The multi-function oven in the Aga 36" Legacy range is small. Standard pans do not fit. I have one, and it has been very difficult to find pans that fit. There are NO large roasting pans big enough for a small turkey but small enough to fit in the oven on the market. Aga customer service is horrendous, and the pans that fit their regular ranges do not fit the Legacy. I love the way it looks in my vintage kitchen, but there are numerous problems. Do your research before you buy.

Birth control pills may help mask menopause symptoms By TOM VALEO Published March 28, 2006 All women can expect to enter menopause sooner or later, but women taking birth control pills may not notice, at least for a while. In the meantime, they can expect several benefits from the pill beside avoiding an unwanted pregnancy: They will avoid some of the most conspicuous signs of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats and irritability. "A woman on the birth control pill is getting hormones at a level above what her ovaries would produce,'' said Dr. Catherine Lynch, director of General Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa. "When a woman goes into menopause, the ovaries basically shut down and no longer produce estrogen or progesterone in any significant amounts, so a woman taking the birth control pill in the standard fashion of three weeks on active pills, followed by one week of inactive pills, often won't have any symptoms of menopause until that pill-free week. She may not even realize she's in menopause because she's getting adequate estrogen and still cycling.'' During the week when she is not taking active birth control pills, the woman may even have a "withdrawal bleed" caused by the sudden drop in estrogen. A withdrawal bleed is easily mistaken for a normal period. And if the woman is taking continuous-use birth control pills, she will take inactive pills only one week out of every 12 instead of every four, so she will have a withdrawal bleed no more than once every four months. "So a woman who's, say, 51 and taking Seasonale one of the continuous-use birth control pills isn't going to have hot flashes or night sweats for 12 weeks, because she's having estrogen provided for her by the pills,'' Dr. Lynch said. "She may experience symptoms during the week she takes inactive pills, but just as symptoms start to climb, she starts taking active pills again, and she won't appreciate that these are symptoms of menopause.'' But that's not all. Taking birth control pills also seems to reduce bone loss. In fact, if the woman is also doing weight-bearing exercises and getting plenty of calcium, low-dose birth control pills may even help build bone density. Women on the pill also experience less iron deficiency anemia, and some studies suggest that the pill protects against benign breast disease, endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer. The Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, the largest to investigate this last issue, found a 40 percent decrease on average of ovarian cancer in women who had taken oral contraceptives. The risk decreased as the amount of time on the pill increased, so women who had taken the pill for seven years or longer experienced a reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer of 60 to 80 percent. Some Women on the pill also experience less iron deficiency anemia, and some studies suggest that the pill protects against benign breast disease, endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer. studies suggest that oral contraceptives might even protect against colorectal cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Taking the pill has always meant an increase in the risk of blood clots, which can cause a stroke. But a woman who does not smoke, does not have high blood pressure, and takes a low-dose oral contraceptive can almost eliminate that additional risk. So why not just stay on the pill and enjoy all the benefits of hormone-replacement therapy, known as HRT? Because even low-dose birth-control pills deliver five to seven times as much estrogen as HRT. HRT simply gives the body back what the ovaries were producing before they were shut down by menopause. The birth control pill delivers a dose of hormones large enough to shut down the ovaries, and it's pointless for a woman to keep taking hormones after menopause has begun and she has stopped ovulating. She would be better off with hormone-replacement therapy, which would provide her with the same benefits but a lower dose of hormone. "The trick is figuring out when she is in menopause,'' Dr. Lynch said. "There are a couple of ways to test this, but they're not 100 percent reliable. She can go off the pill and see if she's still cycling, but if she's sexually active, there's an outside chance she could get pregnant. "While it's rare for pregnancy to occur at the age of 50 or 51, it can happen if you're still ovulating.'' Tom Valeo is a freelance writer specializing in medical and health issues. Contact him c/o Seniority, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail features at sptimes dot com. [Last modified March 28, 2006, 08:52:07] Here is a link that might be useful: from a Florida online newspaper

Yeah, this is how it started for me. In a few months it should be back to normal at least or a while -- maybe 6 months to a year -- then it will start again, only this time when it comes it will be real heavy. Then it will be semi-normal for a while. One month it will be normal, then nothing for 2 or 3 months. Finally it will cease altogether. I am 52 now, have not had a period since maybe September. However, the symptoms began about 3 years ago. I can't believe that I am saying this, but I would really prefer having monthly, painful periods than not! Makes me feel real old. I still shop for tampax and pads for my daughters, but do they have to have them in the same isle as adult diapers (which I fear is next).

Because an island hood isn't assisted by wall and cabinets - they help direct air flow - it's best to go 6" wider than your cook top so you should opt for a 42" wide hood. Island hoods are generally deeper than perimeter hoods for the same reason. They need to cover a larger space for better capture. Before we chose to change up our lay-out and move the cook top from the island to the perimeter (best decision ever!), I researched island hoods. As stated above, they are expensive. Thankfully you can go straight up through the ceiling and the roof so that helps minimize install costs. I did a mock up with cardboard and hung it from the ceiling at the maximum recommended height above the counter and lived with it for several weeks. It felt like there was a big ol' thing hanging over my head. Which there was. =) It definitely affected sight lines in my kitchen and it cemented the decision to move the cook top off the island. Definitely do a mock-up. I'm not trying to talk you out of it but it's always a good idea to be as informed as possible for how things will look and feel post-remodel so that you end up with a kitchen you love and very few regrets. IME, all hoods are rated for decibels and you can find comparisons of noise levels on line (comparable to a vacuum cleaner, comparable to normal talking, etc). The downside is that there isn't a standard way to measure so it's not always easy to compare apples to apples. But since you're going up through the roof, you can minimize noise a lot by going with a remote blower. That moves the fan noise to the roof. Definitely check into MUA (Make Up Air) requirements and costs and how it works in your area. If you're in a cold weather area, I think you're required to hook it up to your furnace so that it draws in warmed air not cold air directly from outside. That adds to the cost.