prefer to use seperate natural progesterone and pyhtoestrogen creams so that they can regulate the amounts of estrogen and progesterone they use. Others find a combination cream more convenient. Try:

• ProgestaCare Plus

On the youth sex-education website Scarleteen.com, dozens of teenage girls can be found commiserating about their labia. “i REALLY h8 mine! They hang really REALLY low and r SO long!” reads one comment. Meanwhile, on MakeMeHeal.com, a consumer site that sells special bras and other gear for women recovering from plastic surgery, women of all ages submit photos of their nether regions and ask for feedback on whether they should get nipped and tucked down there. Welcome to the strange new world of female genital cosmetic surgery, where body insecurity issues are fuelling a small but growing Western market for such procedures as labiaplasty, clitoral un-hooding, G-spot augmentation and hymen reconstruction, a.k.a. “revirginization.”

It’s a shame that young girls are starting to dislike their bodies at such an early age. And as for uploading pictures of my private parts so that other people can tell me what’s wrong with with them?!!! That’s a definite non-starter as far as I’m concerned. Why should other people decide for me what’s right and wrong with my body, especially my sex organs?
Thankfully there are women speaking out about vaginal rejuvenation, particularly for cosmetic reasons:

Appalled at the popularity of so-called designer vaginas, a grass-roots organization called the New View Campaign staged its first-ever protest on Monday outside New York City’s Manhattan Center for Vaginal Surgery……New View, which was created in 2000 in response to the introduction of Viagra, is trying to fight what it calls “the medicalization of sex,” the idea that there is a physical right and wrong when it comes to all things sexual. Says the group’s leader Leonore Tiefer, a sexologist and psychologist at New York University: “Promoting a very narrow definition of what women’s genitals ought to look like — even for those women who don’t want surgery, it harms them.”

All of us are made differently. The normal process of development can never be exactly the same which leads to a wonderful diversity, a lack of sameness, without which human beings would be incredibly boring.
There are different stages in life and aspects of vaginal rejuvenation such as “revirgination” just don’t make sense to me. I mean, who are you kidding here?
A relatively small number of women have these procedures in the US but more and more women are being made to feel that their private parts are “abnormal”. If there’s a medical reason for having vaginal surgery, of course, I’m all for it. But when artificially modified labia and vaginas are held up and presented as being normal, then there’s a problem.
Women are exposing themselves to the dangers of surgery like infection and bleeding without a sound medical reason. A good number of women requesting this type of surgery were spurred on by negative comments made about their anatomy by a sexual partner.

By contrast, women in steady relationships, according to a study published in the December 2008 issue of Current Sexual Health Reports, are far more likely than their single peers to feel comfortable with their natural appearance below the belt — and that comfort translates into higher scores on six separate measures of satisfaction between the sheets. In other words, says the study’s co-author, social worker Laura Berman, of Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital, who has a PhD in sex education, the best way to start enjoying your body could be far simpler than surgery: “You may need a new boyfriend.”

Great advice.

What are superfoods?

Superfoods are foods that are so good for you that they can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your cancer risk, reduce your cholesterol levels and heart disease risks, help with diabetes and much more, usually without any side effects. Getting a good, all round balance of these foods can help fight off disease and even improve your mood. Here is a list of some of the best, most effective superfoods in alphabetical order:

• Acai
• Beans
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Calcium
• Dark chocolate
• Fibre
• Oats
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• Tea (green or black)
• Tomatoes
• Turkey
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

Generally speaking, foods that have bright, bold colors like blue, red, purple, orange, green etc are very good for you. Keep reading to find out more about these superfoods that you just can’t do without if you want to be in the best health ever.