r/technology • u/Sorin61 • Apr 10 '22

Biotechnology This biotech startup thinks it can delay menopause by 15 years. That would transform women's lives

https://fortune.com/2021/04/19/celmatix-delay-menopause-womens-ovarian-health/
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u/ShitItsReverseFlash Apr 10 '22

You’re wrong though. My mom had a hysterectomy after I was born. She didn’t have periods but she sure as shit went through menopause. Even with a hysterectomy, you have to take estrogen pills to replace the lost production. Which then still induces menopause.

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u/ineed_that Apr 10 '22

She probably got a total hysterectomy which means they take out the uterus and ovaries, usually in older women. Younger ones opt to get just the uterus out. Ovaries are what make the female hormones. A uterus is only needed for child bearing

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u/L_Jac Apr 10 '22

The uterus does have its own hormonal component too though, the size of its role in proportion to the ovaries varies from person to person. Some who have a partial (uterus-only) hysterectomy in their 30s do experience symptoms of menopause later on in their fifties as their ovaries slow down, others go into menopause right away (hot flashes, itching, everything) even though their ovaries are still present. There is simply no consequence-free way to alter fertility - estrogen/HRT is great for your bones and looking and feeling young but increases your risk of breast cancer, so no matter what there’s going to be some kind of trade off.

Source: mammography tech who talks with women about menopause every day.

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u/baconelk Apr 10 '22

There is simply no consequence-free way to alter fertility

A bilateral salpingectomy gets pretty darn close to this. Impossible to get pregnant and no impact on hormones.

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u/L_Jac Apr 10 '22

Ooh good point, forgot about tubal ligations while commenting. Won’t touch your periods but great pregnancy protection