Your Guide for Menopause & Hot Flash Treatment Options

5 Things Not to Say to a Woman Having a Hot Flash

Hot flashes not only make a woman physically uncomfortable but she’s often embarrassed if others are nearby. To help her through those awkward moments, here are five things not ...

9 Products to Help Relieve Your Hot Flashes

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of a hot flash include:

• A feeling of warmth that comes on quickly and spreads to your face and upper torso
• Flushing of the ...
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8 Ways to Handle Hot Flashes in Warmer Weather

It’s never easy to deal with menopause symptoms. Weight gain, emotional swings, and hot flashes aren't going to be fun, no matter where you live. However, suffering from hot flashes ...

5 Mistakes Couples Make During Menopause

My mother-in-law once said I talk to hear myself talk. That comment did not make me happy (and yes, I loved my mother-in-law). I do admit, however, that I’m a huge talker. But during ...

How Menopause Affects Fertility

If you glean nothing else from the topic of menopause and fertility, let it be this: You can still get pregnant until you have passed the one-year mark since your final period! Not ...

How Ethnicity and Culture Affect Menopause

Perhaps you’ve heard about how Japanese-American women have been dealt some lucky cards at the menopause table, suffering the fewest hot flashes of any ethnicity. Maybe you know that ...

Does Menopause Really Cause Weight Gain?

For many women going through menopause, weight gain can be incredibly frustrating. No matter how many salads they eat or walks they take, the number on the scale keeps creeping upward. What is ...

What Menopause Symptoms Are Affecting You the Most?

While menopause is a natural stage of life, it may bring with it a variety of symptoms. Some women experience very few symptoms, while others have more intense ones. Even when women experience ...

A Letter To My Husband About Hot Flashes

Dear Husband,

Things have been a little strange lately, I know. You’re probably wondering who I am and what I’ve done with that happy, upbeat woman you married. ...

The Benefits of Early Treatment for Menopause and Hot Flashes

Hot flashes. Two words on the minds of many women over the age of 30. If you aren’t dealing with them, you’re wondering when you’ll have to deal with them. They can begin ...

When Hot Flashes Needle You, Is Acupuncture The Answer?

When hot flashes really get under a woman’s skin, some consider attacking in kind by employing acupuncture needles. However, as an alternative to drug therapy, it may be helpful to note ...

5 Ways to Help Your Family Handle Your Hot Flashes

When a hot flash hits, your life is instantly interrupted. That flash of heat not only sparks a fiery response in you, but it can ignite reactions among family members, too. Here are tips to ...

6 Reasons to Be Upbeat About Menopause

The North American Menopause Society sends this encouraging message about menopause: “Many women experience a newfound sense of freedom and anticipate personal growth.” They’re right! Here are ...

Is Estrogen Therapy Right For Me?

Question: I’m 46 and about to have a hysterectomy and my ovaries removed. I’m wondering if I should take estrogen once I’ve had the ...

My Doctor Doesn’t Want to Prescribe Menopause Hormones; What Should I Do?

Some doctors reacted to news published in 2002 that made it sound as if the risks of all menopause-related hormones outweighed the benefits. In fact, the study showed that a particular hormone ...

Can Menopause Cause Headaches?

Years ago, when you had your first period, you probably figured out quite quickly that hormones can cause more than just monthly bleeding. Irritability, upset stomach, depression, acne, ...

5 Ways to Support Your Relationship When You’re In Menopause

Menopause and the worries that go along with it can lead to difficulties in a relationship, even if you've been with your partner for many years.

This may not concern you at ...

Dealing With Hot Flashes on Top of a Chronic Illness

Living with a chronic illness can take everything you've got. Limitations and extra burdens will vary according to the type of illness. Entering menopause and contending with hot flashes ...

Why Are My Family and Friends Telling Me Not to Use Hormones For Menopause?

Question: I’m 53 and had a hysterectomy two years ago due to fibroids. I recently moved so I had to go to a new OB-GYN. She wants me to consider starting hormone therapy. ...

8 Ways to Spoil Yourself in Menopause

Spoiling. The word worries us. We’re afraid to spoil our children for fear they won’t grow into responsible adults. We’re afraid to spoil our pets for fear they’ll ...

Early vs. Late Menopause: Know Your Health Risks

Do you want your menopause to start early or later in life? If you are finished having children, you may wish your periods would go away and welcome the early start of menopause. But research ...

Is Menopause Ruining Your Relationship?

For many women, menopause is a time of intense physiological and emotional change. This time of life creates huge challenges for a woman to manage. However, how does menopause affect husbands ...

Why You Need to Talk to Your Doctor About Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are no doubt bothersome, to say the least, but they can be so much more than just a physical nuisance. It’s wise to view each one as a ...

Making Sure You Get the Right Prescription For Menopause Symptoms

If you find your personal menopause symptoms require addressing with your health care provider, it’s important to give special thought to the subject of prescription medications. They may ...

5 Things I Wish My Husband Knew About Menopause

Menopause sounded wonderful to me. I figured it meant the end of PMS, periods, and birth control. Sure, I’d heard about hot flashes, but that’s the only negative I had on my radar. ...

