FROM THE EDITOR

Everybody knows…

Maybe it’s me, but whenever I hear a sentence that begins with the phrase, ‘everybody knows,’ I can’t resist feeling deeply skeptical before the speaker has finished the statement! There are just so many things that ‘everybody knows’ that just aren’t true.

This month, in Menopausal Medicine, our authors walk with us through some complicated clinical areas to help us truly figure out what ‘everybody knows’—and doesn’t know. What we learn from Drs Bachmann, Phillips, and Sternfeld is that when the answer seems obvious, it’s time to reflect.

For example, everybody knows…that vaginal symptoms after menopause are due to estrogen deficiency—right? Drs Bachmann and Phillips provide a larger differential diagnosis that includes clinical entities that a busy doctor might well overlook. If our knee-jerk response to a menopausal woman with a vaginal complaint is to provide her with estrogen, and if that doesn’t work, prescribe more estrogen—we are not likely to give optimal care to the few with more unusual problems.

Another thing ‘everybody knows’ is that exercise is good for you. Period. However adherent to a regular exercise routine we might be ourselves, we recommend it to our patients and tend to assume it makes everything better. But does it? Dr. Sternfeld takes us on a tour of a complicated set of data to show us that it’s not a straightforward issue when it comes to exercise and hot flushes.

It’s always wise to check our assumptions. Our patients deserve nothing less.

Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause ©2010 Quadrant HealthCom Inc.