Night Sweats

“If hot flashes and night sweats are disrupting your
daily activities and sleep, HT may improve sleep and fatigue,
mood, ability to concentrate, and overall quality of life”.1

Umbrella

What may the Night Sweats Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Hot Flashes/Flushes At Night
  • Hot Flashes/Flushes That Occur During Sleeping
  • Night Sweats
  • Nighttime Hot Flashes
  • Vasomotor Symptoms

Definition

What are night sweats?

DotS the definition of night sweats may vary. The North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) definition is:

“Night sweats are hot flashes at night that interfere with sleep”.2

Vasomotor Symptoms

What are vasomotor symptoms?

DotS the definition of vasomotor symptoms may vary. The NAM’s definition is:

“Vasomotor symptoms. Also known as hot flashes and night sweats, common symptoms during perimenopause and early postmenopause”.3

Impact

What can be the impact of night sweats?

In Hot Flashes: Symptoms & Causes – Symptoms the (United States) Mayo Clinic note:

“Nighttime hot flashes (night sweats) may wake you from sleep and can cause long-term sleep disruptions”.4

Irritability

Is there an association between irritability and night sweats?

In Menopause 101: A Primer for the Perimenopausal – Common Body Changes At Menopause: Night Sweats the NAMS elaborate on:

“While it’s a myth that menopause itself makes women irritable, the sleep disturbances that stem from hot flashes and night sweats can certainly make a woman irritable”.5

Preventative Steps

What are some preventative steps to improve sleep quality?

In Night Sweats: Care and Treatment – What Can I Do At Home To Treat Night Sweats? the (United States) Cleveland Clinic suggest:

“Regardless of what’s causing your night sweats, you can take preventative steps to improve your sleep quality. To keep cooler during bedtime:

  • Sip cool water throughout the night.
  • Use pillows and mattress covers that contain cooling gels.
  • Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, cotton or linen pajamas to bed.
  • Exercise daily by walking, swimming, dancing, bicycling, etc.
  • Use lightweight, layered bedding that you can remove as needed at night.
  • Unwind before bedtime using deep breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques.
  • Use a bedroom fan, sleep with your windows open, or crank up the air conditioning.
  • Keep a cold pack under your pillow, then flip your pillow to rest your head on a cool surface.
  • Avoid common night sweat triggers such as alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine and cigarettes or exercising immediately before bed”.6

Treatment

What are some treatments for night sweats?

The NAM’s explain:

“Treatments for night sweats and hot flashes include lifestyle changes, nonprescription remedies, hormone therapy (with estrogen plus progestogen, or estrogen alone for women without a uterus), and nonhormonal prescription drugs”.7

Hormone Therapy

What may hormone therapy (HT) improve?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits published July 2022, the NAMS elaborate on:

Night Sweats“If hot flashes and night sweats are disrupting your daily activities and sleep, HT may improve sleep and fatigue, mood, ability to concentrate, and overall quality of life”.8

On page two in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Hormone Therapy Options the NAMS also note:

“Each woman must make her own decision about HT with the help of a healthcare professional. If you decide to take HT, the next step is to choose between the many HT options available to find the best dose and route for you. With guidance from your healthcare professional, you can try different forms of HT until you find the type and dose that treats your symptoms with few adverse effects”.9

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause first published online 10 June 2022, is:

  • “The decision whether to take HRT, the dose and duration of its use should be made on an individualised basis after discussing the benefits and risks with each patient. This should be considered in the context of the overall benefits obtained from using HRT including symptom control and improving quality of life as well as considering the bone and cardiovascular benefits associated with HRT use. Discussions with women should also cover aspects such as when to consider stopping HRT and how this can be done (by gradually reducing the dose of HRT). No arbitrary limits should be set on age or duration of HRT intake”.10

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help with my night sweats?

