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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
It's Not Only Normal To Enter Perimenopause In Your 30s—It May Be More Common Than Even Doctors Realized
Welcome to the Perimenopause Playbook—your guide to navigating the most overlooked and misunderstood phase of the menopausal transition. Read the rest of the stories, from how to get a diagnosis to treatment options to where to actually find good care, here. Lindsay Welch knew something was up when she began waking in the middle of the night sweating, her body radiating a heat that made zero sense in San Francisco's chilly climate. The problem followed the 36-year-old when she moved to Austin, where her overheated body continued to fight sleep despite the constant blast of the air conditioner. Throughout the day, her mind felt foggy, as if a thick cloud cover were obscuring her thoughts. She gained about 20 pounds in six months; meanwhile, her libido fell off a cliff. But what really drove her over the edge was her strangest symptom yet: a persistent itchiness in her ears. What started as an uncomfortable dryness progressed into an itch so strong that she fantasized about taking a wire brush to her ear canal. 'It was insane,' says Welch, who's now 41. 'There was no Q-tip strong enough.' Again and again she described her symptoms to a variety of health care providers—general practitioners, ob-gyns. Maybe she just drank too much coffee, some of them suggested. Maybe she was depressed, others said. Meanwhile, her symptoms intensified, like the volume on a stereo being turned up louder and louder until it's impossible to ignore. At one point, she felt so low that she didn't even want to get dressed in the morning. 'You start to just be like, Well, maybe I really am depressed,' she says. 'There was a gray filter on everything.' Years passed this way, until she was 40 years old. As she continued to search for answers, she began receiving content on Instagram and TikTok about perimenopause. For Welch, the term was new, but the symptoms were all too familiar. She watched as her peers described what they were going through, and she thought, I have that, I have that, she says. 'And it was just like, I'm not crazy.' She made an appointment at Midi Health, a telehealth clinic specializing in perimenopause and menopause care. There, the clinician confirmed that Welch was in perimenopause. 'I just felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders,' she says. 'Somebody actually listened to me.' Today, Welch and millions of other millennial women are already in or entering perimenopause, an often overlooked phase of the menopausal transition. (Lately, some have attempted to rebrand this stage as 'Millenopause'; the less said about this new term, the better.) During perimenopause, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone, causing a fluctuation in hormones. This hormonal roller coaster is associated with, deep breath, 60 symptoms, including but not limited to hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, recurrent UTIs, depression, anxiety, heart palpitations, insomnia, and, yes, itchy ears, as Welch experienced. Though some lucky women may not experience any symptoms at all. And while a cohort of millennials may think they're too young for perimenopause, new evidence suggests a surprising number of women in their 30s are in this stage now. In a recent study of 4,500 women in the U.S., more than a quarter of 30- to 35-year-old respondents had been told by a medical professional that they were perimenopausal. More than half of them reported experiencing moderate to severe symptoms, including hot flashes. Hot flashes and night sweats can actually start 11 years before your final period and can last up to 14 years total. Yet when you ask 30-year-old women at what age they expect to experience menopause-related symptoms, most will tell you the effects won't hit until they're 50. That's probably because young women have no clue that a whole phase before menopause even exists, let alone that it could begin in their 30s. Scroll through the r/Perimenopause subreddit and you'll find 66,000 Reddit users trading stories about odd symptoms they're experiencing and the seemingly endless search for a diagnosis. 'About to turn 39 and having some 'changes.' Is this perimenopause?' writes one user. Another: 'Started peri at 32. How to make people believe me?' And another: 'It all happened so quickly.' All of which raises a larger question: Are we heading toward menopause earlier than our mothers and grandmothers did, or have women started the menopausal transition this young all along? If perimenopause is easily misunderstood, that's in part because the language of menopause itself is confusing. Although menopause is often spoken about as if it were a phase of life, 'menopause refers to the time when ovulation has ceased 12 consecutive months prior,' says Samantha M. Dunham, MD, an ob-gyn and codirector of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone. Perimenopause is the time leading up to and through menopause. Some women will experience this stage for only a couple of years, while others may linger in it for up to 10 years. After women have gone one full year without a period, they're in postmenopause for the rest of their lives. In the United States, the average age of menopause is 52, which means perimenopause typically begins in the early to mid-40s. But this depends largely on race and ethnicity. Black, Asian, and Latina women tend to enter menopause earlier than white women, according to research—which would suggest, then, that these women experience perimenopause earlier too. 'Every person comes in with their unique genetic predisposition, their own health factors, and their own lifestyle practices,' says Rajita Patil, MD, an ob-gyn and the director of the Comprehensive Menopause Program at UCLA. 'It's not a cookie-cutter sort of situation at all.' Since hormone levels are constantly fluctuating in perimenopause, there's no single blood test for diagnosis. Instead, health care practitioners rely on a series of questions about a patient's cycle and symptoms. 'I'm usually asking, number one, has there been a change in your periods, like timing, flow, or frequency?' says Tara Iyer, MD, medical director of the Menopause and Midlife Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 'And then I also discuss symptoms. Is there a change in symptoms that you've had, or a progression of symptoms?' If the patient answers yes and is in her late 30s to mid-40s, that usually indicates to Dr. Iyer that it's perimenopause. She acknowledges that women can start to experience symptoms even before their cycle becomes irregular—due to hormonal shifts. Dr. Iyer cautions, however, that having symptoms associated with perimenopause doesn't necessarily mean you are in perimenopause. Joint stiffness and mood changes are hallmarks of perimenopause, but they are also symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Hypothyroidism and perimenopause share many symptoms, including depression and changes to the menstrual cycle. Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which can be exacerbated as we age, may also mistake these symptoms for peri. Due to the transparent volume of peri symptoms and a lack menopause education, women like Welch are often dismissed when seeking answers from their health care practitioners, including their own ob-gyns. Even though women make up half the population—and 1 billion globally are currently experiencing perimenopause or menopause—menopause education and training are practically nonexistent. 'There was no curriculum around menopause when I was going through med school and residency,' says Dr. Patil, who's been practicing for 20 years. 'This is not unique to my own experience.' Dr. Patil is right. Ninety-three percent of graduating residents in internal medicine, family medicine, or obstetrics and gynecology do not feel comfortable managing menopause-related symptoms, per a 2019 study, likely because they received little to no education on menopause throughout their entire residency training. Even Mary Claire Haver, MD, a menopause influencer and New York Times bestselling author with over 2.9 million followers on Instagram, admitted she had previously 'missed things and dismissed things' due to a lack of training and education. Now, physicians like Dr. Haver, Sharon Malone, MD, and Alicia Robbins, MD, are trying to fill the menopause education gaps online. Others, like Dr. Patil, Dr. Iyer, and Dr. Dunham, are making menopause care more accessible by establishing specialized programs for it. The Menopause Society, a leading authority on menopause, recently announced a $10 million comprehensive menopause training program that aims to reach 25,000 professionals within the next three years. 'I'm grateful it's getting so much attention,' Welch says. The conversation on social media was, after all, how she finally figured out an explanation for her many and varied symptoms. 'It's good that it's not these corny jokes about hot flashes anymore.' Even with all the discourse around perimenopause, most experts won't go as far as to say that perimenopause is occurring at higher rates than usual in younger women. Rather, between a growing call for menopause education, millennials' track record of breaking taboos (see: mental health, postpartum depression, and infertility), and a little thing called the social media algorithm, we're simply hearing more stories about perimenopause. It's not only normal for some women in their 30s to enter perimenopause—it might be more common than we realized. 'Because doctors haven't been really addressing this properly, and the patients also haven't been more aware of what to look for until recently, there's a lot we're learning,' says Dr. Patil. It's easy to spiral about all the possible symptoms associated with perimenopause, but Dr. Patil wants women to think of perimenopause as a window of opportunity. It's a time when we can evaluate our current health and optimize our bodies for the next part of our lives. 'We need to address the symptoms that are going on with you that affect your quality of life in the short term,' she says. 'But we also have to remember that natural estrogen is protective for the whole body. So when we lose that, it makes the organ systems more predisposed to chronic diseases.' To prevent chronic disease, the goal is to address the cause by decreasing inflammation in the body. That means focusing on lifestyle interventions, such as eating a high-protein and fiber-rich whole foods diet, prioritizing strength training, eliminating smoking and alcohol intake, sleeping at least seven hours per night, and managing stress. It could also mean considering hormone therapy, which can be an effective treatment for symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, which may be contributing to inflammation. The best course of treatment, if any, depends on your symptoms, how much they're impacting your life, and any risk factors you may have. Welch is currently on hormone therapy and a GLP-1, and the combination is working for her. 'I feel like I am able to be a more productive human, and probably a nicer human,' she says. Reflecting on her age and symptoms sometimes makes her think about her mom, who at 40 experienced weight fluctuation and mood changes, just like Welch. Her mom may not have had the word to describe what was going on with her, but she emphasized to Welch the importance of speaking up for yourself. 'I just want women—and anybody, actually—to continue to advocate for themselves in the health care space,' Welch says. 'I'm so lucky I had a mom who had a take-no-prisoners approach. It really instilled that same attitude in me.' This story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Women's Health. You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elevance Health (ELV) Reports Earnings Tomorrow: What To Expect
Health insurance provider Elevance Health (NYSE:EVH) will be reporting results this Thursday before the bell. Here's what to look for. Elevance Health beat analysts' revenue expectations by 5.3% last quarter, reporting revenues of $48.89 billion, up 14.8% year on year. It was a strong quarter for the company, with a narrow beat of analysts' full-year EPS guidance estimates and a decent beat of analysts' EPS estimates. It added 99,000 customers to reach a total of 45.83 million. Is Elevance Health a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it's free. This quarter, analysts are expecting Elevance Health's revenue to grow 10.1% year on year to $48.32 billion, improving from its flat revenue in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $8.97 per share. Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Elevance Health has missed Wall Street's revenue estimates twice over the last two years. With Elevance Health being the first among its peers to report earnings this season, we don't have anywhere else to look to get a hint at how this quarter will unravel for healthcare providers & services stocks. However, investors in the segment have had fairly steady hands going into earnings, with share prices down 1.7% on average over the last month. Elevance Health is down 10.5% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $486.39 (compared to the current share price of $336.92). Today's young investors likely haven't read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.