Nonhormonal Management of Menopause Symptoms

A 2015 article in Menopause lists the five most common menopause-related symptoms: vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, and weight gain. The list goes on to ...

Infographic: What Happens to a Woman's Body When She Experiences Menopause?

Menopause is a phase of life that normally begins in midlife. Starting as early as her 40s, a woman can experience new and confusing changes with her body. While these symptoms are natural, and ...

How (and Why) to Check the Severity of Your Hot Flashes

A hot flash is a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads through your body, concentrated in the face and neck area. It’s most often accompanied by flushing and sweating and generally lasts ...

Infographic: What Does a Woman's Body Experience During a Hot Flash?

Hot flashes are a familiar occurrence among women going through menopause, but not all women will experience them for the same duration or with the same severity. The underlying causes and ...

Osteoporosis: Strategies for Healthy Bones During and After Menopause

Menopause and its hormonal changes bring a host of uncomfortable and disconcerting symptoms. Hot flashes, sleep disturbance, and emotional roller coasters command much of our attention. ...

The Role of Estrogen Therapy for Menopausal Women

Estrogen is prescribed for menopausal women for two reasons: to treat symptoms and to reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Women who have had a hysterectomy can use estrogen-only ...

The Importance of Following Prescribed Treatment for Menopause

When menopause symptoms become too much for you to handle on your own, seeking out a doctor's opinion is usually a good idea. Describing your symptoms and the lifestyle changes you have ...

Interesting Facts About Hot Flashes

Almost everyone knows what a hot flash is but here are some facts not everyone knows. Study up and amaze your friends with your hot flash expertise.

• Hot flashes are not always ...
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Black Cohosh: An Herb for Hot Flashes?

For some women, menopause symptoms are mild and can be controlled with simple lifestyle changes. For others, menopause symptoms make it difficult just to survive the day with their sanity ...

Infographic: Know Your Numbers For Menopause and Beyond

As if hot flashes weren't enough to worry about, menopause brings about other changes in a woman's life that require paying close attention to our bodies. Whether it's calorie intake, ...

Hot Flashes: One Woman's Perspective

There is a running joke in my family, and sadly, I am the butt of it. I have been hot-natured for as long as I can remember. If I had to guess, I would say it goes back as far back as ...

8 Tips to Sleep Better When Dealing With Night Sweats

An estimated 35 to 50 percent of perimenopausal women suffer sudden waves of body heat with sweating and flushing that last between 5 and 10 minutes. When these happen at night, during sleep, ...

Dealing With the Embarrassment of Hot Flashes

When my friend Carey was 52, she attended the opening of a new restaurant. In the middle of the festivities, she experienced a hot flash. Her face went beat red. Beads of sweat shone on her ...

What I Want My Children to Know About My Menopause Experience

Going through early menopause is difficult. One of the most complicated areas is parenting through your bad days. I have two boys at home. One is 18, and the other is six. It’s a big gap ...

Are You Prepared For Menopause?

How Untreated Hot Flashes Affect the Economy

If you ask women about their most common menopause symptom, a significant number of them would probably tell you about hot flashes. According to WebMD, hot flashes happen in more than ...

Answers to Your Top 7 Menopause Questions

The phase of a woman's life called menopause can bring with it a wide variety of challenges to overcome. Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, and changes in sex drive affect many women as ...

8 Top Hot Flash Questions Answered

Hot flashes are experienced by up to 80 percent of women going through natural menopause and over 90 percent after a hysterectomy. The two years before and the two years after the last ...

Relieving Common Menopause Symptoms Through Diet

Anyone who has ever pushed away from a big Thanksgiving turkey dinner and promptly wanted to take a nap has experienced the effect of nutrients in food on the human body. The sluggishness we ...

Advocating for Your Own Health in Menopause

As I approached menopause, my doctor never warned me I’d face challenges. When sex and then simply walking became painful, I feared pelvic floor prolapse. Luckily, after a visit to the ...

When Hot Flashes Strike at Work

I love posting heartwarming menopause stories on my menopause blog. And yes, there are heartwarming menopause stories! One of my favorites is the story of Sirena Pellarolo, who worked as a high ...

Menopause Checklist: Preparing for Your Appointment

You’ve noticed a few odd symptoms lately and you feel like your mood is swinging back and forth. Is it menopause or just a fluke? Sounds like it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor. ...

FDA Consumer Protections and Alternative Menopause Treatments

The standing medical opinion is that up to 75 percent of American women suffer hot flashes at some point in their lives. This hot flash phase can last from months to over 14 years for an ...

Menopause and Hormones: What Role Does Estrogen Play?

Hormones play a role in almost every function of our bodies. Think of them as biological messengers, telling tissues what they should do and when. Estrogen is one hormone that almost all women ...

How Menopause Interferes With Sleep

Tossing and turning is not my idea of great sleep. I want to hit my pillow and fall into dream-town, but lately that’s not where I’ve been finding myself.

Instead, I’m in the heat of ...

