International experts clarify hormonal changes of menopause

A panel of US and international experts met in September 2011, in Washington, DC, to review the latest scientific data on the hormonal changes that mark reproductive aging in women and to reach consensus on defining the reproductive stages in a woman's life from pre-menopause to the late postmenopausal period. STRAW+10 represents an update to the landmark STRAW (Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop) system put into place ten years ago that paved the way for international studies that have led to a greater understanding of reproductive aging in women.

25 feb 2012--The new report includes the following revisions:

• Simplified bleeding criteria for the early and late menopausal transition
• Modified criteria for the late reproductive and early post-menopause stages
• Recommended application of this staging system to a wider range of women without limitation by age, ethnicity, body size or lifestyle characteristics

The STRAW+10 report is published in the Menopause, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Climacteric, and Fertility and Sterility.

The symposium was co-sponsored by The National Institute on Aging (NIA), The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), as well as The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), The International Menopause Society (IMS), and The Endocrine Society.

Dr. Margery Gass, Executive Director of The North American Menopause Society comments: "The North American Menopause Society convened a group of experts from key medical societies around the world to update our understanding of the stages women go through from adolescence to menopause and beyond. This new update has broader application to more women and provides additional details for determining where a woman is in these reproductive stages".

Provided by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)