Dr Monique Rainford (centre) talks with Dr Fay Whitbourne (left) and Grace Kidd, a woemen's health specialist at a recent lecture by Dr Rainford on menopause and its treatment.

Women in their menopause may be more by susceptible to diabetes of heart disease , but these conditions can be prevented if women maintain a healthy lifestyle and use hormone replacement therapy, a leading Jamaican obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Monique Rainford, has said.

At recent lecture on the subject at the Terra Nova hotel hosted by the Jamaica Menopause Society in partnership with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, agreed that this period of body change can be an unwelcome and traumatic experience for women.

But she said that they can avoid the worst of its effects if they are aware of the conditions and, with their doctors, know what to do.
"Most women are afraid of this period, but knowledge and proper medication can alleviate the discomfort that women feel during menopause," she said.

Normally, women in their 40s who suffer the onset of menopause, and according to Rainford those in warmer climates are likely to experience the more severe of its symptoms, including the discomfort of hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia. Other indications of menopause include vaginal dryness, itching and burning as well as osteoporosis.
Research has shown that although the incidence of cardiovascular disease increases each passing year after menopause, but these are preventable.

"Hormone therapy has worked for a number of women although it has its limitations," Rainford said. "But it has been proven that there is a lesser likelihood of the occurrence of heart disease in women that do take hormone replacement than those who don't."
She noted that research has indicated that hormone therapy, which replaces oestrogen that the body has lost, has been noted to decrease the frequency of hot flashes and hip fractures.
Some researchers also say that although hormone therapy may increase the incidence of breast cancer and abnormal mammograms after four years of administration, it remained one of the most effective methods of treating menopause symptoms. Other treatment options include daily exercise, a healthy diet, and blood pressure control.

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