Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHome Remedies and LifestyleOTC TherapiesPrescriptionsComplementary/AlternativeNext in Menopause GuideBest Ways to Support a Partner During Menopause
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Home Remedies and Lifestyle
OTC Therapies
Prescriptions
Complementary/Alternative
Next in Menopause Guide
Menopauseis a normal part of a woman’s life, not a disease that needs to be treated. Still, many women seek treatment to relieve symptoms that result from the significant hormonal changes that occur. Not only can these shifts significantly affect the quality of life, but they can also increase the risk of certain health concerns.
Read on to learn about the various medications, procedures, and lifestyle changes that can help relieve menopausal symptoms.
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Even if you are coping well with the hormonal changes of menopause, it is a good time to pause and take a look at your current lifestyle. Small adjustments can make the next decades healthy ones.
Exercise
Exercise is important regardless of your age, but it takes on added importance in menopause.
Strength training as well as aerobic-focused exercises can help counteract age-related muscle and bone loss, both of which accelerate after menopause begins. Regular moderate exercise also helps manage the mood disturbances that changing hormone levels can bring.
You may even want to consider joining a yoga class. Regular yoga practice has been shown to maintain flexibility, help with bone loss, and improve hot flashes.
Diet
In menopause, it is more of a challenge to maintain your muscle and bone mass. Ensuring that you get adequate protein and vitamin D in your diet can help you maintain and/or build muscle.
For symptoms of hot flashes, you may want to cut back on spicy foods and caffeine. Drinking too much caffeine, especially later in the day, might also lead to poor sleep, which is a common problem during menopause.
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol can exacerbate some of the symptoms and complications of menopause, including poor sleep and mood problems. In some studies, alcohol has been shown to increase the frequency of hot flashes and night sweats.
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Therapies
Your healthcare provider may recommendvitamin D supplementsand possibly calcium supplements to prevent bone loss and lower the risk of osteoporosis.
For vaginal dryness, there are a variety of vaginal moisturizers that you can use every two to three days. You can also use vaginal lubricants during sexual intercourse.
Always check with your practitioner before taking OTC products, supplements, and herbal remedies as they can interact with prescription medications or each other.
While a lifestyle approach to menopausal symptoms is preferred, in some cases—particularly when OTC options haven’t been effective, or you have significant symptoms that such treatments cannot help—your healthcare provider may recommend prescription therapy.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
The menopausal transition and, ultimately, menopause are the result of a gradual loss of ovarian activity. Lowered levels of ovarian hormones are directly responsible for the symptoms and changes that you experience.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) are very effective in treating the symptoms of menopause, especially vasomotor symptoms and vaginal atrophy. In fact, estrogen with or without progesterone is proven to be the most effective treatment of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes. Some women also take HRT to prevent bone loss in menopause, which can lead toosteoporosis.
There are many different formulations and concentrations available. Many hormone replacement options contain either a natural or abioidentical form of estrogenand progesterone.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)recommends FDA-approved hormone therapyover compounded hormone therapy. Bioidentical hormones have not been shown to be safer than traditional hormone replacement therapy, and they carry the same risks.
In addition to the type and concentration of hormones, there are different forms of HRT for you to choose from, depending on your preferences, symptoms, and treatment goals. These include:
If you still have your uterus, you will need to take progesterone in addition to estrogen to protect the lining of your uterus from developingendometrial hyperplasia.In certain situations, your healthcare provider may suggest testosterone replacement as well.
Depending on your history and your symptoms, your practitioner may also suggest that you try another type of hormonal medication, called aselective estrogen receptor modulator(SERM).
There arecertain clinical situationswhen using hormones is not appropriate. These include a personal history of breast cancer, a blood clotting disorder, or if your healthcare provider has told you hormones are contraindicated. The risks of HRT include coronary heart disease, stroke, venous thromboembolism (clots), and dementia. These risks rise for those over age 60 or who begin HRT more than 10 or 20 years after the onset of menopause.Taking HRT for longer durations and at higher dosages also may increase health risks.
HRT used to be standard care for menopausal symptoms, but concerns about the risks have made it a less-common option. The treatment can now be better tailored to treat your symptoms while minimizing risks. A conversation with your healthcare provider can determine if the benefits outweigh the risks for you.
Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause
Paxil
Paxil (paroxetine) belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Research has shown that these drugs, which are used to treat depression, also help relieve the vasomotor symptoms associated with low estrogen levels in non-depressed menopausal women.
Since the hormone changes of menopause can also cause depression, an SSRI may also be an appropriate choice in some women. But these benefits need to be balanced with the side effects of most SSRIs, which includeweight gainand decreased sex drive—two issues already common in menopausal women.
Veozah
In December 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued aboxed warningfor Veozah. Veozah may lead to serious liver injury in some individuals. Symptoms of liver damage include fatigue, unusual itching, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, dark urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking Veozah and consult your healthcare provider immediately.
Clonidine
Unlike Paxil, which has approval from the FDA for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, Clonidine is used off-label to treat these issues. Some evidence supports the benefits of this blood pressure medication to reduce hot flashes.
Gabapentin
Like clonidine, gabapentin is not FDA approved for the treatment of hot flashes. It is a medicine used to prevent seizures, but has also been shown to reduce vasomotor symptoms. It is not as effective as estrogen, but is a good option for women who cannot use hormone replacement therapy.
Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers options outside of traditional Western or allopathic medicine. Many of these options are based on centuries-old healing practices like Chinese-medicine, Ayurveda, and herbal medicine. You may choose to seek an integrative approach combining allopathic with naturopathic, homeopathic, or Eastern medicine.
While there is some clinical evidence to support the benefits and safety of some of these options, generally, scientific evidence is mixed. According to one scientific review, there is no consistent evidence to support the safety or benefit of many CAM therapies.
Naturopathy & Homeopathy
Some common homeopathic or herbal remedies recommended to treat menopausal symptoms include:
The evidence is limited to support benefit from these herbal remedies. Most of these herbs have estrogen-like activity, and there is concern that they may have some of the same risks as taking estrogen.They may interact with many different prescription drugs. Further, specific risks of liver damage have been noted for black cohosh and kava.
It is important to let all your healthcare providers know about any herbal remedies you’re taking for menopause.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicineis an over 3,000-year-old healing practice based on a complex concept of energy balance in the universe and ultimately in the individual. Simply put, when this energy is out of balance disease occurs. Traditional Chinese medicine uses varying healing techniques, including:
Some experts suggest that traditional Chinese medicine is an important part of treatment options for menopausal symptoms especially as part of an integrated approach.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda, like Chinese medicine, is an ancient healing practice that is over 3,000 years old. Ayurvedic practitioners use several different healing techniques, including:
Ayurveda is a well-recognized complementary and alternative medicine option. Unfortunately, it is difficult to apply Western research study design to this healing philosophy, so very limited evidence is available to comment on its effectiveness. But that doesn’t mean it is not effective in helping to treat menopausal symptoms.
Natural Treatments for the Symptoms of Menopause
A Word From Verywell
Menopause causes many changes in your body. It is a normal process and not a disease. However, the hormonal changes of menopause can cause unpleasant symptoms and long-term health issues that affect your quality of life. Making simple lifestyle changes and integrating different therapeutic approaches can help you live very well through menopause and beyond.
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