Women’s and men’s health, infectious disease, and hematologic

 Peer 1

Melanie Kolmetz

Menopause Treatment and Education

     Women’s health and yearly screenings are important part of early detection and treatment. Family history of breast cancer places a higher risk forwomen to develop breast cancer themselves. Women who have these risk factors need to begin screenings at an earlier age. Women between 40-50 years of age need to have a screening mammogram every year. Finding cancer early before any symptoms present, and before it increases in size and spreads to surrounding tissue (“ACS Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines,” n.d.). Screenings should begin Atypical squamous cells undetermined significance or ASCUS can be caused by a vaginal infection, or a virus caused by HPV. With this type of findings, and further work up should be considered. Cervical cancer was the third leading type of cancer in women. Since the discovery of the role HPV has in developing cervical cancer, there has been ways developed to prevent this type of infection (Ndifon & Al-Eyd, 2022). Our patient should continue to have yearly mammograms and cervical cancer screenings yearly. Menopause causes changes in women’s body the older we get. Although our patient is only 46, hormone levels and screening questioners need to begin around this age for menopause symptoms.

     The patient in this scenario has a concern about the new onset of flushing, night sweats, and genitourinary symptoms. The symptoms that she is experiencing is probably coming from a hormone imbalance (Santoro, Roeca, Peters, & Neal-Perry, 2020). At the age of 46, our patient could be experiencing early menopause, since menopause usually happens around the age of 47 and can last up to 8 years (Roberts & Hickey, 2016). Memory loss, mood swings, sleeping problems, irregular periods, and the inability to hold your urine is also some of the symptoms a woman may experience. When levels of FSH increase over two blood draws that are 4-6 weeks apart it is considered menopause (Dunneram, Greenwood, & Cade, 2019). Vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes, can place our patient at risk for present and future cardiovascular disease. Genitourinary symptoms are also a symptom of menopause. Although we are not aware of specific genitourinary symptoms, some that come with menopause involve the vulva and vagina, vaginal dryness, vaginal narrowing and shortening, uterine prolapse these would require a vaginal examination and questioners regarding to the patient (Roberts & Hickey, 2016). Treatment for menopause would depend on how much the symptoms are interfering with everyday life, and whether it is bothersome for the patient. Hormone Therapy treatments (HT) are the treatment of choice and most effective to relieve the hot flashes and