By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

“After my menstrual cycles began to change, I became more volatile, needed more sleep, and, for no reason, would sink into an emotional pit: feeling hopeless, having trouble concentrating, and not knowing how to climb out of the pit.” What should I do?

Dr. Patricia Yarberry Allen likes to be a collaborative physician. Here, she asks Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, a gynecologic oncologist, to tackle a frequently asked question about what a patient should do when she needs to take a progestin, but her body can’t tolerate it.

Patricia Yarberry Allen, publisher of Women’s Voices for Change, is director of the Menopause Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Here, she takes on the question “If everything is normal on my exams, doc, why do I feel so bad?”

Dr. Wulf H. Utian, founding executive director of the North American Menopause Society, takes another look at the momentous decision, a decade ago, to halt one part of a Women’s Health Initiative study involving estrogen and progestin, discussing what that decision has meant for our generation of women.

There is hope for women in the menopausal transition who are hot hot hot in the summer. Patients have lost patience. They don’t want to hear about cold water and cold cloths. Many doctors act as if low-dose, short-term systemic hormone therapy has a risk profile like that of heroin. It’s TIME for some balance here, people!

This week, bloggers payed homage to the little black jacket, specifically the Chanel version, synthesized the recent news on hormone replacement therapy, offered tips on short-term bond investments, gave a shout-out to Judge Marilyn Milian, and anticipated the release of a documentary on rape in the U.S. military.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

How do I know if I am in menopause or if these symptoms are caused by some other medical or stress problem, since I don’t have periods anymore?

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

My gynecologist says that with my level of vaginal thickening, if I want to stay on systemic hormone therapy I need a hysterectomy. What should I do?

Our second February blog follies includes Black History Month, women directors triumphing at Sundance, and new research on possible genetic links to the timing of menopause.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

“Dear Dr. Pat, I am 44 years old and need to know how to manage the symptoms I am having. In all the WVFC articles about menopause management, I didn’t find an answer to my question.”

Wulf H. Utian, M.D.

The four-day annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society ended with several sessions that underscored one of WVFC’s most important messages—that menopause is not just about hormones.

Wulf Utian, M.D.

A big day at NAMS with plenty of exciting new information. In the keynote lecture, “Ovarian Aging—Can Science Turn Back the Clock?”, John Tilly, Ph.D., presented compelling evidence that germ stem cells in the ovary maintain the capability in young mice to be converted into new eggs.

Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.,

High-tech imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI allow physicians to see structures more clearly and precisely. This information may have an impact on treatment protocols for conditions such as ovarian cysts, endometrial thickening, and small tumor deposits in the breast that often are not detected by mammography or palpation.

by Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Wulf H. Utian, M.D., founder of the North American Menopause Society, has recently published a small, well-organized manual for women who want information about menopause that is straightforward and easy to understand, with the fitting title, Change Your Menopause.

This week, blogs murmured about Fashion Week, an all-star gala for the iconic Our Bodies, Ourselves, important findings about menopause and blood pressure, and Tilda Swinton’s harrowing new film.