“We’ve made great improvements and exciting advances, but it’s far from being eradicated,” said Ioana L. Bondre, MD, MPH, a gynecologic oncologist with UT Physicians.

In 2025, the American Cancer Society expects about 13,000 new cases of cervical cancer and about 4,000 deaths from this disease.

Advances in treatment

Researchers have made strides in treating a form of the disease called locally advanced cervical cancer.

“Locally advanced cervical cancer is limited to the pelvis, which includes the bladder and rectum,” said Bondre, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at McGovern Medical School with UTHealth Houston.

Advances in treatment over the last two years have steered care teams to incorporate immunotherapy and chemotherapy earlier in treatment.

“These interventions used to be reserved for distant metastatic cancer, meaning the cancer had spread to distant organs or lymph nodes,” explained Bondre. “Now, we are using immunotherapy and chemotherapy earlier in the treatment of high-risk, locally advanced cancer, and that has improved outcomes.”

Immunotherapy vs. chemotherapy

Immunotherapy is a form of targeted cancer treatment that works differently than standard chemotherapy.

“Cancer cells sometimes have mechanisms to evade or hide themselves from our immune system,” said Bondre. “Immunotherapy unveils the cancer cells to our immune system, therefore helping our immune system fight the abnormal cells.”

Chemotherapy works by killing off all cancer cells that are rapidly dividing and indiscriminately kills healthy cells with bad cells.

“This is what leads to hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and a dip in blood cell counts over time,” said Bondre.

In cervical cancer treatment, immunotherapy is used in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation therapy for better outcomes.

Preventable cancer

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to remind women that cervical cancer is considered a preventable cancer. There is protection through vaccination and screening.

Vaccination

Unlike most cancers, there is primary prevention for cervical cancer in the form of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

The HPV vaccine is recommended for boys and girls starting at age 11 but can be given as early as 9 years old. If administered before age 15, it is a two-dose series. If given from ages 15-26, the vaccine is a three-dose series.

“HPV is a sexually contracted virus, so the best time to become protected against the HPV virus is before first intercourse,” said Bondre.

Receiving the vaccine does not increase the likelihood of preteens and teens having intercourse at an earlier age.

The vaccine can be given up to age 45, based on individual cases.

“It’s not a routine recommendation past age 26, but the FDA approval exists as long as the patient and their provider discuss it in detail,” said Bondre.

Screening

After vaccination comes the second line of defense: regular Pap smear screening.

“Sometimes there is a misconception that if somebody has been vaccinated, they no longer need regular Pap smears, and that is not true,” said Bondre.

A Pap test is recommended every three years from ages 21-29. If results are normal, the test can be spaced out every five years from ages 30-65. Abnormal results will change the frequency of testing.

2025 outlook

Despite the advances in protection and awareness, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S. and is most commonly diagnosed in women 35-44 years old.

“It is a disease that tends to affect younger women, so it’s really important that they get the appropriate screening and protection,” said Bondre. “This is a terrible disease that is preventable. The best thing you can do for yourself or your loved one is to follow prevention guidelines.”

A new $1.5 million grant will enable UTHealth Houston to improve cervical cancer screening follow-ups and early treatment for this vulnerable population. Awarded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), this significant funding can help bridge the gap in health care access, ensuring that more women receive the critical follow-up care they need after screenings.

“Screening for cancer is only as good as the subsequent management,” said Abigail S. Zamorano, MD, principal investigator of the grant, a gynecologic oncologist with UT Physicians, and an assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “If you screen everyone, that’s great. But unless you do something with the abnormal results, you may as well have not screened.”

Impacting the community

Since 2018, the Houston PAP Project has provided cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment of precancer/dysplasia through colposcopy and LEEP (loop electrosurgical excisional procedure). Zamorano has spearheaded this initiative and is one of several physicians who offer services as a Saturday clinic volunteer.

This new, three-year, grant-funded project will enable the expansion of services and geography. Zamorano said they plan to be a center of referral for underserved patients who otherwise would not have access to care management beyond cervical cancer screening. This grant will make it possible to expand these services to other clinics in medically underserved areas around Harris County.

“We want to be a destination for patients with abnormal cervical cancer screenings,” Zamorano said.