If you would like help with your night sweats, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. In Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment the (United States) Mayo Clinic encourage us to seek help explaining:

“Before deciding on any form of treatment, talk with your doctor about your options and the risks and benefits involved with each. Review your options yearly, as your needs and treatment options may change”.11

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Night Sweats?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Night Sweats?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 4 Benefits of Sleep Meditation and How To Do It
  2. 8 Myths and Truths About Menopausal Hot Flashes
  3. A Pragmatic Approach To the Management of Menopause
  4. ACOG Explains: Managing Menopause Symptoms [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]
  5. Alcohol
  6. All the Reasons You Might Be Having Night Sweats – and When To See A Doctor
  7. Are Premenopausal “Cold Flashes” A Real Thing?
  8. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  9. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  10. BMS TV: Menopause Explained
  11. BMS TV: Testosterone Explained
  12. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  13. CAMS Menopause Hour – Perimenopause: A Clinical Challenge
  14. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  15. Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy [Video]
  16. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  17. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  18. Efficacy of Plant-Derived Dietary Supplements In Improving Overall Menopausal Symptoms In Women: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  19. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  20. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  21. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  22. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  23. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  24. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  25. Hot Flashes
  26. Hot Flashes
  27. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  28. Hot Flushes, Night Sweats, Brain Fog? Here’s What We Know About Phytoestrogens for Menopausal Symptoms
  29. How Long Will I Have Hot Flashes and What Causes Them?
  30. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  31. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause. Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  32. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  33. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
  34. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Signs and Symptoms of Menopause [+ Video: Talking Menopause With Your GP]
  35. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Supporting Someone Through the Menopause [+ Video: Men Don’t Need To Know About Menopause]
  36. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Treating Menopause Symptoms [+ Video: Does the Menopause Happen Suddenly?]
  37. Let’s Talk About Perimenopause
  38. Management of Perimenopausal and Menopausal Symptoms
  39. Managing Your Symptoms
  40. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  41. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  42. Mayo Clinic Q and A: 5 Ways To Get Better Sleep
  43. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns
  44. Menopause
  45. Menopause
  46. Menopause
  47. Menopause Management Options
  48. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  49. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
    Night Sweats
  50. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – Stages of Menopause: Perimenopause
  51. Menopause Mindfulness: A Personal Toolkit for Menopause Preparedness
  52. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  53. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 5. Lifestyle Advice In Menopause & Perimenopause
  54. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause Wellness
  55. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  56. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  57. Menopause Ruining Your Sex Life?
  58. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  59. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  60. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  61. Menopause-Related Hot Flashes and Night Sweats Can Last for Years
  62. Menopause: Ensuring A Tranquil Transition
  63. Menopause: Things You Can Do
  64. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
  65. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  66. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Herbs At A Glance
  67. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  68. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Red Clover
  69. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Soy
  70. Natural Remedies To Help Manage Perimenopause Symptoms
  71. Natural Therapies
  72. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  73. Night Sweats
  74. Night Sweats
  75. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  76. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  77. Office of Dietary Supplements: Black Cohosh
  78. Perimenopause
  79. Perimenopause
  80. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptom Checklist
  81. Phytoestrogens
  82. Questions To Ask Your GP About Menopause
  83. Sleep, Food, Exercise, Stress: Why Working on One of These Can Improve the Others
  84. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
  85. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  86. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  87. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  88. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  89. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement
  90. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  91. Video Series-2022: Perimenopause, Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions
  92. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  93. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  94. Video Series-2023: Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Menopause Experience
  95. Video Series-2023: Premature and Early Menopause
  96. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  97. Webinars: Previous – Non-Hormonal Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  98. What Everyone Should Know About Menopause Symptoms
  99. What Is Menopause? [+ Video]
  100. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 03 April 2024
  2. Menopause 101: A Primer for the Perimenopausal – Common Body Changes At Menopause – Night Sweats. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/menopause-101-a-primer-for-the-perimenopausal Accessed: 03 April 2024
  3. Glossary: V – Vasomotor Symptoms. North American Menopause Society http://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-glossary#V Accessed: 03 April 2024
  4. Hot Flashes: Symptoms & Causes – Symptoms. 12 December 2023. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790 Accessed: 03 April 2024
  5. Menopause 101: A Primer for the Perimenopausal – Common Body Changes at Menopause: Night Sweats. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/menopause-101-a-primer-for-the-perimenopausal Accessed: 03 April 2024
  6. Night Sweats: Care and Treatment – What Can I Do At Home To Treat Night Sweats? Last Reviewed 06 September 2022. Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/16562-night-sweats Accessed: 03 April 2024
  7. Menopause 101: A Primer for the Perimenopausal – Common Body Changes At Menopause – Night Sweats. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/menopause-101-a-primer-for-the-perimenopausal Accessed: 03 April 2024
  8. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits. 2022:2. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 03 April 2024
  9. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Hormone Therapy Options. 2022:2. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 03 April 2024
  10. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 03 April 2024
  11. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment. 25 May 2023. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353401 Accessed: 03 April 2024
Topic Last Updated: 03 April 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 03 April 2024

