Turning Point : The Myths and Realities of Menopause.

Intro -- Contents -- To the Reader -- 1 The Chemistry of Love -- What Are Little Girls Made Of? -- Love Is in the Air -- A Certain Smile -- Passion by Design-Hormone Domination -- Testosterone-The Assertiveness Hormone -- Body Language -- The Preset Mindset -- Female by Default -- The Hypothalamus -- 2 Hormone Cycles -- Timing the Menstrual Cycle -- Missing Periods -- Hormone Cycles -- Aches and Pains During the Menstrual Cycle -- When Getting Pregnant Is Difficult -- Interfering with the Hormone Cycle -- On Your Best Behavior -- Spermicides -- Barricades for Sperm -- Pills and Injections -- 3 Making Sense of the Menopause Myths -- Symptoms of the Change -- Defining The Change -- Menopause-Fact and Fiction -- A New Image for Menopause -- What Does 50 Look Like? -- What Do Women Expect? -- Still Sexy After All These Years -- The Witches of Menopause -- Chasing the Blues Away -- The Absent-Minded Woman -- 4 More Changes -- Setting the Change in Motion -- Mixed Messages in the Hypothalamus -- FSH-A Harbinger of Menopause -- Irregular Menstrual Periods-An Early Sign -- Hot Flashes and Other Peculiar Sensations -- Is There a Bug on Me? -- When You Can't See Straight -- Migraines -- Hair-Raising Changes -- More About Menopause and Sex -- Incontinence -- Urinary Tract Infections -- 5 Menopause Before Your Time -- Young Women Facing Menopause -- Instant Menopause -- Sex After Hysterectomy -- Hysterectomy-Menopause to Follow -- Hysterectomy-How Many and Why -- Hysterectomy and Related Surgeries -- Abdominal or Vaginal Surgery -- Ovarian Cancer -- Cancer of the Fallopian Tubes -- Uterine or Endometrial Cancer -- Cancer of the Cervix -- Fibroid Tumors of the Uterus -- Endometriosis -- Prolapsed Uterus -- 6 The Silent Epidemic -- Fragile Bones -- Bare Bone Facts -- The Estrogen Connection -- Calcium -- A Move in the Right Direction -- Broken Bones.

Aftermath of a Hip Fracture -- Unavoidable Risks -- Bone-Robbing Drugs -- Habits Can Make a Difference -- A Puzzling Pain -- Measuring Bone Density -- 7 The Heart of the Matter -- Women and Heart Disease -- Cholesterol Numbers -- Estrogen's Role -- The Ailing Circulatory System -- 8 Hormone Replacement Therapy -- Hormones from the Drug Store -- HRT and the Cancer Scare -- HRT - The Benefits -- Misconceptions and Side Effects -- How Much Is Enough? -- Estrogen -- Progesterone and Progestins -- Estrogens and Androgens -- 9 You Are What You Eat -- Too Many Pounds -- Dieting-Good or Bad? -- A Plan You Can Live With -- The Cholesterol Facts -- Trimming Fat the Easy Way -- Fat Facts -- Fiber -- Salt and Hypertension -- Antioxidants and Free Radicals -- Calcium and Vitamin D -- The French Paradox -- Coffee, Tea, and Cola -- 10 Survival of the Fittest -- Exercise and the Quality of Life -- Keeping Pounds Off -- Exercise and Your Heart -- Exercise and Your Bones -- More Health Benefits from Exercising -- Walking -- Getting Started -- 11 Up in Smoke -- Smoking and Women's Health -- Trends in Smoking -- The Captivating Powers of Tobacco -- Quitting and Weight Gain -- Kicking the Habit -- Stop Smoking" Organizations -- 12 Looking Ahead -- Trends in Women's Health Care -- Your Physician, Your Insurance, and Your Health Care -- Communication Is the Key -- Selected Sources -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.

The thirteen million women now between the ages of forty-five and fifty-four have focused attention on menopause as a major health issue and greatly increased the demand for information on this once taboo topic. In Turning Point, biologist and author, Sue Furman puts menopause into perspective as one of many hormone-driven events in the continuum of a woman's physical and emotional growth. At about age eight, estrogen levels slowly rise and initiate the transformation of a young girl into a young woman. The hormone-regulated reproductive phase of life is punctuated at the beginning by menarche, the first of many menstrual periods and at the end by menopause, the mast menstrual period.Hormones play many roles, sometimes even swaying a woman's choice of Mr. Right. Estrogen alone influences at least 300 body functions including memory, bone growth, and the health of arteries and capillaries. Levels of this seemingly ubiquitous hormone begin to decline at about age 35, then drop abruptly around the time of menopause promoting a myriad of symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations, mood swings, fuzzy vision, migraine headaches, and incontinence. Turning Point tells readers exactly what is happening when these symptoms occur and how to alleviate or cope with them.Furman notes that the most serious consequence of decreased estrogen is a woman's increased risk for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and even Alzheimer's disease. Restoring lost estrogen with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can substantially decrease these health risks for some, but a discussion of the pros and cons of HRT points out that it is not for everyone. Finally, Furman discusses how simple life-style choices like good nutrition, moderate exercise, and not smoking can have a significant impact on the menopause transition.Turning Point debunks the many myths and

fears surrounding menopause, by providing women with easy-to-grasp, reliable information that will allow them to question physicians with authority, understand their answers, and take an active role in treatment. In short, the book helps women retain the peace of mind--and sense of humor--that can make menopause a healthy experience.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.