Complementary Approaches for Menopausal Symptoms: Key Points

Complementary Approaches for Menopausal Symptoms: Key Points

Menopause is the permanent end of a woman’s menstrual periods. Menopause occurs naturally, or it can be caused by surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Natural products or mind and body practices are sometimes used in an effort to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.Here are some key points to remember:

• Mind and body practices such as yoga, tai chi, qi gong, and acupuncture may help reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms.
• Researchers are studying herbal supplements sometimes used for menopausal symptoms in an effort to identify their different compounds and active ingredients and to understand their effects in the body. Some of these supplements can have serious side effects.
• “Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy” or “BHRT” is a marketing term used to describe medications that are prepared in specialized pharmacies and may contain any variation of hormones including, estrone, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone. They are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
• Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Find more information at https://nccih.nih.gov/health/menopause.