What Treatments are Available for Menopause?

All across the world, women call their doctors in search for the best treatment for menopause. Doctors are likely to tell women, first, that there is no cure for menopause.

Menopause is inevitable. Every woman will eventually stop ovulating and menstruating and there is nothing out there that will stop it. However, doctors can treat women for symptoms of perimenopause—the years leading up to menopause that are filled with uncomfortable symptoms for so many women.

Hormone Replacement Therapy
Over the years, the first line of treatment was Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT is used to get to the source of many of the symptoms that women experience as they move toward menopause.

The majority of physical issues that occur during perimenopause occur because of the reduction of the major reproduction hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormonal fluctuations are the reason that so many women suffer from insomnia, hot flashes, irritability, mood swings and other symptoms.

Since decreased levels of hormones are the cause of symptoms and of discomfort, logic would dictate, then, that treating the source would be the best course to treat the problem. For some medical professionals, HRT was the obvious and best course of action. To this day, it is still considered to be the leading treatment to alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause.

Though HRT is the preferred course of treatment, it is not necessarily the best course of treatment. One must always remember that menopause is a natural event for every woman, and as uncomfortable as perimenopausal symptoms might be, it is not completely necessary

to treat them at all. A new approach to menopause is, ironically, a throw-back to traditional medicine and the use of herbs, vitamins and a healthy lifestyle.

HRT does provide relief for millions of women who receive it. However, in 2004, HRT trials were cancelled early due to some alarming results that were found. A connection was found between women who received HRT and an increase in breast cancer. Also, there were higher incidents of high blood pressure, blood clots and strokes among women who were HRT recipients.

Statistics from the study revealed an increase in breast and reproductive cancers, stroke and blood clots. Fortunately for many women undergoing HRT as their preferred course of treatment, studies also showed a reduction in osteoporosis as well as a reduction in colon cancer.

As a result of these numbers, many question whether the risk of HRT is worth the benefits against perimenopausal symptoms. The end of the study frightened many women back into the doctor’s offices, wondering if they would have to go back to suffering from sleepless nights, hot flashes, headaches and other ailments associated with “the change.”

The general thinking is that HRT is no longer the first line of defense for treating perimenopausal symptoms. Women should be carefully screened before starting HRT and those women at risk for high blood pressure, heart conditions, breast cancer, blot clots and strokes should steer clear of it.

So, if not HRT for treatment, then what?
Women have more options than ever: some are clinically proven while others not. Women can mitigate the symptoms in a variety of ways, just as their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers did before the advent of HRT.

The first route recommended for many women is to improve their diet and activity level. Studies have shown that women who are active for at least 30 minutes a day, do not smoke and eat right have fewer symptoms or complications due to perimenopause.

Many women turn to natural remedies. For example, some people believe that diet that is rich in soy is beneficial and can help to relieve much of the discomfort associated with perimenopause.

Of all the natural alternatives, Black Cohosh, a plant-based remedy—is one of the most documented and well-proven therapies for multiple symptoms. Caution is highly recommended, though. Not every product that is advertised in the media to help with menopause is approved by doctors or even safe. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And, if there’s uncertainty about what to take, get medical advice before starting a new type of therapy.

Another consideration that women must keep in mind that no therapy will treat all symptoms. Sometimes, no treatment is even necessary. However, if the discomfort is too much to deal with, perhaps a better focus to have is on the individual complaints and not the combination of them. Treating the symptoms individually can provide some level or relief, and that is a good start on the road back to comfort. Prioritize which symptoms need attention and address them openly with the doctor.

Perhaps, instead of trying to deal with the big picture of all the complaints of perimenopause, our vision should be simplified a little. Maybe this way, the symptoms leading to menopause can be reduced or possibly eliminated—one at a time.

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