Adding peer health advocates

Another aspect of project expansion is using peer advocates to assist with patient education and counseling. Advocates will use their personal experiences to help guide, counsel, and reassure patients, just as Juana Espino has been successfully doing as a cervical cancer survivor and clinic coordinator with the Houston PAP Project. Espino is the heart of the program, working tirelessly to find and educate women about the importance of cervical cancer screening, said Yen-Chi Le, PhD, co-investigator of the grant.

“Juana goes to community centers, grocery stores, libraries, and churches to meet the women who are busy with daily life and may not be prioritizing their health,” said Le, UTHealth Houston executive director of innovation and quality, Healthcare Transformation Initiatives.

This is the first CPRIT grant received by the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. Zamorano is honored that CPRIT recognized that this intervention is needed for those medically underserved.

“I’m excited about developing the use of peer advocates and a model that other organizations could use around the state or country,” Zamorano said. “I feel empowered by this and can’t wait. It’s very validating.”

Normalizing the conversation around menopause is important to change the narrative and debunk menopause myths, and an increasing number of prominent women are bringing the topic to the forefront. Sandra M. Hurtado, MD, an OB-GYN at UT Physicians Women’s Center II — Memorial City, understands how the topic of menopause can be confusing and appreciates when notable women share their voices.

“Menopause wasn’t talked about much before, so it’s nice to see we’re opening up the conversation for women to be able to ask questions and be aware of what the transition is,” said Hurtado, an assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Menopause is the phase of life that begins 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual period. The average age is 52, but it can happen at younger and older ages. Perimenopause, the stage before menopause, typically begins in the mid- to late-40s but can also start earlier. Without a specific timeline, women often don’t tie their erratic symptoms to this hormonal roller coaster.

Pulling off the mask: Menopause myths

Because menopause is different for every woman, the experience isn’t one-size-fits-all. These common menopause myths and fact/fiction topics can help uncover some of the mystery.

Every woman experiences noticeable symptoms during the menopausal transition.

Fiction. For many women, the transition to menopause ushers a range of symptoms of varying degrees, including hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and weight gain. However, roughly 15% of women have no noticeable symptoms. Hurtado calls it a gift. Don’t question why; just accept it and be thankful, she said.

Some symptoms can be more difficult to tie to menopause, such as mood changes, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Other factors can affect these emotional changes, but experts know some can be exacerbated by menopause. Brain fog, reduced concentration, and short-term memory are additional symptoms women might experience.

“All women go through menopause, but you don’t have to put up with the symptoms,” Hurtado said. “If it’s affecting your life and daily functions, there are things to help with those symptoms. Just because it’s a natural process doesn’t mean you have to suffer.”

You can still get pregnant once you experience menopausal symptoms.

Fact. Although fertility is declining, women can get pregnant during perimenopause. Hurtado tells her patients going through menopause that they can still get pregnant through escape ovulation. She suggests using protection into the first year after menopause.

Sleep problems during menopause are solely caused by night sweats and hot flashes.

Fiction. This is a myth about menopause because although these symptoms can impact the quality and duration of sleep, they aren’t the only factors.

Menopause leads to a decreased sex drive.

Fact. Hurtado believes women do have lower sex drives during menopause because of decreased hormone levels. However, she acknowledges that sexual desire for women is complex, based on multiple factors. How is the relationship? Is the woman sleeping well? Is she feeling good about herself?

“I don’t think that every woman needs to have testosterone replacement to improve their sexual desire,” Hurtado said. “However, there are women who find that when they take hormone therapy, their sexual desire improves again.”

Hurtado said it’s trendy to use testosterone pellets and high levels of testosterone, but it can be dangerous. For women, it can increase their cholesterol and risk of heart disease. The FDA has not approved the use of testosterone in women for treating reduced sexual desire.

Hormone replacement therapy replaces the amount of hormones women’s bodies used to produce.

Fiction. The intention of hormone therapy is to treat symptoms, help prevent osteoporosis, and lower the risk of heart disease. It’s not to try to return hormone levels to premenopausal levels.

“Hormone therapy is a standardized dose of hormones, not the cyclical doses that your body naturally makes during your cycles,” Hurtado said.

Women between the ages of 45 and 60 receiving hormone therapy, or in their first 10 years of menopause, have a lower risk of heart disease compared to women not on hormone therapy, Hurtado said.

“We have to look at each patient individually, their family history, their own health history, what’s happening with menopause, and whether they would benefit from hormone therapy,” Hurtado said.  

