Postpone menopause by 20 years
Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and weight changes are just four of the unpleasant symptoms women can experience during menopause. Doctors now say they can delay the transition by as much as 20 years with a 30-minute surgery.
Fooling the body
During the operation, part of the ovaries is frozen. When the woman enters the menopause, the part is put back in place. The body is thus fooled into thinking that the transition will only take place years later. So far, the operation is only performed in England. Only nine women are said to have had the surgery.
Pregnant at a later age
It is not yet known whether the procedure could also help with getting pregnant at a later age. However, this has been possible for a long time. By properly freezing one of the ovaries and putting them back in later, women can still have a baby when they are older.
Effect on the rest of the body
Because the surgery to delay menopause has only been performed a few times, it is not yet known what it does to the rest of the body. Gynecologist Rob Beerthuizen finds it interesting, but has his doubts about it. “It’s interesting to see what it does to the rest of the body,” he told De Telegraaf. “What does such an operation do to your brain, for example?”
Not yet in the Netherlands
For the time being, the operation is not yet performed in the Netherlands. Beerthuizen expects this to happen: “if the technology proves successful.”
Get started yourself
In the meantime, there are a number of things you can do yourself to make the menopause symptoms a bit more bearable. For example, you can reduce the effects of a hot flash by sleeping in a cold bedroom or by putting on several layers of clothing so that you can take something off during the hot flash. Sufficient sleep, exercise and relaxation are important for mood swings. This can also help against osteoporosis and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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