CeMCOR

Did you attend one of our Scientific Cafes? This page lists some of the resources mentioned by the panelists and audience at the Cafe.

 

1. Is Menopause a Disease? - October 28, 2008

2. Are Lesbians Healthier than Straight Women? Why or why not? - November 27, 2008

3. Is fertility affected by lifestyle? - January 21, 2009

Is fertility affected by lifestyle?

Thank you to everyone who came to this Scientific Cafe! Below are some resources you may find helpful. If you attended and have other suggestions for resources, please email cemcor@interchange.ubc.ca

Acubalance Wellness Centre

Family Passages: Yoga for fertility

Downward dog, upward fertility?

Infertility Awareness Association of Canada

CeMCOR Resources:

Daily Menstrual Cycle Diaries to track your cycle

Can women tell if they're cycling "egg-lessly"?

When should I have sex to get pregnant?

A Positive View of Women's Exercise, Menstrual Cycles and Ovulation

Ovulatory Disturbances: They Do Matter

 

Are Lesbians Healthier than Straight Women? Why or why not?

Thank you to everyone who came to this Scientific Cafe! Below are some resources on lesbian health from Canadian sources. If you attended and have other suggestions for resources, please email cemcor@interchange.ubc.ca

 

Not Yet Equal: The Health of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in BC (PDF) - The McCreary Centre Society

Lesbian Health: Tip Sheet for Health Care Providers - Health Canada

Caring for Lesbian Health: a resource for health care providers, policy makers and planners (PDF) - BC Ministry of Health

Health Services - Lesbian Health - Vancouver Coastal Health

Making Choices/Taking Chances: Lesbian/Bi/Queer Women Assisted Conception, and Reproductive Health (PDF) - British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health

Lesbian Health Matters: Health Information for Lesbians and their Service Providers (PDF) - The Centre

L Word: Insights on Lesbian Health - Women's Health Matters

Health care use among gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians (PDF) - Statistics Canada

Gay, lesbian seniors face health-care hurdles, study says - CBC News

Vancouver Women's Health Collective

CeMCOR articles on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Anovulatory Androgen Excess)

 

Is Menopause A Disease?

Thank you to everyone who came to this Scientific Cafe! We've provided links to the following resources which were mentioned during the evening. If you attended and have other suggestions for resources, please email cemcor@interchange.ubc.ca

CeMCOR website Menopause articles

CeMCOR website Perimenopause articles

Osteoporosis Canada

Women's Health Research Network

Daily Menopause and Perimenopause Diaries

Aquarius Medical Clinic - Yaletown

 

Definitions:

Perimenopause: the period of time before and for a year after the final menstrual period during which ovarian hormonal patterns, experiences and sociocultural roles change. The average age at which irregular cycles develop is approximately age 47. Perimenopause probably begins several years before that in women with regular cycles whose ovaries are making higher amounts of estrogen and tending to make lower amounts of progesterone. Like menopause, this is a normal part of a woman’s life cycle.

Menopause: defined when a year has passed since the final menstrual period. This marks the beginning of women’s mature life following approximately 30-45 years of reproductive life. The average age of menopause in western countries is approximately 51. The average age of menopause is younger in smokers and those who have never had children (nulliparous). Low levels of both estrogen and progesterone are normal after menopause.

 

Some quotes from the evening:

"I don't even know who I am anymore."

"I can't find a doctor."

"What the heck is happening with me?"

"I've been in your shoes, sister."

"Let me get your email and phone number afterwards."

"I helped educated my MD."

"He sent me to a neurologist who thought I had ALS."

"Perimenopause is a chameleon."

"I had to educate my own doctor."

"How do we rediscover womanhood in the fall or winter of our life?"

"The aging process in Traditional Chinese Medicine is looked at very naturally."

"I really don't know the answer but what I think is that whole intricate dance of hormones has been suppressed for some time"

"They still don't get that osteoporosis isn't inevitable, that it isn't a disease of 80 year old women."

"It really seems to be pervasive - why aren't we being heard?"

"What impressed me is that women really want to get information."

"You think it's something wrong with you but this period of our life is actually something normal."

"I have a new research idea!"

"This is a place where women's voices are informing research and research is informing women's voices"