The Roby Institute Blog

In the U.S., the average age of onset for “natural” menopause is 51. However, because of genetics, illness, or medical procedures, some women go through menopause before the age of 40. Menopause that occurs before this age, whether natural or induced, is known as “premature” menopause.

In addition to dealing with the symptoms that accompany menopause, many women undergoing premature menopause have to cope with additional physical and emotional concerns. For example, since menopause signals the end of a woman’s fertile years, a woman who wishes to get pregnant is likely to have trouble.

What Are the Symptoms of Premature Menopause?

Symptoms of premature menopause are often the same as those experienced by women undergoing natural menopause and may include:

• Irregular or missed periods.
• Periods that are heavier or lighter than usual.
• Hot Flashes (a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the upper body).

These symptoms are a sign that the ovaries are producing less estrogen.

Along with the above symptoms, some women may experience:

• Vaginal dryness (the vagina may also become thinner and less flexible)
• Bladder irritability and loss of bladder control (incontinence)
• Emotional changes (irritability, mood swings, mild depression)
• Dry skin, eyes, or mouth
• Sleeplessness
• Decreased Sex Drive

In addition to the symptoms listed above, if you are under the age of 40 and experience any of the following conditions, you should see your doctor to determine whether you are undergoing premature menopause:

• You have undergone chemotherapy or radiation.
• You or a family member has an autoimmune disorder such as hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease or lupus.
• You have unsuccessfully tried to become pregnant for more than a year.
• Your mother or sister experienced premature menopause.

How Is Premature Menopause Diagnosed?

First, your doctor will most likely perform a physical exam and draw blood to rule out other conditions, such as pregnancy and thyroid disease. He or she may also order a test to measure your estradiol levels. Low levels of estradiol, a form of estrogen, can indicate that your ovaries are starting to fail. When estradiol levels are below 36, it may signal that you are in menopause.

However, the most important test used to diagnose premature menopause is a blood test that measures follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH causes your ovaries to produce estrogen. When your ovaries slow down their production of estrogen, your levels of FSH increase. When your FSH levels rise above 30 or 40 mIU/mL, it usually indicates that you are in menopause.

What Types of Health Issues Affect Women Undergoing Premature Menopause?

Like all menopausal women, women in premature menopause experience lowered estrogen levels as the ovaries stop most of their production of this hormone. Low levels of estrogen can lead to changes in a woman’s overall health and may increase her risk for certain medical conditions, such as osteoporosis. Other health risks associated with the loss of estrogen include increased risk for colon and ovarian cancer, periodontal (gum) disease and tooth loss and cataract formation.

However, compared with women who go through natural menopause, women undergoing premature menopause spend a greater portion of their lives without the protective benefits of their own estrogen. This puts them at an even greater risk for the above mentioned menopause-related health problems.

How Is Premature Menopause Treated?

The symptoms and health risks of premature menopause as well as the emotional issues that may result from it can be managed with the methods similar to those used for natural menopause. Women dealing with infertility that is brought on by premature menopause may want to discuss their options with their doctor or with a reproductive specialist.

Can Premature Menopause Be Reversed?

No. Premature menopause is the result of an underlying process. Once the process has started, it’s unlikely to be reversed.

This week, Dr. Roby is in Brazil working with the Brazilian government to establish a branch of the Roby Institute.  Dr. Roby will be presenting his findings on Hormone Allergy and Hormone Imbalance to a panel of local Doctors and then working with them to coordinate the use of his treatments and methodologies.

When asked about this opportunity, Dr. Roby said, “I could not be more excited.  The Brazilian government and the doctors that will be attending the presentations have been as enthusiastic as anyone I’ve worked with.  I am looking forward to learning how they treat hormone allergy and hormone imbalance just as I am looking forward to sharing with them the work that we have done over the years at the Roby Institute.”
“It really is a rare thing to have a chance to speak to doctors who have a different perspective on treating symptoms that affect millions of people worldwide.  This conference and the work that results from it have a chance to help scores of individuals who do not currently have access to treatment.  That is a powerful thing.”

If you are experiencing difficulties sleeping, you may well be suffering from imbalances of your female sex hormones. Progesterone is an important female sex hormone that can raise your body temperature and help induce sleep. Researchers have linked low levels of progesterone (consistent with perimenopause & menopause) with a longer time period between Stage One sleep and REM sleep, causing a drop in the time spent in a deep restful sleep. Estrogen deficiency may cause shortages of important brain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which may then trigger insomnia.

To test this assumption, researchers tracked a group of menopausal women with chronic sleep problems after supplemental treatment with estradiol, the body’s primary estrogen. They found that over 70% of the women reported sleeping well after treatment. And all the women noticed an improvement in symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, which often disrupt sleep during perimenopause and menopause.

If you think your hormones may be causing you not to get a full night’s rest, please contact us.

An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that does not bother most other people. People who have allergies often are sensitive to more than one thing. Substances that often cause reactions are

• Pollen
• Dust mites
• Mold spores
• Pet dander
• Food
• Insect stings
• Medicines

How do you get allergies? Scientists think both genes and the environment have something to do with it. Normally, your immune system fights germs. It is your body’s defense system. In most allergic reactions, however, it is responding to a false alarm.

Dr. Roby and the staff of the Roby Institute are pleased to announce that they are now booking appointments in San Antonio for Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Texas. Dr. Gary Albertson will be a preferred provided of Blue Cross / Blue Shield (as well as Medicare and Medicaid) as of August 15th.

If you have Blue Cross / Blue Shield insurance and would like to see one of our doctors in either San Antonio, Austin, or Marble falls, do not hesitate to contact us at 512.338.4336 or 800.842.6349. Appointments are filling quickly.

CBS News, in a recent report, states that allergy season is now a year-round event.  Here at the Roby Institute, we see patients suffering from allergies every day.  Without fail, there is always something in the air or the environment that can create an allergic reaction.  If you are suffering from allergies, contact us at 512-338-4336 to schedule an appointment.

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CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports, what we used to call the “allergy season” is becoming the “allergy year.”

What allergy sufferers have suspected is true: Allergy season is starting earlier, lasting longer and becoming more intense. The stuff that produces the pollen — the grasses, weeds and trees — is the villain you can see. But there’s another villain you can feel — global warming. It’s good for the pollen makers, but bad for us.

At the British National Pollen Research Center, they’ve been tracking airborne pollens in Britain around the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers have found that as average temperatures have risen, so have pollen levels. Not only that, the nasty stuff is showing up earlier each year.

“On average, the pollen season is starting earlier by about five days per decade,” says Jean Emberlin of the research center. “That means people are starting to have hay fever much earlier in the year than they were two or three decades ago.”

Pollen season, which in the 1970s used to start sometime in May, now begins in early March.

Want more evidence? Huge clouds of pollen can now be tracked by satellite as they move across continents.

At the School of Public Health at Harvard, they’ve found an environmental double whammy. Not only is climate change speeding up the growth of allergy-causing plants, but carbon dioxide — one of the greenhouse gases that causes global warming by trapping the sun’s heat — also works on its own to increase pollen output.

“An earlier spring increases pollen production in late-flowering plants such as ragweed,” says Christine Rogers of the Harvard School of Public Health. “High (carbon dioxide) also increases plant productivity and results in greater pollen production.”

The longer-term consequences of global warming may still be debated. But one consequence — the effect on public health — is already here.