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Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Welcome to the 'menodivorce'. Why women aren't sweating marriage in a sea of hot flashes
Melissa McClure's husband asked if it was a midlife crisis. No she told him: "I'm wide awake to the possibility of what my life can be and it doesn't include you.' McClure wasn't sleeping well. She had hot flashes. Her husband's loud chewing sent her into a rage. His negative attitude bothered her and she no longer felt appreciated as a wife and stepmother. They'd been together for 14 years, but perimenopause made her realize she wanted a divorce. 'We spend our entire adult lives taking care of our husbands or partners and children. We give so much of ourselves to other people as nurturers that we lose ourselves in the process,' says the photographer, 44. 'It wasn't a midlife crisis, but an awakening.' Do I want a divorce or is this menopause? It's a question resonating with women in midlife, when hormones are changing as their stress is increasing – kids moving out and parents moving in and careers often at their peak. While divorce rates overall are dropping, divorce among adults 50 and older is increasing. In 1990, almost one in 10 of all divorces in the United States occurred among adults 50 and older. By 2019, that percentage had grown to almost one in four, according to a study done by Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family and Marriage Research. This coincides with a time most women go through perimenopause and menopause. The Menodivorce is rising. Menopause and perimenopause (the time before it) aren't new, of course, but more doctors are recognizing it and treating women. More women are recognizing its symptoms and saying it can bring clarity: their patience is gone and they are finally prioritizing their own needs. And often that means no longer wanting to be married. Seven in 10 women blame perimenopause or menopause for the breakdown of their marriage according to a survey conducted in the UK by the Family Law Menopause Project and Newsom Health Research and Education. McClure ended her marriage three years ago and says she is happier than ever. I love my husband, but I hate him While most women say many factors led to their divorce, they often say perimenopause or menopause made them unable to tolerate problems they had ignored. 'I hear it from patients every week,' says Dr. Sameena Rahman, an OB-GYN and sex and menopause specialist in Chicago. 'They might still love their husbands or partners but they also hate them and no longer can put up with things they had been putting up with.' Perimenopausal and menopausal women can experience a range of symptoms from lack of sex drive to restless sleep at the same time that their life may become increasingly stressful with raising children and managing demanding careers, Rahman says. Perimenopause often starts around 40 and menopause around 50. Many women say they no longer can carry the majority of the mental load. 'Our hormones give us this protection to accommodate other people. When those start shifting there is a lot of built up resentment. Women have been busy taking care of everyone and now they have to take care of themselves,' says Mandi Dixon, a therapist for women in midlife in the Dallas area. 'And this is a time when they may decide the relationship is just no longer worth it.' For years men have blamed divorce on menopause and said women are irritable and irrational, says Alyx Coble-Frake, founder of The Agenda, an app that helps women track their menstrual cycle to help increase productivity. 'We hear this narrative from men. My wife is crazy,' she says. 'But that's not it. Women are gaining clarity in perimenopause and that clarity tells them to leave if things aren't good.' Katy Viva got divorced last year after 24 years of marriage and raising three children. 'While the kids were growing up, there was always something. Basketball, hockey, volleyball, gymnastics. You spend 15 to 20 years getting three people to three different places. You don't really have time to stop and reflect on what is the status of your relationship,' says Viva, 53, who lives in Pittsburgh. 'Once the kids are done with that kind of thing, you step back and realize: I'm married to someone I don't want to be married to anymore.' Viva says menopause left her tired and irritable. 'I don't know if it caused the divorce. But I will say that menopause made me unwilling to put up with the bullshit anymore,' Viva says. 'Life is too long. Not too short. I've got time left in me and I don't want to spend it with someone that I don't respect who doesn't love me.' Menopausal women are often misdiagnosed: This mom was told she had depression and put on an SSRI. Did she want a divorce or was it perimenopause? For some women, getting help for their symptoms improves their relationships. They feel better and can have better with their partner about changes such as decreased sex drive, fatigue and irritability. Dixon says that sometimes perimenopause forces conversations where men can step up and become better partners. When Donna Hofmeister first started going through perimenopause, she no longer felt like herself. "It takes a toll on your relationship - not having sex, feeling tired, gaining weight," says Hofmeister, 55. "You can't help it and you don't know why." Hofmeister eventually got hormone therapy and helped her husband understand what she was experiencing. "He's a wonderful guy. He wanted me to feel better but didn't know what to do," she says. "It puts such a strain on your relationship. But