For women who can't tolerate oral progesterone, a combination drug of bazedoxifene with conjugated estrogens (Duavee) is also approved for treating menopausal symptoms. Some women who take progesterone with estrogen therapy experience progesterone-related side effects. The goal is to optimize your quality of life. How long you use the treatment depends on the balance of your risks and benefits from hormone therapy. Guidelines suggest using the smallest effective dose for symptom control. With either regimen, the therapy needs to be tailored to your needs. But if you still have a uterus, you should take progesterone with estrogen to protect against cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer). Most women who have had a hysterectomy can take estrogen alone. Hormone therapyĮstrogen is the primary hormone used to reduce hot flashes. Hot flashes subside gradually for most women, even without treatment, but it can take several years for them to stop. If hot flashes don't interfere with your life, you probably don't need treatment. Medications such as antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs also might help reduce hot flashes, although they're less effective than hormones.ĭiscuss the pros and cons of various treatments with your doctor. If estrogen is appropriate for you and you start it within 10 years of your last menstrual period or before age 60, the benefits can be greater than the risks. The most effective way to relieve the discomfort of hot flashes is to take estrogen, but taking this hormone carries risks. Your doctor might suggest blood tests to check whether you're in menopausal transition. Your doctor can usually diagnose hot flashes based on a description of your symptoms. Research suggests that women who have hot flashes may have an increased risk of heart disease and greater bone loss than women who do not have hot flashes. Nighttime hot flashes (night sweats) can wake you from sleep and, over time, can cause long-term sleep disruptions. Hot flashes may impact your daily activities and quality of life. Hot flashes are reported least frequently in Asian women. More black women report having hot flashes during menopause than do women of other races. A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher frequency of hot flashes. Women who smoke are more likely to get hot flashes. Factors that may increase your risk include: Not all women who go through menopause have hot flashes, and it's not clear why some women do have them. Other potential causes include medication side effects, problems with your thyroid, certain cancers and side effects of cancer treatment. Rarely, hot flashes and nights sweats are caused by something other than menopause. When the hypothalamus thinks your body is too warm, it starts a chain of events - a hot flash - to cool you down. But most research suggests that hot flashes occur when decreased estrogen levels cause your body's thermostat (hypothalamus) to become more sensitive to slight changes in body temperature. It's not clear exactly how hormonal changes cause hot flashes. Hot flashes are most commonly caused by changing hormone levels before, during and after menopause. If hot flashes affect your daily activities or nighttime sleep, consider seeing your doctor to discuss treatment options. Some women have them for more than 10 years. On average, hot flash symptoms persist for more than seven years. How often hot flashes occur varies among women, but most women who report having hot flashes experience them daily. Nighttime hot flashes (night sweats) may wake you from sleep and can cause long-term sleep disruptions. They can happen at any time of day or night. Hot flashes may be mild or so intense that they disrupt daily activities. A single episode may last a minute or two - or as long as 5 minutes. The frequency and intensity of hot flashes vary among women.
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