5 Lifestyle Changes You Can Make Right Now to Ease Menopause Symptoms

Have you ever been sitting on your friend's couch during a girls night out only to have to ditch your glass of wine and find an open window because of a hot flash? Or maybe one chilly evening ...

Do You Have a Strong Support System During Menopause?

Menopause brings about many physical and emotional changes that are difficult to combat alone. That's why it's important to have others support you during your journey.

What does your ...

Was That a Hot Flash? It May Be Time To See Your Doctor

I can clearly remember the first time I experienced a hot flash. You see, I was typically the one person in the crowd wearing a jacket while everyone else talked about what a lovely day it was. ...

Addressing Menopause Symptoms With Your Doctor

Doctor appointments aren't something we look forward to usually. Generally speaking, most people go because they need to or feel that they should rather than having a great desire to see the ...

SWAN Study Finds Hot Flashes Last Up To 14 Years

The label “hot flash” is really a misnomer. Not only does the blazing bout of misery take longer than a flash to course through a woman’s body, the chunk of her life she can expect to suffer ...

Menopause Facts & Fiction: Do You Know the Difference?

Menopause is difficult enough without guessing what is coming next. Your body is going haywire, your mind is leaping in six directions, and every woman's experience can have unique twists and ...

8 Tips for Dealing with Hot Flashes During Different Seasons

With cooler weather coming, many of us are turning up the heat to battle the chill in our homes. Out go the tank tops and flip-flops, and we start bundling up in sweaters and hoodies. For women ...

Hot Flash Fact or Fiction?

Unfortunately, the hot flash can be about as blazing (and uncomfortable) as the name implies. Find out how knowledgeable you are about them with our quiz. It just might help you have a better ...

Exercise: A Menopause Lifeline

During the roller coaster of menopause, walking was a lifeline for me. My gym friends and I pounded the treadmills as we discussed everything from relationship woes to world events to the ...

Are you Seeking Treatment for Hot Flashes?

Many women dealing with menopause and hot flashes never follow through with getting treatment from there doctor. But treatment is important for your hot flashes, no matter if they are severe or ...

Determining Candidates for Hormone Replacement Therapy

The first thing you should know about hormone therapy is that it’s no longer referred to as hormone replacement therapy. Jan Shifren, M.D., immediate past president of the board of the North ...

Determining the Best Candidates for Nonhormonal Hot Flash Treatment

Most gynecologists agree that many women are excellent candidates for the “lowest effective dose of hormone therapy” for treating the miseries of hot flashes. But when a woman is excluded from ...

Sorting The Myths and Facts of Hormone Replacement Therapy

We are fortunate to live in an era with unprecedented access to information thanks to the Internet. With the right keywords and a quick search, seemingly unlimited results appear right at our ...

Know Your Options: Menopause Treatments

Not every woman will need – or seek out – treatment for their menopausal symptoms. For some, the symptoms might be mild enough to forgo treatment and will eventually go away on their own. Yet ...

Safety of Hormone Treatment Past Age 65

It’s a hallmark of the American tradition that somewhere around preschool or kindergarten we’re all taught we’re unique. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is trying to reintroduce ...

How to Follow the Doctor's Orders for Hot Flash Treatment

My gynecologist is a hoot! He cracks corny jokes, and since he was raised in Canada, he often interjects a bit of French. He makes a doctor’s visit fun. Even better, he listens when it’s time ...

At What Age Does Menopause Start?

Your first period. I bet you’ve never forgotten it. Mine was on my 13th birthday. I knew to expect my first period, but I sure was shocked to see that blood.

My mom had ordered me a ...

What is Menopause?

Medically speaking, menopause is defined as 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle. And according to The North American Menopause Society, NAMS, it is estimated that in the 21st ...

What Is the Difference Between Hot Flashes and Night Sweats?

“I’m drenched with sweat!” I announced to my husband Cliff in the middle of a January night. “I bet this is menopause.” I’d read about the dreaded night sweats.

“You’ve got too many ...

10 Important Things Women Should Know About Hot Flashes Before They Happen

Hot flashes- those feelings of warmth that spread over your body – go along with menopause the way, for some women, food cravings go along with pregnancy. They signal the final stage of your ...

How to Talk to Your Doctor About Hot Flashes

Preparing to talk to your doctor about hot flashes is a bit like preparing for a job interview. But instead of giving thought to your greatest strengths and weaknesses, plan to do some ...

How Long Do Hot Flashes Last in a Woman's Life?

Hot flashes and night sweats are considered two of the hallmark symptoms signaling the onset of perimenopause, the five to 10 year period when women experience hormonal changes before they ...

Are You Experiencing Moderate Or Severe Hot Flashes?

If you’re around “that” age and you’re muttering, “Is it me, or is it hot in here?” chances are you’re experiencing a hot flash.

I’m talking about the time of perimenopause — before ...

The Science Behind What Happens In a Woman's Body During a Hot Flash

Despite the bold and assertive name by which the hot flash is known, her origins remain elusive. Of course, doctors and scientists understand many of the mechanisms of menopause such as the ...