The Liver & Early Menopause

Early menopause is defined as naturally occurring menopause in women who are under 45 years of age. The symptoms of early menopause are essentially the same as those that occur during normal menopause, although they may be more severe. These symptoms may include irregular menstrual periods, hot flashes, irritability, bloating and sore breasts, among others. There is some concern that treatments for the symptoms of early menopause may be linked to liver damage.

• Early menopause can make you feel blah.

Diagnosis

• A woman under the age of 45 who experiences symptoms associated with menopause should consult her physician. There are a number of ailments and conditions, such as lupus, that can mimic early menopause, that may develop alongside early menopause, or that may actually cause your body to go into early menopause. These conditions require specific types of treatments, such as Hormone Replacement Therapy, that have the potential to cause damage to the liver.

Treatment

• Some of the symptoms of early menopause, including hot flashes, are frequently treated with estrogen therapy (ET) or estrogen-progesterone therapy (EPT). However, some categories of women should not take ET or EPT. U.S. government guidelines recommend that women who have a history of breast cancer, unexplained uterine bleeding, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and some other conditions are not candidates for either ET or EPT.

Home Remedy Benefits

• Supplements containing extracts of the herb black cohosh have been used by women around the world to treat symptoms of early menopause such as hot flashes. Black cohosh is considered to be well tolerated with few adverse affects. Although its exact mechanism for alleviating symptoms of early menopause is not known, it has been recognized by the World Health Organization for such use.

Home Remedy Risks

• There have several reported cases of liver failure in women who used black cohosh, suggesting there may be a link between the supplement and the condition. Definite conclusions regarding both the efficacy and risks of black cohosh have not been reach due to a lack of available controlled studies.

Considerations

• Early menopause in women who suffer from chronic hepatitis C can accelerate the progression of their liver fibrosis. One study (Vincent Di Martino, et al., presented at the AASLD Single Conference meeting in June 2001) suggests that hormone substitution therapy may prevent the acceleration of liver fibrosis in these women.