Women’s Health Advocate Dr. Vivien Brown Advises

World Menopause Day is October 18th

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 17, 2012) – World Menopause Day is a time to create awareness among perimenopausal and menopausal women about hormone therapy options and talk to their family physicians about says Dr. Vivien Brown, a family doctor and Vice-President Medical Affairs for Medisys Health Group.

A recent study conducted by KEEPS (Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study) indicates that Hormone Therapy started soon after menopause appears safe and relieves many of the symptoms menopausal women face.

“This will be a welcome change and relief for many menopausal women and their doctor,” added Dr. Brown, who is also Chair of the Consumer Education Committee for the North American Menopause Society Group (NAMS).

This clarifies a controversial Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002, which concluded that hormone therapy was no longer recommended for disease prevention for menopausal women. However, a decade of research and analysis has shown that the 2002 WHI report did not apply to all menopausal women and that hormone therapy is an acceptable option for the relatively young (up to age 59 or within ten years of menopause) and healthy women who are bothered by moderate to severe menopausal symptoms.

“A great deal has been learned in the last ten years,” says Dr. Brown. “Dosages are now lower and there are newer ways of delivering treatment such as through a patch or gel. Too many women have been missing out on the proven benefits of hormone therapy because of the WHI study. Now they and their doctors will be able to more confidently assess whether hormone therapy is the best treatment option for their circumstances and menopausal stage.”

The 2002 findings caused a complete abandonment of hormone therapy in some settings for more than a decade, accompanied by reluctance by doctors to treat women who would benefit from relief of their symptoms.

Hormone therapy reduces symptoms that typically women affect perimenopausal and menopausal women such as hot flashes and night sweats. Benefits of hormone therapy for younger menopausal women may also include reduced risk of heart disease, depression and anxiety.

About Medisys Health Group (www.medisys.ca)

Medisys is a fully integrated national healthcare service that focuses on both corporate and personal needs. We use our medical knowledge and expertise to help companies get proactive about their employees’ health so that they can be their best at work and at home.

We offer a wide variety of services such as executive health assessments, pre-employment assessments and wellness programs, and any other services designed to meet your specific challenges. Imagine healthcare, only simpler!

Medisys offices are located in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver.