Latest news with #perimenopause
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Katherine Heigl's candid bathroom confession praised
One of Hollywood's biggest stars has been praised for throwing her weight behind a health topic that is typically considered taboo. Katherine Heigl, known for her roles in Grey's Anatomy, Firefly Lane and 27 Dresses, has teamed up with healthcare brand Poise to speak about bladder leakage and perimenopause. In a video shared to Instagram, Heigl speaks directly to her Australian fans. 'As you know, I am not one to shy away from speaking out and so now I am speaking directly to you,' she said. 'When Poise came to me and said that the prevalence of bladder leakage is even higher in Australia with two in three women over 25 experiencing what I like to call the old 'giggle dribble' I wanted to do a special call out to my fans Down Under. 'Those post-partum or perimenopause bladder leaks are so common but often not talked about and so I thought this was an excellent opportunity to get outspoke once again. I don't want a single woman out there to feel alone in this experience or to feel shame or embarrassment. I refuse to let a little giggle dribble stop me from doing everything it means to be a woman and a mother.' Heigl, 46, said that was why she was excited to bring her Poise campaign to Australian televisions — and women who have seen it have praised the actress for her openness. 'I was thrilled to see a pretty and popular actress talking about this so openly on TV. I mean the bar is low right now, but, hearing her say 'perimenopause' AND speak so openly about leaks and peri in front of her male child in the commercial is a step in the right direction IMO,' one viewer said. Another said: 'Obsessed with Katherine Heigl! Love that she is talking about such a taboo topic, go Poise!' 'Great to see this topic being spoken about more openly,' one added. One social media user chimed in: 'Hard relate!' 'Such an important issue,' another agreed. Heigl went on share more about her own experience with bladder leakage, with the Emmy Award winner revealing her first experience with it happened after the birth of her son Joshua in 2017. 'I was just like, 'Oh, excuse me, I'm going to need to go change my underwear'. I kind of just laughed through it versus feeling shame. But then you start going through perimenopause and it's just all falling apart. So you just have to embrace it,' she said. She reiterated that she wasn't OK with anyone feeling any kind of shame or embarrassment around it as it's a natural part of being a woman. 'And it's such a blessing to have a product that can support you through that,' she said. 'Just having someone else who's going through it or having similar experiences makes you feel like, okay, it's not just me. It's kind of universal – which is why I feel strongly that there should be more proactive help for all of us women going through this.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
What is bone mineral density, and how is it tested?
When Debra cracked both a tooth and a bone in her foot in the same year, she thought something was not right. But it wasn't until she sought help from her doctor for brain fog and tiredness due to perimenopause that the topic of bone health came up. After finding out Debra's mother and father had osteoporotic fractures, the doctor sent her off to get a specialised X-ray called a bone density scan. That was how Debra, 45, discovered she had osteopenia, a condition marked by low bone density, which could have been linked to her fractures. A decrease in bone density becomes more common as you age. This can make your bones weaker and increase the risk of "fragility fractures", which happen after relatively minimal trauma. Activities such as sneezing, turning in bed or even hugging a grandchild can cause a fracture. In Debra's case, she cracked her tooth in her sleep, and she fractured her toe slipping in the wet in her trainers. Because conditions of low bone density such as osteopenia and osteoporosis can have no obvious symptoms, they're often not diagnosed until after a person breaks a bone. But there are ways to assess bone density and strength, and determine a person's risk of fragility fractures. If a test shows you have low bone density, preventing further loss or building bone density may help reduce the risk of fractures. So what is a bone density test, who is eligible to get one, and what can they tell us about our bones? Healthy Bones Australia recommends women and men over 50 should have a scan if they have osteoporosis risk factors, although younger adults like Debra with risk factors may also benefit from one. Risk factors include: Some medications including corticosteroids used for asthma or those that treat cancers by blocking hormones can also lead to bone loss. Smoking, excessive alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle also increase your risk. Given the sharp drop in bone density that can occur post menopause, bone health expert Shoshana Sztal-Mazer of Alfred Health in Melbourne advises all women get a scan after menopause. "It would be justified for anybody over 50 to have a [bone density scan], especially