This rite of passage is actually a natural, manageable phase of life. Armed with information, women can understand and detect menopause myths while navigating this transition with confidence. Menopause isn’t the end of the story but the beginning of a new chapter.

“When women understand what breast density is and what it implies for their breast cancer screening, it helps them make more informed decisions regarding additional screening options to improve breast cancer detection,” said Claudia C. Cotes, MD, a board-certified radiologist specializing in breast imaging. “Mammograms can determine breast density accurately.”

Understanding dense breasts

Breasts are a mix of glandular tissue, fibrous connective tissue, and fatty tissue. The term “dense breasts” refers to how these tissues appear on a mammogram. Picture a breast with more glandular and fibrous tissue, and less fatty tissue. That is considered dense. This isn’t something you can feel; rather, it’s about how it looks in the black-and-white mammogram images. Knowing your breast density has become an important piece of the breast health puzzle.

Encouraging important conversations

The ruling puts breast density in the spotlight for patients and health care providers. It enables women to have informed conversations about their risks and the potential need for additional imaging, making breast cancer screening more personalized.

“Dense breasts not only can make it harder to detect cancer on a mammogram but also increase the risk of breast cancer,” said Cotes, an assistant professor in diagnostic and interventional imaging at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Developing personalized care

The new guidelines also underscore that breast cancer screening is not a one-size-fits-all approach. They highlight the importance of personalized medicine, ensuring each woman receives appropriate care based on her individual risk factors and characteristics. Patients can discuss their options rather than solely relying on a mammogram.

Cotes believes this FDA mandate will lead to earlier cancer detection.

“Mammograms alone can miss up to 50% of cancers in extremely dense tissue,” Cotes said. “Being proactive with additional screening options such as ultrasound or MRI will likely lead to earlier detection, ultimately saving more lives. Patients should always have access to their health information, especially if it will impact their health significantly.”

Recognizing the warning signs

“Symptoms of ovarian cancer are very vague and can easily be overlooked,” said Rosa A. Guerra, MD, a gynecologic oncologist with UT Physicians Gynecologic Oncology — Southeast. “This explains why sometimes it can go undetected until its later stages.”

If you notice any of these signs in your body, it’s important to tell your doctor:

• Bloating
• Pain in the abdomen, back, or pelvis
• Feeling full too quickly when eating
• Constipation or other changes in bathroom habits
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Weight fluctuations

These symptoms might not point to ovarian cancer, but it’s important to monitor any changes in your body.

Understanding your risk

Ovarian cancer can affect anyone with a uterus at any age, but certain genetic and lifestyle factors do play a role in a person’s overall chances of developing the disease.

“Individuals with a strong family history of ovarian cancer may carry a genetic mutation that puts them at an increased risk,” said Guerra, an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Additional risk factors include:

• Older age (63 years and older)
• Never having children
• Obesity
• Endometriosis

How doctors find ovarian cancer

Unlike breast or cervical cancer, there isn’t a screening test for ovarian cancer. Guerra emphasized the importance of regular checkups with an OB-GYN and speaking up about any unusual symptoms.

If there is a suspicion of ovarian cancer, doctors order blood work and imaging with a potential surgery to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment options depend on the type of ovarian cancer and how far the cancer has progressed. These may include surgery and/or chemotherapy.

Guerra encourages everyone to listen to their bodies and seek medical advice if something doesn’t feel right.

“Our experts are here not only to help but also to listen to your concerns about your body,” said Guerra. “Don’t hesitate to reach out if you feel like something isn’t right.”

For more information on UT Physicians Women’s Centers or to schedule an appointment, call 832-325-7131 or request one online. To learn more about ovarian cancer, visit our medical conditions glossary.

“Having a baby for the first time is uncharted territory,” said Pamela D. Berens, MD, an OB-GYN with UT Physicians.

Experiencing a mix of emotions is normal and natural.

“No matter where you stand socially or professionally, a newborn dependent on you is a new experience. It’s not something you can just study and read about,” said Berens, the Dr. John T. Armstrong Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Finding balance with a new routine and new responsibilities takes time. Berens urges new moms to seek help, speak up, and safeguard their own health.

Seek support

At some point, most new moms will need support. From breastfeeding to mental health care to moral support, these organizations are ready to help provide new mom support.