Health Line
15-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Lyme Disease Blood Tests
Key takeaways A Lyme disease blood test helps determine if you have contracted the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, which is transmitted through infected ticks. The test looks for Lyme disease-specific antibodies in your blood, but false positives are possible, and antibodies may not be detectable for a few weeks after you have Lyme disease. Several lab tests, including ELISA and Western blot, can detect these antibodies. While the blood draw has minimal risks, positive results may persist even after successful treatment with antibiotics. What is a Lyme disease blood test? A Lyme disease blood test is used to determine if you have contracted Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease tests are conducted with a routine blood draw. While there are other species of Borrelia that cause Lyme disease, B. burgdorferi is the most common cause in the United States. Most antibody tests in the United States only test for B. burgdorferi, but other species-specific tests are available depending on a person's travel history. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through ticks that are infected with Borrelia. Symptoms of Lyme disease include: headache joint pain fever fatigue skin rash in the shape of a bull's-eye Untreated, Lyme disease can affect your heart and nervous system. Symptoms of advanced Lyme disease can include: loss of muscle tone in the face memory loss tingling in your hands and feet heart palpitations irregular heartbeat dizziness shortness of breath Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. Ticks are very small, and the bites are not always noticeable. Symptoms of the disease can vary from person to person. Not everyone experiences the classic 'bull's-eye' rash pattern around a tick bite. It should be noted that testing is not always required to make a diagnosis. For people with a classic bulls-eye rash (Erythema migrans) living in a high risk area, testing is not recommended for diagnosis. Your doctor will use the results of a Lyme disease antibody test, along with the report of your symptoms, to confirm a diagnosis. What are antibodies? Antibodies are proteins your body makes in response to foreign or harmful substances called antigens. Common antigens include: bacteria viruses fungi chemicals Your body produces antibodies if you have contracted B. burgdorfer i. These Lyme disease-specific antibodies will be present in your blood, and your test will be positive if you have the bacterial infection. If you have never been exposed to B. burgdorferi, you will not have any Lyme disease antibodies in your bloodstream. In this case, your test will be negative. However, there is a possibility of false positive results due to potential test cross-reactivity with other diseases including syphilis, autoimmune diseases, and Epstein Barr virus. However, you may test negative for Lyme disease in the early days and weeks after contracting the infection. This is because your body has not yet produced a significant number of antibodies. You will usually test positive for Lyme disease starting at about 2 to 4 weeks after acquiring an infection. Lyme disease antibody test procedure The Lyme disease antibody test requires no advance preparation. A lab technician will swab the inside of your elbow with an antiseptic before drawing your blood. Your blood will be drawn from a vein in your arm using a small needle. The blood draw should not be painful, though you might feel a slight prick when the needle is inserted into your vein. The blood sample will be collected in a vial. The puncture site will be bandaged, if needed, after the needle is removed. After the blood draw, you are free to go home. Risks of a Lyme disease antibody test There are very few risks associated with the Lyme disease antibody test. Excessive bleeding is possible, but there may be an increased risk if you take blood thinning medications or certain anti-inflammatory drugs like: heparin warfarin aspirin ibuprofen naproxen Infection at the puncture site is also possible, but it's unlikely. Keep the bandage in place until all bleeding has stopped and keep the area clean. Some people feel lightheaded after having blood drawn. Let the technician know if this is the case. You might be asked to sit for a few minutes before going home. Following up after the procedure Once you have Lyme disease, the antibodies remain in your blood. So even after you have been treated for the disease, you might still have positive blood tests. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will discuss your course of treatment in detail if you test positive for the bacterial infection.