taking about it helped. It's what got us through." The majority of women who had not received support or treatment for menopause said that if they had, it would have had a positive impact on their relationship and potentially avoided the breakdown of their marriage, according to the 2022 UK study. How to survive perimenopause Get help. Don't go through perimenopause without proper guidance. Talk to your medical provider about options including hormone therapy. "Push to make sure you are getting what you need," says Annie Vovan, a former pharmacist and life coach for midlife women in Southern California. Some women delayed treatment or skipped it because a 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study linked hormone therapy to slightly higher risks of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke in postmenopausal women. It was later found that the risks were mostly found in women who were older when they started hormone therapy. A new push by doctors and researchers on a Food and Drug Administration panel have pushed the agency to remove what they say are outdated warnings on topical menopause treatments that contain estrogen. Now such medications contain a warning of the possibility of breast cancer, and that they aren't to be used to prevent cardiovascular disease or dementia, and that it increases the risk of strokes, blood clots and probable dementia. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for menopause, and is the first recommendation, according to the North American Menopause Society. Involve your partner. Bring them to a medical appointment or share a menopause guide for men. 'If you want to stay in this. It's not up to women to change everything. For men, it's their job to step up and learn about this,' Coble Frank says. Lean on friends. Talk about what you are experiencing, says. McClure says. She says her friends now know she is open to talking about perimenopause community can be supportive. She suggests they go to therapy and talk about options for treatment for their perimenopause. "They know that asking for the divorce was hard," she says. "But I'm happier than ever." Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focusing on health and wellness. She is the author of "Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter's Search for Truth and Renewal," and can be reached at ltrujillo@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See why more women are divorcing during menopause.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's chief intervened to save RFK Jr.'s top vaccine aide
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was behind President Donald Trump's highly unusual decision last week to rehire a vaccine regulator he'd just fired at the urging of MAGA influencer Laura Loomer. Wiles' intervention in getting Vinay Prasad's job back, as described by two senior administration officials granted anonymity to discuss sensitive details, followed pleas from both Prasad's boss, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They insisted that Prasad is part of Kennedy's broader 'make America healthy again' movement and integral to the Trump coalition. 'After Vinay left, Marty and Bobby worked very, very, very hard through Susie Wiles, the president's chief of staff, to tell the president that Vinay was not anti-Trump,' one of the senior administration officials said. 'The MAHA movement is an expansion of the MAGA, sort of, you know, big tent.' Trump's reversal demonstrated the limits of Loomer's influence and marked a fragile win for Kennedy in pursuing his plans to overhaul U.S. regulation of vaccines and drugs — and confirmation that the White House still sees Kennedy as a useful political ally as the midterm elections approach. Trump had forced Prasad out of his FDA job less than two weeks earlier after the Cambridge, Massachusetts, pharmaceutical manufacturer Sarepta Therapeutics, joined by GOP allies and Loomer, sought his ouster. Prasad in July had pushed the FDA to ask Sarepta to stop selling its Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Elevidys due to safety concerns, according to one of the senior administration officials. Sarepta spokesperson Tracy Sorrentino wrote in an email that the company will 'continue working with the FDA, its leadership and review teams, as we have always done." In arguing Prasad was disloyal to Trump, Loomer had pointed to social media posts he made during the pandemic, in which Prasad said that he was once a Bernie Sanders supporter. Prasad's rehiring isn't the end of the war between Kennedy and his allies, and Loomer and corporations – from pharma to food manufacturers – that see Kennedy as a threat. Loomer, for instance, has only amped up her critique, most recently telling POLITICO that she planned to go after more Kennedy aides. Loomer remains close to Trump and he has occasionally, though not always, followed her advice on personnel decisions. Loomer did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The FDA referred questions to the White House. 'Secretary Kennedy and the entire HHS team are doing a terrific job as they deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Healthy Again," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. "Scores of prominent restaurant chains and food brands dropping artificial ingredients from our food supply and historic reforms at the FDA to fast track lifesaving drugs and treatments prove that the entire HHS team is delivering for the American people.' According to the officials, Makary and Kennedy persuaded the White House to review statements by Prasad that Loomer said showed disloyalty, arguing they were taken out of context. 