women over 50, then you know what your baseline is and what your drop is later on." Healthy Bones Australia provides a survey that can help you assess your risk factors for osteoporosis and produces a report you can discuss with your doctor. Some people qualify for Medicare reimbursement. You need a referral from a GP to get a bone scan, which are performed by radiology companies, public hospitals and some specialists. A scan costs around $80 to $120, CEO of Healthy Bones Australia Greg Lyubomirsky says. People over 70, and anyone diagnosed with, or at risk of, osteoporosis can get a rebate. You may also be able to get a rebate regardless of your age if you've already had a fracture, so talk to your doctor to see if you're eligible. However, there are some inconsistencies, with post-menopausal women taking oestrogen-blocking treatments for breast cancer unable to claim a rebate, while men taking testosterone-blocking treatments for prostate cancer can. Mr Lyubomirsky says his organisation is calling for this inconsistency to be changed, as well as decreasing the automatic age limit for rebates to 65 to help reduce the burden of fractures. The standard test for bone density is a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA) scan, which uses X-rays to measure minerals such as calcium in the skeleton. The scan, which takes around 15 minutes, usually focuses on the hip and spine because this is where fractures are most likely to occur. The more minerals present in those sites, the higher your bone mineral density, and the stronger your bones are likely to be. A DEXA scan provides a bone mineral density measurement in grams per cubic centimetre. The key number though, for people over 50, is what's called a "T score", which compares your bone mineral density to that of a young person's bones (which are designated as having a score of 0). For every point that drops below 0, the risk of fracture increases by 1.5 to 2 times. A T score of -2.5 or lower will give you a diagnosis of osteoporosis, which is regarded as the highest risk fracture. In this case, doctors will commonly prescribe drugs to help counter the lost bone mineral density, along with adequate calcium and vitamin D and appropriate exercise. They will also recommend follow-up DEXA scans. If you get a T score of -1 to -2.5, you will be diagnosed with osteopenia, like Debra. This means your bone density is low but not so low that you qualify for an osteoporosis diagnosis. A second number, called a "Z score", gives an indication of your bone mineral density compared to the average for your age group, ethnicity, and sex. It is generally used for younger people, but can be useful in older people as it may point to other reasons for loss of bone mineral density beyond the age-related decline. How low your bone mineral density is, your age and other risk factors will then help determine the course of action your GP and other qualified health professionals recommend. Debra, for example, was prescribed hormone replacement therapy by her GP to help her perimenopause symptoms and her bones, and she was advised to take vitamin D and calcium supplements. A female health specialist also mentioned the benefit of certain exercises, so now she either runs or goes to the gym most days. Your GP can also refer you to a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist to create a tailored exercise program, with up to five visits a year subsidised by Medicare if you have a team care arrangement in place. DEXA scans have some limitations since most fragility fractures occur in people who haven't been diagnosed with osteoporosis, as defined by a bone density test. "If you use bone mineral density, you'll only pick up about 20 to 30 per cent of the people who break bones," Austin Health endocrinologist and bone biologist Ego Seeman says. In addition to having a DEXA scan, your doctor can use calculation tools to help assess your risk of fracture. Meanwhile, Professor Seeman, who says he pioneered the use of DEXA machines in Australia, is also using detailed three-dimensional "micro-architecture" of bones to study why people with osteopenia get fractures. "Their architecture has decayed, but it's not captured by the bone density machine," he says. This technique is essentially still only used in research, but Professor Seeman, who is a medical director of a company building a scanning machine, says a recent study he co-authored provided some promising findings. "The bone mineral density machine picks up 30 per cent of the fractures that occur over eight years, whereas when you add the micro-architecture, it picks up 70 per cent." Dr Sztal-Mazer, who is also currently studying how bone micro-architecture is related to fractures, says the "Holy Grail" for researchers is reducing fragility fractures by finding better ways to measure our risk. She describes bone density and bone micro-architecture as different "surrogates" for this. "We're just trying desperately trying to find the right surrogate for assessing our risk of fracture."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A 51-year-old says she's in the best shape of her life. She swapped sweaty workouts for strength training.
