New Website Empowers Women To Navigate Menopause With Confidence

Menopause remains 1 of nan astir under-discussed stages of life, moreover though much than 1 cardinal women successful nan United States acquisition this earthy biologic modulation each year. Often shrouded successful stigma and misinformation, menopause is seldom addressed openly - moreover though it tin profoundly impact a person's physical, affectional and intelligence health.

To thief span this gap, clinicians and researchers who person collaborated connected women's wellness for complete 25 years created MyMenoplan.org. The comprehensive, evidence-based website offers personalized menopause accusation and decision-making devices designed to empower women to make informed healthcare choices. The website is unfastened and free to everyone and does not require immoderate type of registration aliases entering of individual information.

This instrumentality guides a personification done a chat of nan symptom, explains why it is communal during menopause, and outlines curen options that whitethorn thief alleviate it."

Andrea LaCroix, Ph.D., M.P.H., distinguished professor astatine nan Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science astatine University of California San Diego and main interrogator of nan trial

In a caller randomized controlled proceedings published successful nan diary Maturitas that assessed nan effect of MyMenoplan.org, researchers recovered that women utilizing MyMenoplan.org reported:

• Increased volition to get treatment
• Improved menopause knowledge
• Enhanced decision-making progress
• Greater likelihood of revisiting and recommending nan website

"One of nan unsocial features of nan website is nan 'Create My Menoplan' tab, wherever a female tin research a denotation she's experiencing, specified arsenic basking flashes, nighttime sweats aliases problem sleeping," said LaCroix. "The extremity is for women to create their ain personalized scheme to research treatments, hole to speak pinch their doctors, and effort different approaches to consciousness much comfortable during nan menopause transition."

Implications for women's health

Findings from this proceedings support MyMenoplan.org, nan first National Institutes of Health-funded website connected menopause, arsenic an effective assets for healthcare providers counseling patients who are experiencing perimenopause (the play of transition into menopause) aliases postmenopause (defined arsenic having gone much than a twelvemonth without a menstrual period).

From accrued risks of osteoporosis and cardiovascular illness to slumber disturbances and temper changes, nan wellness consequences of untreated aliases poorly managed menopause tin beryllium significant. Yet, owed to taste taboos, deficiency of acquisition and gaps successful aesculapian training, galore women navigate this shape without nan support aliases accusation they need.

"Ideally, erstwhile a female schedules an assignment pinch their expert to talk menopause, her expert mightiness say, 'I look guardant to speaking pinch you. Please reappraisal this website earlier your sojourn and bring immoderate questions you person aft reference done nan information,'" said LaCroix.

"It's clip to break nan soundlessness and bring menopause into nan nationalist speech - because consciousness is nan first measurement toward amended wellness outcomes."

Co-authors include: Leslie B. Snyder, University of Connecticut; Katherine M. Newton, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; Hui Xin Ng, UC San Diego; Susan D. Reed, University of Washington School of Medicine; Katherine A. Guthrie, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; and Viviana Zambrano, University of Connecticut.

This investigation was funded, successful part, by nan National Institutes of Health, National Institute connected Aging (5R01AG048209).