• Mental health care
  • UT Physicians HOPE Program – offers no-cost home visits before and after birth
• Breastfeeding
  • UT Physicians lactation support – offers support and guidance before and after birth
  • The Lactation Foundation – offers personalized consultations with board-certified lactation consultants to help you meet your lactation goals
• Baby items
  • Texas Health and Human Services – offers no-cost car seat distribution for qualifying parents
• Support groups
  • Local churches
  • Mother’s Day Out programs
  • Mom fitness groups and running clubs

Get out of the house

Socializing with other adults can help reduce stress and keep mothers from becoming isolated.

“Everything can become about the baby, so it’s important that moms continue other relationships for their own health,” said Berens.

Time outside the home, with or without the baby, can help provide emotional therapy.

“If you’re very isolated, I do think it puts you at risk for depression,” said Berens. “Sometimes new moms think they need to isolate the baby. While you want to ensure strangers aren’t touching the baby and want to reduce your baby’s exposure to germs, you can still take the baby out of the house, even if it’s just for a walk.”

Motherhood is often an underappreciated time to join new social support groups, which Berens highly recommends.

“Find your interest and look for a mom’s group related to your interest,” she said.

Alone time with your significant other

Carving out time alone with your partner can be especially difficult with a new baby, but it’s important.

“Having that adult time for conversation and your relationship also helps prevent isolation and mood disorders,” said Berens.

She recommends making concrete plans, setting a date, and sticking to it.

Release the guilt

“I see a lot more guilt around women trying to balance between their passions and childcare because historically childcare has fallen to them,” said Berens.

All moms should feel confident about spending some time away from their baby.

“If you feel good about your passion, whether it’s your career, a hobby, or volunteering, that will be noticed by your children. You’re acting as a role model,” she explained.

Overall wellness

To be the best parent possible takes prioritizing your wellness, too.

A healthy diet, regular exercise, and continuing health appointments after childbirth are important.

“You need that balance,” said Berens.

“Pregnancy is a stress test for your general health,” said Racusin, assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Things that come up in pregnancy can give us a peek into both your current health and into risk factors for things that can develop in the future.”

Racusin says blood volume in a pregnant woman can increase by 50%, giving heart function and pregnancy a direct correlation.

“When you’re pregnant, your heart works harder, so your heart is definitely under more stress than it would be when you are not pregnant,” she said.

Preeclampsia

All that overtime work can sometimes lead to a complication called preeclampsia – high blood pressure caused by pregnancy.

“We often say the cure for preeclampsia is delivering the baby,” said Racusin. “But women need to be aware of the new lifelong risk for developing hypertension later.”

Developing hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Window of health

Racusin says a diagnosis of high blood pressure during pregnancy offers a unique way for women to get a glimpse into their future health.

“The beauty of all of this is knowing the risk factors and being aware,” she said. “If you are diagnosed with preeclampsia, make plans to see your primary care physician regularly and make lifestyle choices that are more in line with your new risk profile.”

Lifestyle choices she says should include consistently monitoring your blood pressure.

Those are the words from cervical cancer survivor, Juana Espino, who now serves as project coordinator of the Houston PAP Project. This UTHealth Houston program provides no-cost cervical cancer screenings to a predominantly Hispanic population. Espino has become instrumental in sharing her testimony and encouraging other Hispanic patients, like herself, to get screened, as a result of her journey.

“I never used to know my purpose in life, then I went through everything, and I feel like it was for something,” Espino said. “Now I can help people, tell them there’s hope, and that there are people who can help. That’s why I’m grateful to be a part of Houston PAP Project.”

The power of community

Houston PAP Project offers no-cost cervical cancer screenings one Saturday nearly every month at two clinics: UT Physicians Multispecialty Clinic–Jensen and UT Physicians Multispecialty Clinic–Rosenberg. The acronym in the name, PAP, is two-fold: referring to the cervical cancer screening test itself, the Papanicolaou smear (Pap test), and to the project’s mission statement in Spanish: Prevenir, Ayudar, Poder (to prevent, help, and be able).

Serving a nearly 100% Hispanic and Spanish-speaking population, the project aims to provide necessary cancer screening to women who struggle with access to health care. The clinics provide not only cervical cancer screening but also follow-up testing and treatment. This includes services such as colposcopies and excisional procedures for cervical precancer. Patients are navigated to treatment if cervical cancer is diagnosed.

