Alternative menopause treatments

Herbal and complementary medicines could be recommended as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for treating postmenopausal symptoms says a new study in the January 11th issue of The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG).

Due to the risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), other treatment options may be equally effective, such as behavior modification and herbal and complimentary medicines.

The study states that as many as 50 to 75 percent of postmenopausal women use herbal options to treat hot flushes, and of the complimentary therapies, soy, red clover and black cohosh have been the most investigated.

The author of the study recommends these herbal treatments as there are no significant adverse side effects associated with them, as long as they are used in women who do not have a personal history of breast cancer, are not at high risk for breast cancer, and are not taking tamoxifen.