ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – It happens to every woman and there’s no way of stopping it! Menopause causes women to gain weight, break out in sweat and most importantly, it contributes to bone loss. Now, a new drug may be a gamechanger for older women who are going through menopause. Menopause symptoms
The three biggies when it comes to menopause — brittle bones, weight gain and hot flashes!
Biomedical engineer at University of Central Florida, Melanie Coathup, PhD says, “With the brittle bones, that is a significant concern, and also, the weight gain as well.”
Coathup’s research is targeting the first two.
“There’s some kind of connection, I think, between bone and fat that’s gradually becoming more and more interesting,” she adds.
One in 10 women over the age of 60 is affected by osteoporosis and research shows that up to 20 percent of bone loss happens during menopause. Osteoporosis is related to over-activity of bone-absorbing cells in the body. Coathup’s team found that a drug now being called P7C3 stopped these cells from being overactive, reduced inflammation, and drove stem cells to form bone tissue. Not only that, but as an extra benefit.
Coathup says, “What was remarkable with our animals was that they were not putting on this fat weight gain, they were remaining quite slim.”
The findings could not only help menopausal women, but an entire aging population. Coathup is now going to study whether P7C3 can treat or even reverse people already diagnosed with osteoporosis. Menopause symptoms
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer & Editor.
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Source:
https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/menopause-and-bone-loss
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TITLE: IS A NEW PILL ABOUT TO KNOCK OUT MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS?
REPORT: MB #5349
BACKGROUND: Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and reproductive years. It is diagnosed after 12 consecutive months without menstruation and typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age in the United States being around 51 years old. However, menopause can occur earlier or later in some women. Menopause can be caused by a natural decline in reproductive hormones, a surgery that removes the ovaries called a oophorectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and/or a primary ovarian insufficiency.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause)
DIAGNOSING: Menopause is primarily driven by hormonal changes, particularly a decline in estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries. These hormonal changes can affect various aspects of a woman’s health, including bone density, cardiovascular health, vaginal health, and mood. Some symptoms of menopause include, but are not limited to: irregular periods, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, chills, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, weight gain, thinning hair, dry skin, and/or loss of breast fullness. Doctors usually don’t need tests to diagnose menopause, they can go off the symptoms, but sometimes they like to check the levels of women’s follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, and thyroid stimulating hormone with blood tests.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353401)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Since menopause usually affects your bones, osteoporosis is a common concern for women experiencing menopause. University of Central Florida is looking at a pill to combat osteoporosis in women and the aging community. Biomedical engineer, Melanie Coathup, PhD, and her team “found that a drug now being called P7C3 stopped these cells from being overactive, reduced inflammation, and drove stem cells to form bone tissue.”
(Source: Melanie Coathup, PhD, Biomedical engineer at University of Central Florida)
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Christin Senior
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