“We want these clinics to be a very welcoming environment,” said Abigail Zamorano, MD, gynecologic oncologist with UT Physicians and assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “There is a lot of fear and anxiety about pelvic exams and cancer screening, so we try to normalize it as much as possible.”

Zamorano helps spearhead the initiative, coordinates medical students and providers, and is one of several physicians who offer services at the Saturday clinics as a volunteer. Through research and experience with clinic attendance, Zamorano has learned that encouragement from a friend or family member is the main motivator for women to attend the screenings. The power of communication within a community is vital, she said.

“A lot of our outreach is centered around grassroots community efforts, handing out flyers at schools, churches, and sometimes grocery stores,” said Zamorano.

Healthcare Transformation Initiatives partnership

The Healthcare Transformation Initiatives (HTI) team with UTHealth Houston took on the Houston PAP Project as a department to provide guidance and assistance.

“It’s definitely a team effort,” says Xochitl K. Olguin, project manager of Houston PAP Project and HTI. She said the project’s success depends on a large group within HTI, clinic leaders, community health workers, medical students, as well as the physicians and nurses who volunteer their time at the screening clinics.

HTI continues working to improve the Houston PAP Project by seeking out additional grant funding and adding partnerships. Mobile mammography is one example, expected to begin later in the year. Olguin hopes the program can expand into additional UT Physicians clinics in the future to help even more women.

“Our department is a perfect fit for the Houston PAP Project,” Olguin said. “Our goal is expanding access to health care, and this is just a natural evolution for it.”

Olguin describes Espino as the heart of the project, based on her background as a cancer survivor, her understanding of the women and their Hispanic culture, and her motivation to help others.

“She is so driven to help as many women as possible, and she is a superstar,” Olguin comments. “The way she communicates with the women, reassures and educates them, is inspiring to witness. She’s phenomenal.”

Detecting cervical cancer and saving lives

In 2023, 250 women received no-cost cervical cancer screenings through the Houston PAP Project. Of those, 10 women learned they had high-grade precancer and were treated to prevent the progression to cancer.

“There is no point in screening for cervical cancer if people don’t do anything about the findings,” Zamorano said. “I’m proud we have developed this model to reach these patients and provide the care they need so they can continue to live their lives and not be affected by this.”

The team has realized that having someone like Espino share her personal story with patients helps them have the courage to get screened and follow up on abnormal results. Espino helps counsel patients, translating to an almost 100% follow-up rate.

Zamorano has always been interested in global health and health care delivery to underserved populations. She has spent time working in Peru, Uganda, Guatemala, and Haiti, so the Houston PAP Project fits perfectly into that focus.

“However, you don’t need to go across the world — you can find ways to help right in the neighborhood,” Zamorano said. “We mapped out where our patients live and most are right around the corner from many of our hospitals. The Houston PAP Project is trying to bridge this gap.”

This service within select UT Physicians women’s health clinics comprises 12 reproductive genetic counselors throughout Houston and represents one of the largest teams in the country. They focus on guiding patients through the complexities of understanding family history, genetic testing, and ultrasound findings while providing individualized support and resources. They also work to educate other medical professionals, the next generation of genetic counselors, and the public by participating in advocacy organizations, professional associations, and supervising and teaching genetic counseling students.

Blair K. Stevens, MS, CGC, director of UT Physicians Prenatal Genetic Counseling Services, considers it a privilege and a huge responsibility to ensure her team delivers excellent genetics care in the reproductive space.

“I am very proud that UT does it on such a huge scale for so many Houstonians,” said Stevens, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Value of collaboration

Genetic counseling, by nature, is a multi-disciplinary field that can’t be done without maternal fetal medicine specialists, sonographers, obstetricians, and more. Having genetic counselors in-house at UT Physicians, rather than outsourcing genetic counseling services, provides a number of benefits to patients. For example, patients who are concerned about an ultrasound finding or their family history often benefit from speaking with both a maternal fetal medicine specialist and a genetic counselor. Communication between specialists is crucial for enhancing the quality of personalized care.

“Using this team approach, we can relay the patient’s values and needs to each other plus we can strategize the best management plan,” Stevens said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way for our patients.”

For Aarti Ramdaney, MS, CGC, assistant director of Prenatal Genetic Counseling Services, part of her mission is focusing on outreach to local providers and other physicians in Texas to inform them that genetic counseling is an option through telemedicine. She is thrilled they can provide accessible care to Texas families who have previously struggled to access genetic counseling expertise. Although Houston has a large genetic counseling community, there are many parts of Texas where genetic counseling is not easily available. 

