The Chemistry of Menopause & Hormone Therapy: Myth Busting and Fact Finding

About the Session

Approximately 55 million women worldwide will enter menopause each year, with an estimated 1.2 billion women being in menopause or postmenopausal by 2030. Social media and the Internet are full of both myths and relevant information regarding the menopause transition, but how do you differentiate? As healthcare providers, we must assist our patients in navigating this quagmire of opportunistic capitalism that sees this large population of women
as a target market. Many myths are perpetuated and drive fear of women surrounding this natural transition that has been occurring since the beginning of time. And while the menopause transition can bring about many symptoms that can impact quality of life as well as health span, we should follow the evidence and current research to educate and guide patients to treatment strategies that meet their individual needs. In this seminar, we will address general myths regarding menopause, including that menopause affects only older women, that menopause kills your sex drive, that hormone therapy is dangerous, and that hot flushes are the only symptom. We will also address specific musculoskeletal myths regarding muscle loss, or sarcopenia, muscle and joint pain, as well as bone loss. We will discuss multiple treatment strategies but be focusing on hormone therapy options as well as non-hormone therapy medical options.

Learning Objectives

• Identify and distinguish social media hype about the menopause transition from evidence-based clinical recommendations
• Describe common physiologic changes and symptomatology of the menopause transition
• Identify evidence-based options for treatment strategies to improve quality of life and function during the menopause transition

About the Speaker

Kathryn Witzeman, MD, FACOG

Gynecologist, Grand River Health
Clinical Professor, Department of OBGYN
University of Colorado
2020 Past-President of IPPS

Kathryn Witzeman, MD is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Witzeman joined Grand River Health in 2023 after 19 years on faculty at Denver Health in Denver, CO. Dr. Witzeman has served on the Board of Directors of the International Pelvic Pain Society since 2014, and currently serves on the Advisory Board after 5 years on the Executive Board. In 2008, Dr. Witzeman founded the Integrated Pelvic Health Program at Denver Health Medical Center and served as its director until 2023. Her clinical interests include vulvovaginal disorders, menstrual disorders, menopausal problems, pelvic pain, integrative medicine, and biomedical ethics as is applies to the field of OBGYN as well as medical education. She speaks nationally and internationally on topics of pelvic pain and integrative medicine. Dr. Witzeman completed her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati SOM and subsequently completed her OBGYN residency training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is board-certified and a Fellow of the American College of OBGYN. Dr. Witzeman completed the APGO Scholars and Leaders program in 2012 and graduated from the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Fellowship in 2018.