'I think it really is something good about the president that he's willing to change his mind when persuaded,' one of the senior administration officials said. But the victory could prove pyrrhic if Prasad's ability to set policy is diminished. Before his firing, Makary had named him not only the head of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees regulation of vaccines and gene therapies like Elevidys, but also the agency's chief medical and scientific officer. Makary, like Prasad, was a leading critic of the Biden administration's response to the Covid pandemic. Prasad, a University of Chicago-trained hematologist and oncologist, was previously a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the author of a 2018 law Trump signed that permits patients greater access to experimental therapies, told POLITICO he texted Trump days ahead of Prasad's ouster to raise concerns of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient community about the FDA's efforts to restrict Elevidys. The company initially refused to comply with the agency's July 18 request that it halt shipment. It agreed on July 21 to stop shipping the medicine by the end of business the next day to maintain a 'productive and positive working relationship with FDA.' The agency then allowed the company to resume distribution to ambulatory patients on July 28, a day before Prasad's ouster. Those patients are a subset of people with the condition, which weakens muscles and leads to the loss of the ability to walk, typically by age 12. Most die before they reach 30. Johnson's Right to Try Act, which Trump repeatedly touted on the campaign trail as a signature achievement of his first term, aims to allow patients with life-threatening diseases to try experimental medicines without FDA involvement. The agency has a separate longstanding program known as compassionate use that allows such patients to access experimental treatments when other options do not exist. 'I have never met or spoken to Dr. Prasad,' Johnson said when asked about Prasad's return. 'I hope all the new appointees within HHS and its subsidiary agencies restore integrity to scientific research, fully respect both the letter and spirit of the Right to Try Act, and carefully listen to and empathize with the patients who are impacted by their decisions.' Former FDA officials said they expect the power struggle between Republicans who support pharma and Kennedy to continue. Loomer, meanwhile, says she now wants Trump to dismiss Stefanie Spear, Kennedy's principal deputy chief of staff and senior counselor, and Casey Means, Trump's nominee to be surgeon general. Casey Means is a close Kennedy ally and sister of Kennedy adviser Calley Means. 'I think she wants to split the MAHA and MAGA coalition,' one of the senior officials said of Loomer. 'She wants to split them in two.' Tim Röhn is a member of the Axel Springer Global Network.
CNET
28 minutes ago
- CNET
The First At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Wand: Does It Replace Uncomfortable Pap Smears?
Cervical cancer is highly preventable with routine screening, but it isn't always a pleasant experience. That's why women's health company Teal Health created the Teal Wand, the first and only at-home vaginal sample self-collection device for cervical cancer screening in the US. Now, people with a cervix can conveniently screen themselves from the comfort and privacy of their home. The Teal Wand received FDA approval in May and is currently available in California. It should be accessible across the US by 2027. If you're interested in this new, more comfortable type of cervical cancer screening option, read on to get all your questions answered. How to get and use the Teal Wand "The Teal Wand is a self-collection device in which the collected sample is mailed to a lab to test for high-risk HPV using an FDA-approved Primary HPV test," said Kara Egan, Teal Health's CEO and co-founder. The Teal Wand requires a prescription, which you can get through Teal Health on First, you fill out a medical eligibility questionnaire, order a screening kit and schedule a 10-minute virtual visit with a Teal provider. (You can see the OBGYNs and nurse practitioners on Teal's team here.) During the appointment, the provider will review your screening history and discuss the process. After the prescription is approved, a kit will be shipped directly to your home. Collecting your sample at home only takes a few minutes. Print and video instructions can help guide you, and Teal support can answer questions. When you're done, simply package your sample and ship it to a CLIA-certified lab with the materials provided. (CLIA, or Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, are regulations requiring any facility examining human specimens, like tissue, blood and urine, for diagnosis, prevention or treatment purposes, to be certified by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.) After the lab processes your sample, a Teal provider reviews the results in accordance with the screening guidelines defined by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP). You'll receive results in your secure Teal portal within about a week after sending your sample. You'll be given the opportunity to virtually connect with a Teal provider to discuss any next steps. If follow-up care is needed, the Teal team will coordinate your referral. What the Teal Wand tests for Just like in the clinician's office, your sample is tested for 14 types of high-risk HPV (Human Papillomavirus) that present the highest risk of causing cervical cancer, Egan said. According to the World Health Organization, 99% of cervical cancer cases are linked to HPV infections. Primary HPV tests are the most sensitive tests recommended by the American Cancer Society and the US Preventive Services Task Force for cervical cancer screening. According to Teal Health, the Teal Wand uses the Roche cobas Primary HPV test, which is the same test your doctor would use. Teal's national clinical trial also concluded that "self-collection using the Teal Wand is as accurate as going into the clinic where a provider collects the sample using a speculum and tests for HPV." The Teal Wand is simply a different way of collecting the sample. Teal Health Who can use the Teal Wand? How often? There are three types of cervical cancer tests: Primary HPV testing every five years, Pap tests every three years and co-tests that combine both an HPV test with a Pap test every five years. According to the ASCCP's guidelines, Primary HPV testing through self-collection, which the Teal Wand uses, is suitable for people at average risk for cervical cancer. Teal Health follows the American Cancer Society's guidelines, which recommend HPV testing every five years for people aged 25 to 65 who have an intact cervix. Note that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people between the ages of 30 and 65 get either an HPV test, a Pap test or both as a co-test. (This is different from the American Cancer Society's recommendation, which starts at age 25 instead of 30.) If you're considered at risk of cervical cancer, the CDC recommends that you start getting Pap tests as early as age 21. For those over age 65, consult your doctor. You may not need to be screened anymore if you've received normal or negative results from at least three Pap tests or two HPV tests in the past 10 years, or if you've had your cervix removed during a total hysterectomy for noncancerous conditions like fibroids. Regardless of how, it's important to get screened regularly, even if you've been vaccinated against HPV. If you're not sure which test is right for you, your doctor can help you decide. Who shouldn't use the Teal Wand? Egan said that self-collection with the Teal Wand is not currently recommended for: patients with a history of cancer in the reproductive system patients with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patients with DES (diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic form of estrogen) exposure patients with immunosuppression patients who have had a treatment for cervical precancer, such as LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) or cold knife cone patients who are pregnant or within six weeks of giving birth Does the Teal Wand replace a Pap smear? The Teal Wand is not the same as a Pap smear (cervical cytology). Instead of in-office, clinician-collected samples with a speculum, like you'd have with a Pap smear, Primary HPV screening allows for self-collected samples. Teal describes a Pap smear as being less sensitive compared to HPV testing because it can only detect cell changes once they've happened, a potential sign that cancer is already present. That's why Pap smears are performed more often than Primary HPV testing (every three years versus five years). On its own, a Pap also doesn't test for HPV, which is the primary cause of almost all cervical cancers. "Universally, a cervical cancer screening is often called a Pap smear, but Pap smear, along with the HPV test, are both types of tests for cervical cancer screening," Egan said. "Screening for HPV using the Teal Wand is an alternative to screening in person." In other words, once you screen using the Teal Wand, you don't need to do the test again in your doctor's office. However, if your results are abnormal and positive for HPV, you may need to get additional in-person testing, such as a colposcopy or a Pap smear, to check for cell changes. Your Teal provider will advise you accordingly, per medical guidelines, based on the HPV type detected and your screening history. While Teal Health aims to help people stay up-to-date on cervical cancer screening, it's always recommended to continue yearly in-person preventive care visits. Teal Health Teal Wand costs and health insurance With select insurance companies, the full at-home screening experience with telehealth consults is available for $99. Without insurance, it's $249, but is eligible for HSA/FSA reimbursement. Teal Health is currently working with the following insurance plans in California: Cigna, Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California and United Healthcare. The company aims to expand its coverage and also provide financial assistance when needed. When will the Teal Wand be available outside California? Teal Health is planning to have the Teal Wand available across the US before the end of 2026. What's the goal with the Teal Wand? According to Egan, Teal Health is on a mission to improve women's healthcare experiences. Teal Health is also a member of the Cervical Cancer Roundtable, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the Biden Cancer Moonshot, a coalition of industry leaders working to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern in the US. "By creating the option for a woman to screen for cervical cancer from the comfort of home and providing telehealth follow-up, Teal can increase access to this life-saving cancer screening, get more women screened and work toward eliminating cervical cancer in the US, as it is the only cancer nearly 100% preventable with proper screening," said Egan.