Fox News
30-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Gen. Keane: Iranians have not given up on a nuclear weapon
All times eastern FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: DOJ announces largest coordinated healthcare fraud effort in dept's history
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Predictive Disease Analytics Market Trends Analysis Report 2025-2030: AI and Analytics Tools Gain Traction as Healthcare Systems Seek Cost Efficiency and Better Outcomes
Predictive Disease Analytics Market Dublin, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Predictive Disease Analytics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Component (Hardware, Software & Services), Deployment (On-premise, Cloud-based), End Use, Region, with Growth Forecasts, 2025-2030" report has been added to Predictive Disease Analytics Market was valued at USD 3.0 Billion in 2024, and is projected to reach USD 10.2 Billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 22.70% Predictive disease analytics refers to software solutions used by healthcare organizations, hospitals, and physicians to analyze and process patient data in order to provide data-driven, high-quality care, precise diagnostics, and individualized treatments. Predictive analytics is an advanced method to enhance patient outcomes in healthcare. Additionally, predictive analytics solutions are used by healthcare providers to comprehend disease prevalence, disease management, risk management & trajectories, and to provide suitable medical care to patients for optimal outcomes. Healthcare providers use it to evaluate the risk rate to an individual's health as well as predict future outcomes in preparation. Its use at various levels to avoid unnecessary expenditure had also increased the utilization of this technology, which is anticipated to continue throughout the forecast period. As a result, the global predictive disease analytics market is expected to analytics has played a significant part in combating COVID-19 problems, decreasing the incidence of poor outcomes for patients, and addressing resource management during the crisis. The massive amount of patient data produced during the outbreak not only provided analytics firms and the healthcare sector with data to properly analyze disease spread, but it also aided in resource allocation. Several institutions, including hospitals, was using predictive analytics to determine the probability of a patient developing severe symptoms, the trajectory of their infection/disease, and several other parameters. For instance, in 2020, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in the U. S. created an automated analytics model that predicted an individual's chance of testing positive. Hence, propelling the market global market is expanding rapidly as a result of the increasing burden of chronic diseases, the emergence of personalized and evidence-based medicine, the growing need for increased efficiency in the healthcare sector, and the growing demand to reduce healthcare costs by eliminating unnecessary costs. As per the center for disease control, six out of every ten Americans have at least one chronic illness, such as heart disease or stroke, cancer, or diabetes. Hence, it will increase the product demand and further boost the market important reason driving market growth is the use of evidence-based medicine to provide the right kind of treatment to the right patient. The utilization of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for patient records has increased in recent years, with adoption of EHRs in the case of office-based doctors increasing from 42% in 2008 to nearly 88% in 2021 in the U. S. Healthcare predictive analytics makes use of EHRs to recommend the best course of action in the event of a medical treatment or medication. This not only greatly reduces patient costs but also leads to improved outcomes. The adoption of electronic health systems, analytics tools, and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to drive market development. The expense of healthcare has risen over the years owing to the increasing burden of chronic diseases on a global companies in the predictive disease analytics market are continuously expanding their product and services portfolio to accelerate the development of the product. For instance, in June 2022, Engagys LLC, a Health Consultant Company, announced the debut of a new affordable subscription service for healthcare systems, health plans, & healthcare technology leaders. Executive Advisory Services is intended to provide healthcare customer engagement practitioners with practical and actionable guidance, insights, and best practices that they can put to use immediately. This is expected to strengthen the company's position in predictive analytics solution and further boost the market Disease Analytics Market Report Highlights Cloud-based solutions are anticipated to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The ease of storage, inexpensive capital requirements, increased flexibility, and efficiency are attributed to its development. On the basis of end user, payer segment dominated the market in such as insurance firms, health plan sponsors, as well as other third-party payers, are among the primary beneficiaries of predictive analytics in healthcare settings. Thus, boosting the segment growth. Due to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, greater awareness of preventive health and rising percentage of geriatric population in North America, the region had the largest market share. Why Should You Buy This Report? Comprehensive Market Analysis: Gain detailed insights into the market across major regions and segments. Competitive Landscape: Explore the market presence of key players. Future Trends: Discover the pivotal trends and drivers shaping the future of the market. Actionable Recommendations: Utilize insights to uncover new revenue streams and guide strategic business decisions. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 80 Forecast Period 2024 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $3 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $10.2 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 22.7% Regions Covered Global Predictive Disease Analytics Market Variables, Trends & Scope Market Lineage Outlook Parent market outlook Related/ancillary market outlook Market Driver Analysis Rise in government initiatives and an increasing amount of money being invested in the healthcare industry Technological advancements in AI and machine learning Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases Growing shift towards personalized medicine Market Restraint Analysis Growing data privacy concerns Lack of skilled professionals High implementation cost Companies Featured Oracle Cerner Corporation IBM SAS Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. MedeAnalytics, Inc. Health Catalyst. Apixio Inc GE Healthcare (a division of General Electric Company) Siemens Healthineers For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Predictive Disease Analytics Market CONTACT: CONTACT: Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@ For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
