Menopausal health and ovarian anti-failure multiple choice questions

As for all multiple-choice questions about menopausal health and ovarian resistance, the optimal answer is never "either hard or blind supplementation", but to choose a personalized plan supported by evidence-based medicine based on your physical condition and actual needs - there is no panacea, and there is no standard answer that applies to everyone.

Having been in the gynecological endocrinology clinic for almost 9 years, I have seen a room full of related pitfalls. I just met a 42-year-old Internet operations director last week. It was found that the AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone, a core indicator for evaluating ovarian reserve function) is only 0.1. There are half a box of more than 3,000 bottles of "Ovarian Anti-aging Pills" stacked in the trunk. He said that after taking it for more than half a year, menstruation still comes once every two months. He still wakes up in the middle of the night and is sweating when he has hot flashes. There is also a 51-year-old university teacher who has suffered from insomnia for two years after menopause and can only squint for two hours a day. He insists on refusing to take any hormone-related treatments. He said that he heard from his neighbors in the community that taking hormone supplements will definitely cause breast cancer and he will not suffer from it. I couldn't laugh or cry when the two of them left. The one who made up for it blindly and the one who carried it on were actually stepping on the misunderstanding of "black and white".

Let’s start with the question that everyone is most confused about: Should I take estrogen supplements for menopausal discomfort?

The current guidelines from the Menopause Group of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association have long been very clear: As long as there are no contraindications such as breast cancer, endometrial cancer, or active blood clots, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is used within 10 years of menopause and before the age of 60 during the "treatment window period". The benefits far outweigh the risks. It can not only quickly relieve discomforts such as hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia, but also reduce the long-term risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. However, many researchers in the field of natural medicine believe that if you are just a little irritable and have mild hot flashes occasionally, there is no need to rush to take medicine. If you do aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes three times a week, eat more whole grains and soy products, and supplement enough vitamin D and calcium every day, many people can survive smoothly. After all, medicine is the third poison, and lifestyle adjustment is always the basis. Oh, by the way, there was a patient who bought a large dose of soy isoflavones before and said that phytoestrogens were safe. However, after taking it for half a year, it was found that the endometrium was thickened by 14mm, and he almost had to have a diagnosis and curettage. Even if it is a "natural" supplement, you cannot take it blindly. It depends on the dosage and individual circumstances.

Let’s talk about the most easily fooled question: Can “ovarian care” be done in beauty salons?

To be honest, lying on the beauty bed while the technician applies some essential oil to your belly and rubs it for half an hour, saying it can detoxify the ovaries and reverse premature aging, is 100% IQ tax. Think about it, the normal ovaries are hidden deep in the pelvic cavity, blocking the bladder in front and next to the rectum. Under normal conditions, they cannot be touched by pressing on the abdomen. If you can really rub the ovaries with such force, you will be pressed in pain until you jump. Maybe you will have to rupture the corpus luteum and go to the emergency room. But not all ovary-related maintenance is a scam. Regular hospital ovarian function assessment, regular AMH, six sex hormones, vaginal ultrasound, customized work and rest and diet adjustment plans based on your menstrual status, and low-dose growth hormone conditioning for people with fertility needs. These are all based on clear evidence. Don’t let the IQ tax kill all conditioning items with one stick.

Oh, by the way, there is another question that gets asked a lot: Is it too late to wait until menopause is about to do anti-ovarian therapy?

There are actually different voices in the industry on this issue. One group of scholars believes that the number of follicles in the ovaries is determined at birth. One batch of follicles is produced every month and they are gone when they are used up. There is no such thing as "anti-aging". All that can be done is to make it consume slower. My own clinical experience is that it is indeed a bit late to wait until menopause comes before taking care of your condition. After the age of 30, avoid staying up late at night, dieting to lose weight, and taking emergency contraceptive pills indiscriminately, which can really slow down the decline of ovarian function. There used to be a 38-year-old designer who worked on projects until two or three o'clock all year round. He lost 20 pounds in half a year on a diet to wear a dress, and immediately went into amenorrhea. His AMH test was only 0.06. He was already in the state of early menopause. It took him more than half a year to barely menstruate. It was a pity.

To be honest, whether it is menopausal health maintenance or ovarian anti-aging, it is essentially to make yourself comfortable, not for some vain gimmick of "looking ten years younger than your peers." If you drink soy milk and go for a run and you can sleep soundly without any discomfort, then there is no need to bother taking supplements; if the symptoms are severe enough to affect your work and life, then seek evaluation from a gynecological endocrinologist at a regular hospital and take supplements when necessary. Don’t listen to the lies of relatives and neighbors, and don’t suffer the consequences yourself. The one that suits you is the only correct answer among these multiple-choice questions.