Barbara Ellington 
Regional Director for Wyeth Ayerst for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr. Manuel Lamboy; Dr. John Hall and Sales Manager North Caribbean, Mrs. Hermine Metcalfe, discuss the day's activities during a break at Sunday's meeting.
THE multidisciplinary meeting on "The Menopause", put on by the Jamaica Menopause Society in conjunction Wyeth Ayerst, was a resounding success. Staged at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, on August 20, the meeting targeted members of the medical profession but members of the public showed great interest in the topic.
Experts in various fields of medicine made presentations on how their areas of expertise are affected by menopause and answered questions from the eager audience.
In her overview of the evidence on menopause, Dr. Verna Brooks-McKenzie noted that women spend one third of their lives in the menopause as they continue to outlive men. Dr. Brooks-Mckenzie illustrated how menopause affects all other ageing related diseases.
Turning the focus on "Dental Health at Mid-life", Dr. Patrick Lewis showed that as oestrogen levels fall, bone loss occurs and the mandible becomes vulnerable. Ageing leads to bone loss and gum recession. The neck of the tooth becomes sensitive, colour changes, mouth becomes dry and prone to plaque and the symmetry of the face changes. Dr. Lewis said dental X-rays will find early traces of bone loss. The doctor cautioned against the habit of cracking ice cubes which is bad for the teeth.
Dr. Grantel Dundas said bone loss occurs rapidly after menopause and in females the risk of osteoporosis is greater because their bone is less dense. The risk of fracture increases after menopause and one in two women and one in eight men are likely to get osteoporosis after age 50.
Regarding ocular changes and ageing, Dr. Hugh Vaughn showed how the lids, cornea, lens and other parts of the eye are affected as one gets older. He said bags under the eyes can be surgically removed and other conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, the latter with drops, laser or microsurgery.
Dr. Andrea Chung disclosed that black women have a 34 per cent higher risk of coronary heart disease and death, than white women. Contributing to this are: smoking, hypertension, high levels of bad cholesterol, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. She noted that all these problems are heightened with ageing and that half of those who have diabetes will die from heart disease.
On the subject of urinary continence in the menopausal years, Professor Lawson Douglas in his very entertaining style, explained the difference between stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence. He said 20-35 per cent of women will have significant urinary incontinence during their later years. And, he made it very clear that it is not a good idea to hold urine all day till you return home from work.
Dr. Errol Daley, gynaecologist showed how decreasing oestrogen levels lead to common menopause transition problems such as irregular bleeding and pointed to various treatments for these problems. He explained why this occurs in some women during menopause and how doctors treat each case based on the patient's needs.
Dr. John Hall addressed the topic, "Alzheimer's Disease: Is it Preventable? He said whereas the skin can be repaired, recovered and renewed, there is no prospect for doing the same with the brain. To date there is no cure and the main causes are genetics, head trauma, heart disease and excessive use of aluminium.
