If hot flashes and/or night sweats are
Deep breathing, relaxation breathing, and paced respiration all refer to a method used interfering with your daily activities,
to reduce stress. It involves breathing in don’t hesitate to seek relief. There are
(inhaling) deeply and breathing out (exhaling) some practical steps you can try to ease
at an even pace. Do this for several minutes hot flashes and/or night sweats:
while in a comfortable position. You should
◗
Sleep in a cool room.
slowly breathe in through your nose. With a
◗
Dress in layers, which can be
hand on your stomach right below your ribs, removed at the start of a hot flash.
you should first feel your stomach push your
◗
Have a drink of cold water or juice
hand out, and then your chest should fill.
when you feel a hot flash coming on.
Slowly exhale through your mouth, first
◗
Use sheets and clothing that let your
letting your lungs empty and then feeling skin “breathe.”
your stomach sink back. You can do this
◗
Don’t smoke.
almost anywhere and several times during
You could try to keep a written record
the day, whenever you feel stressed. You can of what you were doing just before a
also try this if you feel a hot flash beginning hot flash started. This might reveal
or if you need to relax before falling asleep.
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Your doctor might recommend certain
problems as a result. This approach, now
prescription medicines to help manage
known as menopausal hormone therapy
hot flashes. For example, studies suggest (MHT), used to be called hormone
that gabapentin, a medicine used for
replacement therapy or HRT.
epilepsy, pain, and some mood disorders,
might ease hot flashes in some women.
There are a few antidepressants that might also help, even if you aren’t depressed or don’t have mood problems. However, none
of these drugs have been approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
for relieving hot flashes, and there are
many questions that scientists are still
working on answering.
More than sixty years ago, experts found
that giving estrogen to a woman going
through the menopausal transition could
relieve some of the annoying symptoms
like hot flashes. Estrogen remains the
most effective medicine approved by
the FDA for hot flashes, night sweats,
and vaginal dryness. But, now we
know that a few women who use
estrogen may develop serious health
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What about hormones for symptoms of menopause?
enopausal hormone therapy (MHT)
when menopause has occurred. That is,
M
uses hormones to ease the symptoms of
you might continue to have a period because menopause or to prevent osteoporosis.
of the hormones you are taking even after The hormones are estrogen alone for a
your ovaries are no longer making estrogen woman who no longer has her uterus or
and progesterone.
estrogen with progesterone or a progestin If you have had a hysterectomy with your
(a progesterone-like medicine) for a woman ovaries removed also, your doctor might
with a uterus. When a woman is taking
suggest that you start using estrogen right estrogen, progesterone or a progestin is
after the operation. This may prevent hot needed to protect the lining of the uterus, flashes and other symptoms. If, later, you the endometrium. This lowers the chance
decide to stop using estrogen, however,
of unwanted endometrial thickening and
bothersome menopausal symptoms could
of endometrial cancer, an uncommon, but
still start, even years after the surgery.
possible result of using estrogen alone.
Many women find MHT relieves their
Estrogen and progesterone/progestin
menopausal symptoms, but not all women
come in many different forms—pills, creams, should use this therapy. If you are considering or skin patches, for example—and a variety using MHT for troublesome menopausal
of types and doses. The FDA recommends
symptoms or to prevent osteoporosis, you
that MHT be used at the lowest dose that
can read an up-to-date discussion of MHT, relieves symptoms for the shortest time
including the benefits and risks of both MHT
needed.
and bioidentical or natural hormones, in the Similar to the effect of using low-dose
Hormones and Menopause tip sheet from birth control pills before menopause, using the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Contact menopausal hormone therapy before your
the NIA Information Center, listed in For last period can make it difficult to know More Information, for a free copy.
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