Health Tips and Information

Education Campaign Encourages Women at Midlife to Open the Lines of Communication With Their Doctors
Documentary Featuring Actor Cheryl Ladd Seeks to Investigate Menopause in America

For the 40 million women in the United States estimated to be at menopausal age, midlife can be a very confusing time. That is why one-on-one discussions with a doctor, or other health care professional, about personal health risks and treatment options are crucial during this important phase in a woman's life.

Despite the importance of talking to a doctor, research suggests nearly a 30 percent drop in the number of women who have visited their doctors due to menopausal issues in the past 3 years. Talking to Your Doctor, a public education campaign, wants women to know that it is more important than ever to talk to their doctors about health concerns at midlife. The campaign encourages women to talk to a health care professional about overall menopausal health and provides tools to help initiate those discussions.

Actress Cheryl Ladd has partnered with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to bring the Talking to Your Doctor message to women across America. Since last fall, on behalf of Talking to Your Doctor, Ms. Ladd has been traveling across the country talking to real women - where they live, work and play - about their personal experiences and thoughts on menopause. Along the way, her conversations with these women, their husbands and their doctors have been chronicled for a documentary investigating menopause in America.

"Throughout my travels, I've found that there is a considerable gap between what doctors know about menopause and what women think," says Ladd. "Women are being bombarded with information about menopause and menopausal health, and more and more of them are not talking to a doctor. It's confusing - not to mention, difficult - to sort through all of this information and determine the best plan of action on your own. This campaign gets it right - a woman needs to talk to her doctor. Together, a woman and her doctor can make decisions that are right for her."

Women at menopause may experience symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, but these recognizable symptoms may also be accompanied by less obvious changes, such as postmenopausal osteoporosis. In fact, up to 20 percent of a woman's expected lifetime bone loss can occur in the years immediately following menopause. Working in partnership with a doctor or other health care professional, women can ensure that they are assessing their risk factors, having early screening tests and making appropriate health decisions.

"When my doctor told me it was time to take a BMD test - a bone mineral density test - to check my bones, I thought right away that I was going to pass with flying colors," says Ladd. "In actuality, when I received my test results, I was shocked to learn that I had early bone loss - osteopenia. It is essential for each and every woman to open the lines of communication with her doctor at menopause."

Talking to Your Doctor is a multifaceted effort that includes network and cable advertising, local market speaking engagements, a documentary chronicling menopause in America and an online resource - www.Talkingtoyourdoctor.com - where women can receive more information about health at menopause and beyond.

Visit www.Talkingtoyourdoctor.com for:

* General tips on how to talk to a doctor about menopause

* A Symptom Assessor - a tool to track menopausal symptoms, their frequency, severity and possible impact on daily life

* Information on postmenopausal osteoporosis and increased risks for other health conditions

Courtesy of ARA Content