Natalie Bushaw, 51, was always active growing up. She started going to the gym more regularly a few years into becoming a mom. She said strength training and getting some physical assessments helped her get fit. Growing up, Natalie Bushaw was always active. In high school, she played basketball, ran track, and became a cheerleader to ride the bus with her then boyfriend, now husband. By college, she got into weightlifting, reaching 155 pounds and breaking the bench press record on display at the school gym. Then, life got complicated. In 2003, Bushaw gave birth to twin boys who had health challenges and, between them, required more than 30 procedures and surgeries throughout the years. Once her sons were in preschool, Bushaw wanted to start exercising more regularly. "I was just, 'Figure out who you are, Natalie, get back to the Natalie you remember who enjoyed working out, who wanted to be healthy and fit and strong and just do it,'" Bushaw, 51, told Business Insider. That year, she joined a Life Time gym near her home in Minnesota. Since then, Bushaw has gotten a job with the gym, becoming the vice president of public relations and corporate communications for the brand. Now, she goes to the gym six times a week. Getting into shape also got easier once Bushaw found the right treatment for her perimenopause symptoms and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the thyroid gland and can lead to weight gain. Bushaw said that by staying consistent with her medications and finding the right workouts, she feels "sharper and metabolically the healthiest I've ever been." For years, Bushaw felt the most efficient workouts were the most demanding ones. "I wanted to get hot and sweaty and be exhausted," she said. Shortly after she joined Life Time, she got a personal trainer who had her do an active metabolic assessment to measure how much oxygen she was taking in and how much carbon dioxide she was breathing out while exercising at various intensities. Bushaw wore a fitness assessment mask as she ran on a treadmill and learned her heart rate and VO2 max, a heart measurement that can be used to gauge longevity. The test also taught her whether she was losing fat or carbohydrates during different exercises. Some people are "sugar burners," burning more carbohydrates than fat during workouts. Knowing which one you are can help you modify your diet and workouts to better hit your goals, such as weight loss. Bushaw learned that she was primarily burning carbohydrates during high-intensity workouts. "So when the scale would never move, it's because I was working out too intensely," she said. She changed her workout routine to focus less on fast-paced cardio and more on strength training, known for burning fat. She said she noticed gradual weight loss over the year, which helped her "muscles shine through." "It's a mind shift because you do not burn as many calories with less intensity," she said. "The focus isn't the number of calories; it's the type of calories. I needed to burn more fat calories." Now, she usually starts her gym sessions with 20 to 30 minutes of cardio (using the treadmill, StairMaster, elliptical, or rower). Then, she moves on to a few strength exercises for one to two body parts that day, using both barbells and 15- to 45-pound dumbbells. Bushaw said she "progressively overloads" — a term for gradually increasing the intensity of her workouts over time. "I think it's really, really important that we don't get stuck always doing the same thing or lifting the same weight because the change isn't going to happen then," she said. About every six weeks, she'll increase what she's lifting by 2 to 5 pounds, depending on the exercise. She also sometimes takes barre classes to switch up which muscle groups she works out. Even though barre typically uses far lighter weights than she's used to, they feel "way heavier because you're just using your muscles in different ways," she said. To get more cardio throughout the day — rather than just in one 5,000-step morning workout — she bought a walking pad for her office last year. "I easily started hitting 10 to 12,000 steps and felt so much better, mind, body, and soul," she said. When Bushaw first started working out again after having her twins, she had to adhere to a strict morning schedule as a working mom. She would work out from 5:23 a.m. to 6:26 a.m. every day so she could return home and get out the door before 7:30 a.m. Sometimes, though, she wouldn't get to bed in time to get a full night of rest. Instead of worrying about her sleep quality and talking herself out of a workout, Bushaw "would just pretend that I didn't know how to tell time," she said. If she was going to bed at 11:30 p.m., she'd mentally act like she was going to bed at 10:30. "I faked myself out, but it worked," she said. It helped her avoid the slippery slope of missing gym sessions when plans didn't align perfectly. Bushaw said the key is not overthinking her workouts, such as worrying about how they fit into her children's lives or work tasks. "If you overthink all of the things, you're going to get yourself stuck," she said. "If you just make a commitment, like, 'This is what I do, this is a part of my routine,' you can get through things a lot easier." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm in my late 40s and have developed some jowling. Is there any help for a sagging jawline that's not a facelift?
