New issue coming soon!
FOOTPRINTS
Newsletter of the Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center (formerly MCET)
Medical Staff: Linda Cole,
CNM, MSN, IBCLC, Executive Director; Laura Muir, CNM, MS, Midwife;
Susan Sims, CNM, Midwife; Christine Barlow, CNM, Midwife; Maggie Dawson, RN, Attending Nurse; Lindsay H.
Rogers, BSN, RN, Attending Nurse. Administrative Staff: Cliff
Honicker, Chief Administrative Officer; Michelle Miles, Administrative
Assistant; Tracy Kramer, Marketing & Patient Services Childbirth Educators:
Cindy Stair, Certified Doula Rebecca William,
Newsletter Editor
Welcome to the on-line version of our quarterly newsletter. If you would like to sign up for our mailing list and receive a hard copy by first-class mail, please click on the button to email us
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Care of Menopause and Peri-menopause at the Center
by Linda Cole, CNM, Executive Director
The nurse-midwives at the Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center have helped many women through the childbearing years. But did you know that we can also help you to stay healthy far beyond these years?
A larger number of women are now seeking care during the “perimenopausal” years with a certified nurse-midwife.
So what is menopause? What is perimenopause? Menopause is the passing of a woman’s last menstrual cycle, usually only diagnosed after being period-free for one year. The average age of menopause is 51. Perimenopause is the period leading up to and including menopause, when a woman’s levels of estrogen and progesterone are declining.
Menopause is not an illness, but an expected normal change in a woman’s reproductive cycle. Because some women experience “symptoms” during the perimenopausal period, many women seek “treatment,” usually consisting of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. These symptoms range in severity and may include hot flashes, irregular menstrual cycles, night sweats, vaginal dryness and sleeplessness.
There may be other benefits of HRT as well. Estrogens have a protective effect on bone density and can help prevent osteoporosis. HRT may also protect against heart disease, high cholesterol levels, and Alzheimer’s disease, although these benefits are not proven.
Like any other medication which is prescribed, it is important for women considering HRT to weigh all the benefits and risks. The risks of taking HRT may include an increased risk of breast cancer, though studies are not conclusive. Other risks, though rare, include blood clots and gallbladder disease.
Menopause is a good time to assess one’s lifestyle and make changes in a positive direction. For women of this age, good health behaviors may be more important than HRT for overall well being.
If a woman smokes, she should stop. Exercising 4-5 times a week to maintain cardiovascular and overall fitness, eating wisely with calcium-rich foods included, and moderating alcohol intake are all very important, though not always easy. Other health maintenance activities around this time are mammography to detect breast cancer, obtaining bone density studies if one is at risk for osteoporosis, and getting regular screening for cervical and colon cancer.
Some women who do not wish to take standard HRT still desire symptom relief through complementary or natural therapies. These might include herbal supplements, natural yam creams that contain micronized progesterone, accupressure or accupuncture.
The certified nurse-midwives at the Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center can help guide you or someone you know through the many decisions about this normal life event. If you have any questions, please call 524-4422 to schedule an appointment.
Linda Cole is a certified nurse-midwife and Executive Director of the Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center.
See our Online resources to Menopause and Peri-menopause sites!
New Menopausal Years, The Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90 (Wise Woman Herbal Series, Book 5) by Susun S. Weed
Women's Bodies, Women's
Wisdom : Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing
by
Christiane Northrup
Screaming to be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect, and Doctors Still Ignore by Elizabeth Lee Vliet MD, Elizabeth Lee Vliet
Midlife Can Be Murder by Jane Isenberg
Juicy Tomatoes : Plain Truths, Dumb Lies, and Sisterly Advice About Life After 50 by Susan Swartz
The Menopause Diet by Larrian Gillespie
Women at the Well: The Many Voices of
Menopause by
Frances Schwabenland and Marielena Zuniga
Madame Ovary's Midlife As
An Art Form by Gail Larsen
This Is Not Your Mother's Menopause
:One Woman's
Natural Journey Through Change
by Trisha Posner
The Premature Menopause Book by Kathryn Petras
The Hyster Sisters Book by Kathy Kelley
Before the Change : Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause by Ann Louise Gittleman, Jonathan V. Wright
Menopause Pink, Midlife Reflections of Wisdom and Humor by Terri Malucci
The HRT Solution : Optimizing Your Hormone Potential by Marla Ahlgrimm, John M. Kells, Christine Macgenn
The Change before the Change: Everything You Need to Know to Stay Healthy in the Decade before Menopause by Laura E. Corio, Linda G. Kahn
Natural Woman, Natural Menopause by Marcus Laux, Christine Conrad
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone by John R., MD Lee, Virginia Hopkins
"No, It's Not Hot In Here", A Husbands Guide to Menopause by Dick Roth
What's Your Menopause Type? The Revolutionary Program to Restore Balance and reduce Discomforts of Menopause by Joseph Collins
Center To Offer
Colposcopy &
Cryotherapy
By
Maggie Dawson, RN
Maggie Dawson, attending nurse, will begin working as a nurse practitioner at the Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center in July.
We
offer herbal
and homeopathic
products. Ask your
nurse-midwife for
more information...
the conscious body
licensed massage therapy
Annie O’Dowd-Gray, B.A., M.A., L.M.T.
Well By Nature • 6516 Kingston Pike • Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 584-3864 • (865) 237-8910 By Appt.
Specializing in Certified Pregnancy Massage
1-800-522-6704
Lactation Consultant
Back to Work Consult with pump rental/purchase
Classes-Breastfeeding Checkups-Consults-Bra Fitting
456 E. Broadway Blvd. (11E) Jefferson City 475-8456
Mothering the Mother and Father
Cindy Stair, CD(DONA) LCI
Certified Doula
Lactation Consultant Intern
Breast Pump Rental Station
(Ameda Egnell Products, Hydrogel, SNS)
Pager: 289-7282 Work phone: 579-3714
e-mail:
cindymae@chartertn.net
Talkative Volunteers
Needed
If you speak a foreign language, especially Spanish we’re always looking for on-call volunteers to interpret for our non-English speaking clients.
Stuff Alert!
Our lending library is sparse! Please return your books.
Our lending closet is stuffed with maternity clothes. Please take some FREE!
Midwives To Make Speaking Rounds
If your civic, church or women’s group would like to have one of our nurse-midwives speak at an upcoming meeting, contact the Center at 524-4422. Attending nurse Maggie Dawson and certified nurse-midwife Laura Muir are coordinating informative programs on STDs, natural childbirth, breast health, perimenopause, and other women’s health topics.
