Women's Health Archive

Many women aren’t aware menopause can fuel oral health symptoms such as tooth decay, gum disease, and bone loss in the jaw. Reduced estrogen diminishes saliva production, which protects teeth and gums by neutralizing acids and bacteria. A variety of tools and techniques can help menopausal women preserve oral health.

While menopause means the end of irregular periods and heavy bleeding typical in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS; formerly polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS), they continue to face some of the same symptoms along with greater lifelong health risks.

For women with pelvic organ prolapse, surgery is typically considered when symptoms interfere with daily life and when conservative measures to relieve the symptoms have failed or are unappealing.

Musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause is a newly recognized condition that links falling estrogen levels to widespread joint and muscle pain, stiffness, fatigue, and other symptoms. Estrogen loss at midlife can also reduce muscle mass and bone density.

After starting treatment for high blood pressure, your hot flashes are back. Explore how medications and other conditions might be involved.

A new breast lump can be alarming, but not all require immediate surgery. A doctor will determine the appropriate next steps, which may include medical tests.

Guidelines recommend that women starting hormone therapy do so before age 60 and within 10 years of menopause onset. Starting later may raise the risks of heart attack, stroke, or dementia. Women who start hormone therapy at 70 or older face even greater cardiovascular risks.

Women's reproductive history, including first period, pregnancy, and menopause, influences their lifetime exposure to estrogen, which appears to shape brain aging and dementia risk. Menopause is believed to be the strongest reproductive factor, with later menopause tied to lower dementia risk.

A 2026 study suggested that women who consistently stay active throughout middle age have a significantly lower risk of dying early than peers who are inactive.

Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia—marked by high blood pressure that can impair organ function and affect blood vessels—are increasingly tied to higher lifetime cardiovascular risks. Women with these complications face greater odds of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.