I'm in my late 40s and at what I think is the tail end of perimenopause. I've noticed lots of changes in my face in the past six months, a lot of which I imagine are hormonal. One thing that's really bothering me is that it seems like I'm starting to lose definition in my lower face and have even developed a bit of jowling, which I do not love. Is there any help for a sagging jawline that's not a facelift? I don't want to go down that road, at least not yet. Thanks! Dear Saggy in Seattle, A few years ago, I saw a popular beauty blogger in her early 30s advising a woman in her 60s about this very topic. The young woman, who, it should be said, had nary a wrinkle on her still-dewy visage, told the older advice seeker that she shouldn't treat a sagging jawline as a problem, but instead she should learn to LOVE her jowls! "Dance around with them! Enjoy them!" said the jowls-free blogger. I am not in the business of confronting strangers on the internet, but it's fair to say I was tempted to tell this young scribe to kindly f*** off. I understand and appreciate the pro-aging sentiment. But at 52, I have a keen understanding of the challenge of having an aging face in a society that worships youth above all else. Put another way: There are many things I enjoy about getting older, but a melting face (chin/jaw/neck) is not one of them. "The loss of crisp jawline definition as we mature is multifactorial in nature," dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban tells me. "When we're born, our skin is practically spring loaded with collagen and elastin — two essential structural proteins that work together to keep skin firm, supple and resilient — but even as early as our late 20s, we naturally start to lose collagen, elastin and fat in the mid-face, meaning less structural support to hold things in place." Shamban explains that this part of the face ages differently because it depends on the structure and shape of the mandible and the jawbone, which are, of course, unique to our specific anatomy. "As we age, we have bone loss in the face, both of the mid-face and of the jawbone," explains Shamban. "As it shrinks or loses density, it changes the shape of the lower face and its integral support structure. In addition, the chin can recess, which contributes to excess drooping of the skin and tissue around the jawline. Finally, the skin in this area also loosens and so we have the resulting jowling, often accompanied by a sling of loose skin hanging under the chin, otherwise known as the turkey neck." Sounds fun, right? The good news, Shamban says, is if you want to address this inevitable phenomenon, you don't have to go under the knife — at least not at first. "We have multiple science-backed ways to address this. You're not necessarily stuck with a sagging jawline and you don't have to jump immediately to a surgical procedure," she says. Depending on your anatomy and where you are in the aging process, treatments include regular use of prescription-strength retinoids like Tretinoin and at-home red-light-therapy tools to build collagen and elastin, injectable dermal fillers in the mid-face and jawline to help augment the volume and bone loss and, perhaps most promising, tissue tightening and collagen building with non-invasive in-office ultrasound devices like Sofwave. "One of the most effective nonsurgical options for jawline is Sofwave — it's an FDA-cleared treatment that uses advanced ultrasound to stimulate new collagen and elastin production," says Shamban. "It requires no downtime, needles or surgery and takes about 30-45 minutes per treatment. Most patients will require several treatments and see an ongoing improvement over about 12 weeks." So, yes, there are non-surgical ways to address your sagging jawline, Saggy in Seattle, though it's important to note that these options can be pricey (for example, an average Sofwave session costs between $1,500 and $4,000). Your best bet is to book a consultation with a skilled, experienced dermatologist like Shamban, who can assess your bone structure and skin laxity and come up with the best treatment plan for you. On the upside, depending on the structure of your individual face, Shamban says a combination of these protocols can actually semi-reverse and push back the drooping point for years. "There are so many challenging things that happen to your face as time goes by," Shamban tells me. "If the amount of wisdom that we acquire can be matched by a youthful, natural-looking appearance, it's a win-win — and that's the goal!"
