Study Finds Menopause Symptoms Can Be Predicted

The number of eggs left in a woman's ovaries are like the grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking away the hours on her biological clock.

Researchers now say they may be able to predict when that clock will wind down.

And while doctors can't actually count the number of eggs in an ovary, they can measure ovarian volume. British researchers say there's a direct correlation between the two, and by measuring ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, doctors should be able to predict when menopause will set in and how many fertile years a woman has left.

According to the study authors, this information will revolutionize the care of women looking for assisted reproductive technologies, including those who were treated for childhood cancers as well as women who want to put off starting a family for whatever reason.

Although information still needs to be validated in clinical studies, its benefit is most likely to start with women who are being treated for cancer and women attending fertility clinics, said Tom Kelsey, co-author of the study appearing June 17 in the journal Human Reproduction.

"If women looking for some sort of assisted conception and their physicians know that they've got a long time till menopause, then you could plan for a range of treatments," said Kelsey, who is a senior research fellow at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "If you knew menopause was likely in four to five years, you'd plan a different set of IVF [in vitro fertilization] treatments."

Others reiterate, however, that the findings should be treated with caution.

"Should a young woman who is 30 years old go for a test to figure out whether she's got three, five or 10 years left on her fertility? Should she make career decisions and life decisions? Are these data good enough to make those determinations?" asked Dr. Alan Copperman, director of reproductive medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The answer is obviously no to all of those questions. The predictive value of this test is not good enough to go and tell someone to change their life."

According to the article, eggs form in a female's ovary while she is still in the womb, peaking at several million about halfway through gestation and then starting a continuous decline. At birth, there are several hundred thousand and, when menstruation begins, about 300,000. At about age 37, a woman has about 25,000 eggs left, and at menopause only about 1,000.

The time at which menopause sets in is widely believed to be based on the number of eggs reaching a critically low threshold.

The authors of this study measured ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, then looked at the relationship between ovarian volume -- ovaries shrink as a woman ages -- and number of eggs. They then applied mathematical and computer models to predict menopause.

The study authors are negotiating with a medical school to set up clinical trials. The idea would be to follow women to see if their predictions were indeed correct.

While these authors have come up with a tool to potentially help women plan their lives, a second study in the same issue of Human Reproduction warned that women might not want to leave it too late. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) could not be relied upon to fully compensate for lack of natural fertility after the age of 35, the article stated.

The authors used a computer simulation model to determine that the overall success rate of assisted reproductive technology would be 30 percent for those attempting to get pregnant from age 30, 24 percent for those trying from age 35, and 17 percent from age 40.

SOURCES: Tom Kelsey, Ph.D., senior research fellow, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland; Alan Copperman, M.D., director, reproductive medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York; June 17, 2004, Human Reproduction

menopause off broadway play
Playbill News: The Heat Is Off: Menopause Will End in Manhattan
Menopause the Musical is presented Off-Broadway by Mark Schwartz and TOC Productions in association with Brent Peek. Performances during these final weeks

Playbill News: Women of We're Still Hot, the Musical, are
Unlike Menopause the Musical (which is an Off-Broadway hit and blossoming in productions around the world) We're Still Hot boasts an original score rather

Amazon.com: Menopause the Musical (2002 Off-Broadway Cast): Music
Amazon.com: Menopause the Musical (2002 Off-Broadway Cast): Music: Jeanie Linders,Joy Lynn Matthews,Mary Jo McConnell,Carolann Page,Joyce A. Presutti by

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Menopause the Musical (2002 Off
Recent discussions in the Menopause the Musical (2002 Off-Broadway Cast) Menopause the Musical (2002 Off-Broadway Cast) by Jeanie Linders (Audio CD)

Playhouse 91 Theater New York NY - Menopause, the Musical Off
Menopause, the Musical at the Playhouse 91 Theater, Broadway - tickets, seating chart, Menopause, the Musical at the Playhouse 91 Theater,

Favorite Plays - Broadway and Off-Broadway
Rent & Hairspray (Broadway); Menopause (Off-Broadway) Never have I seen a play where I laughed my A$$ off the whole first act and cried my eyes out the

Menopause The Musical - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The show's ensuing success Off-Broadway led to a number of productions across the . Long-Running Off-Broadway Hit Menopause the Musical to Close May 14,

Menopause The Musical | VEGAS.com
Get tickets to Menopause The Musical and find other Production Shows tickets O'Connell has been singing and dancing on and off Broadway for 30 years.

Menopause The Musical the Off Broadway Musical - Menopause The
BROADWAY, A Bronx Tale, A Chorus Line (discounted), August: Osage County (discounted), Avenue Q (discounted) Menopause The Musical

Menopause the Musical Tickets - Menopause the Musical Official
Tickets For: Menopause the Musical - It all starts with four women at a lingerie Broadway theater tickets, plays, musicals, off-Broadway: Telecharge.com

Menopause the Musical Tickets - TicketsNow has deals on Menopause
Premium Menopause the Musical ticket deals available to match every budget. Reward yourself. By now and get $25 off your next order!

Menopause The Musical Tickets - Broadway musical discount
Cheap Menopause The Musical tickets at up to 50% off regular broadway ticket price. Menopause The Musical theater discount codes distributed by the show

Menopause The Musical Reviews - Broadway Show Reviews
Menopause The Musical reviews - audience reviews for Menopause The Musical. BroadwayBox offers cheap Broadway tickets - up to 50% off Broadway ticket

Menopause The Musical Tickets, Discount Tickets and more
S. Epatha Merkerson stars in Come Back, Little Sheba, Roundabout brings The 39 Steps and Sunday in the Park with George to Broadway, while Off-Broadway sees

Menopause the Musical Closes Off-Broadway, May 14 (BroadwayWorld.com)
On May 14th, the Off-Broadway long-running hit Menopause the Musical will play its last performance.

Official Ticketmaster site. Off Broadway tickets, show dates
Find and buy off broadway show tickets at Ticketmaster.com.

Lortel Archives--The Internet Off-Broadway Database
Lortel Archives--The Internet Off-Broadway Database Originally produced at Theatre Four 04/04/2002. Menopause The Musical Website

Buy Cheap Menopause Tickets - Menopause Off Broadway Theater Tickets
Theater Tickets ยป Menopause - Buy Cheap Menopause Broadway Theater Tickets. Buy Menopause Tickets Now . Musical / Play Tickets Off - Broadway Tickets

Menopause, the Musical Off-Broadway (BroadwayWorld.com)
Menopause, the Musical Menopause, the Musical, Jeanie Linders' musical parody, chronicles the meeting of four women at a lingerie sale at Bloomingdale's


menopause off broadway play
progesterone cream menopause treatment
menopause the musical philadelphia ticket
powersurge menopause
menopause pleasure sexual