Compassion and care

Genetic counselors also provide much compassion. Ramdaney considers the psychosocial aspect of genetic counseling as her niche in the field. Health care is more than logic and facts, she says. The field can present challenging realities for families where critical findings on an ultrasound might reveal concerns for a life-limiting diagnosis.

“There’s so much emotional conflict that can be going on in challenging situations,” said Ramdaney, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “It’s helping families process what is often very unexpected information, providing reassurance, and validating their testing and reproductive decisions.”

Ramdaney said often the big question is “why?” Patients ask, “Why is this happening? How do we best take care of our baby? What’s the chance for this to happen again in another pregnancy?” She believes genetic counseling has so much utility for families, when answering those questions is so vital.

“Those are the cases that stand out to me,” Ramdaney said. “How do we accompany them on that journey and make sure they still get what’s important to them.”

Balancing hopes and fears

Stevens said she tells her students that their job is not to make patients feel better. Many times, the news they share with patients doesn’t make them feel better.

“Our job is to make them feel empowered by information and help them realize there is always something to hope for – even in the midst of a diagnosis or a birth defect,” Stevens said. “It’s making sure they find the resources to balance those hopes and those fears.”

For information-seeking patients, Stevens said they appreciate getting a wealth of information before delivery to help them with the adjustment. Knowing a diagnosis ahead of time allows patients to emotionally adjust, do research, and find support networks.

“I love being there when patients don’t know where to turn, and when they are desperately seeking information and support,” Stevens said. “It’s what I love best about my job.”

Cardiovascular disease is actually the No. 1 killer for women in menopause and the post-menopause age group, according to Sandra Hurtado, MD, OB-GYN with UT Physicians and assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

This focus on women’s health and cardiovascular disease is especially timely, said Hurtado, based on themes presented at the North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) annual meeting she recently attended. Concentration on cardiovascular disease was one of several significant takeaways she brought back from the meeting.

“We know that the incidence of cardiovascular disease increases with menopause and after,” Hurtado said. “We’re not going to give women estrogen to prevent heart disease, but it is important for them to know it’s an added benefit.”

Recent studies reveal women who begin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during the transition of menopause, versus waiting 10 years out, see a benefit and a decrease in all-cause mortality and a decrease in heart disease, according to Hurtado. She believes it’s important for women to be aware of this and understand the benefits. This is in addition to other benefits provided by HRT including decreased risk of osteoporosis, treatment of hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.

The new recommendation, she continued, is to look at each patient individually to understand their effects from menopause, their symptoms, family history, and other risk factors.

“We want to look at the benefits versus the risks of taking hormone replacement therapy to see if it’s a good idea for them and engage the patient in that conversation,” Hurtado said.

Taking action for cardiovascular health

Controlling high blood pressure can reduce the risk of heart disease by 40%, according to statistics from the NAMS conference. Hurtado said hypertension is what really leads to causing cardiovascular disease and death. She stated that 56% of women aged 55-64 have hypertension, while 65% of women aged 65-74 have hypertension. And the rates continue to increase with age.

Women can develop positive lifestyle choices to achieve good cardiovascular health by following the top five factors: healthy diet, regular exercise, appropriate weight, not smoking, and adequate sleep.

Maintaining average cholesterol levels along with normal body mass index (BMI) are important for preventing cardiac disease, said Hurtado. This translates to keeping BMI under 25 and exercising regularly. New recommendations reveal 150-300 minutes a week of sustained aerobic exercise.

“That’s a lot more than we used to say,” Hurtado said. “That is basically one hour of exercise, five days a week. That’s going to be the most helpful for prevention of heart disease, along with a healthy diet.”

A Mediterranean diet and the Dash diet are two examples, said Hurtado, including low cholesterol, no salt, modified carbohydrates, and limiting alcohol.

Normalizing menopause

Another takeaway important to Hurtado was the misconception of menopause being a negative life event for women. This can translate to discrimination, especially in the workplace, she said, in terms of women being older, having hot flashes, and not thinking as clearly due to potential brain fog. It’s not like women are no longer useful or can no longer fulfill their job, she said.

“We need to have more cultural awareness of menopause, that it’s an accepted life change and not taboo,” Hurtado said. “The conference was pushing for more public awareness of what menopause is for women, which I really liked.”