National Post
4 days ago
- Health
- National Post
June Health Launches to Redefine Women's Health as a Strategic Employer Benefit
Article content Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos. Article content Employers in Canada can now close the care gap for women in the workforce through timely access to expert-led, integrated care and convenient treatment options Article content Article content TORONTO — June Health, a comprehensive virtual care platform built specifically to serve women's health needs, today announced its national launch. June Health offers coordinated, clinically rigorous medical and lifestyle-oriented care tailored to perimenopause and midlife health. The multidisciplinary solution, which is the first to provide benefits navigation and include pharmacy and marketplace integrations, is available to individuals and offered as a modern workplace benefit for progressive employers, insurers, and health provider networks. Article content For employers, June Health offers a ready-to-deploy benefit that complements existing health plans, reduces healthcare costs, and drives measurable workforce ROI. Article content Women over 40 represent the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, yet most health benefit programs still fail to directly address the complex and interconnected health needs of this population. June Health changes this through a convenient digital platform that provides virtual clinical care, on-demand treatment and benefits coordination, AI-powered navigation, a digital pharmacy, expert-vetted health supplements, and women's mental health support – all in one seamless user experience. Article content 'Untreated perimenopause is a silent productivity and retention crisis that hits companies where it hurts – in absenteeism, burnout, and talent attrition. June is purpose-built to solve this clinically, digitally, and operationally at scale,' said Lori Casselman, founder and CEO of June Health. 'The unfortunate reality is that timely access to expert midlife care is out of reach for many women, and employers have a tremendous opportunity to be part of the solution. It's a necessary evolution of healthcare benefits, which are built to support the health needs of an entire workforce.' Article content A Platform Designed for Employers. A Model Built for Real Life. Article content Unlike generic telehealth or symptom-based consumer apps, June Health delivers a full-stack care model centered around managing the common and often debilitating health symptoms associated with perimenopause. The platform combines the convenience of virtual care with the credibility of a multidisciplinary team of health experts, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dietitians, mental health professionals, and naturopaths – trained and credentialed in the science and lived experience of women. Article content For employers, Article content June offers a ready-to-deploy benefit that complements existing health plans, reduces healthcare costs, and drives measurable workforce ROI. With the Canadian economy losing an estimated Article content $3.5 billion annually Article content due to unaddressed menopause symptoms, June Health helps employers tackle one of the last remaining frontiers in inclusive, high-impact benefits design. Article content 'Perimenopause can last up to 10 years, presents with over 40 common symptoms, and affects everything from cognitive function to cardiovascular health,' said Dr. Romy Nitsch, Medical Director at June Health. 'It's time we stopped treating this as a lifestyle issue and started addressing it as the complex medical phase it truly is. Our team delivers evidence-based care that reflects the whole woman – her biology, her stress load, and her full healthcare needs.' Article content How June Works: A Tech-Enabled Ecosystem for Women's Health Article content June isn't just virtual care, it's a connected care ecosystem. The platform's unique service architecture ensures that women receive timely, personalized, empathetic, proactive, and continuous support throughout their health journey. Key features include: Article content Intelligent Triage and Clinical Matching – A proprietary intake system that rapidly assesses symptoms and connects members to the right specialists at the right time. Multidisciplinary Clinical Team – Access to a co-ordinated team of certified women's health experts, including physicians, naturopaths, registered dietitians, mental health professionals, weight management and fitness specialists, and more. Delivered through convenient virtual appointments tailored to busy lives. Dedicated Care Coordinators – Personal care advocates help women navigate coverage, treatment options, and provider referrals, taking the friction out of care. Integrated Pharmacy and Supplement Marketplace – Curated, clinically-backed products delivered to members' doors via seamless in-app ordering. Community and Education Hub – On-demand programs, peer support, and trusted resources designed for the midlife experience. AI-Powered Assistant: Ask June – A 24/7 smart concierge offering real-time guidance, symptom tracking, care navigation, and escalation to human care when needed. Article content 10 million women in Canada Article content are navigating midlife health changes, many in silence and without the support of trained clinicians who understand the issues they face. June Health exists to change that, not only by delivering personalized, expert care to women, but by helping forward-looking employers become part of the solution. Article content June Health was founded by Article content Lori Casselman Article content , an experienced healthcare executive who saw firsthand how the healthcare system and employee benefit models have failed to address the serious health symptoms women navigate through midlife. With leadership experience at Sun Life, Telus Health, and as former Chief Health Officer at League, Lori recognized a pressing opportunity to build a more personalized, clinically rigorous, and scalable solution. Article content To bring this vision to life, she partnered with Dr. Romy Nitsch, MD, MHSc, Medical Director and Deputy Department Head, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Queen's University; and Fazlin Bandali, a seasoned operator with a decade of experience at Shopify, following several early-stage tech startup roles. Together, this multidisciplinary team brings expertise across healthcare and insurance, clinical excellence, and digital product innovation to uniquely position June Health to lead this category. Article content Employers that want to offer June Health as a workplace benefit can contact June Health at support@ or Article content June Health is Canada's first fully integrated virtual care platform dedicated to midlife women's health. Purpose-built to support employers, health plans, and providers, June offers end-to-end clinical support, AI-powered care navigation, pharmacy integration, and a curated digital health marketplace. June is on a mission to close the midlife care gap and make personalized, expert care accessible for every woman — whenever and wherever she needs it. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact: Article content Article content Article content Article content