/by

Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy

“If you do not have a uterus,
you can take estrogen alone,
without a progestogen”.1

Umbrella
What may the Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Estrogen Alone
  • Estrogen Therapy (ET)
  • Estrogen-Alone HRT/MHT
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  • Hormone Therapy (HT)
  • Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
  • Oestrogen-Only HRT
  • Oestrogen-Only Therapy/Oestrogen Only Therapy
  • Systemic ET

No UterusHormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy

Who may choose to use estrogen therapy (ET)?

On page two in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Estrogen Alone or Estrogen Plus Progestogen, published July 2022, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) note:

“If you do not have a uterus, you can take estrogen alone, without a progestogen”.2

On page one in HRT: Which HRT? Oestrogen Alone, published November 2021, the (British) Women’s Health Concern elaborate on:

“The core ingredient of all forms of HRT is oestrogen. Oestrogen relieves hot flushes and the other menopausal symptoms and maintains bone strength. This is suitable for women who have had a total hysterectomy, where the whole womb including its neck (cervix) has been removed. Oestrogen alone can be taken as a daily tablet, a weekly or twice weekly patch, a daily gel or an implant. Varying doses of oestrogen are available”.3

Formulations and Options

What are some ET formulations and options?

In The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – MHT Formulations and Options: Estrogen Therapy, published online 30 October 2023, the authors elaborate on:

“Estrogen can be used systemically as oral conjugated equine estrogen, estradiol valerate, estrone sulfate or micronized estradiol; transdermal estradiol (patches, gels, spray); a vaginal estradiol ring; and implanted estradiol pellets (mostly not regulator-approved). Vaginal pessaries and creams are used to treat urogenital symptoms”.4

Venous Thromboembolic Disease

What is the association between venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) and ET?

In The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – Considerations for All Women At Menopause: Menopausal Hormone Therapy the authors include:

  • “Oral estrogen is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), although the absolute risk is small for women aged <60 years. The risk is lower/not at all with transdermal estradiol, which is preferred for women at increased risk of VTE (i.e. smokers, obese women and diabetic women)”.5

Health Care Provider

If I choose to use ET what are my risks?

Different women who choose to use ET can have different risks. It may therefore be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

If I choose to use estrogen plus progestogen (EPT) what are my risks?

Different women who choose to use EPT can have different risks. It may therefore be in your best interest to also choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

  • “The decision whether to take HRT, the dose and duration of its use should be made on an individualised basis after discussing the benefits and risks with each patient. This should be considered in the context of the overall benefits obtained from using HRT including symptom control and improving quality of life as well as considering the bone and cardiovascular benefits associated with HRT use”.6

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Estrogen Alone or Estrogen Plus Progestogen, the NAM explain:

“Every woman is different, and you will decide about whether to use HT based on the severity of your symptoms, your personal and family health history, and your own beliefs about menopause treatments. Your healthcare professional will be able to help you with your decision”.7

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy?

In Health Topics A-Z on you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 8 Myths and Truths About Menopausal Hot Flashes
  2. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  3. BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
  4. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  5. BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  6. BMS TV: HRT and Bleeding
  7. BMS TV: HRT and Breast Cancer: Overall Risks and Benefits
  8. BMS TV: HRT and the Risk of Breast Cancer
  9. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  10. Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
  11. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  12. Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy [Video]
  13. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  14. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  15. Endometrial Safety of Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens
  16. Endometrial Safety of Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens [Video]
  17. Estrogen Dependent Cancers
  18. Estrogen Therapy and Breast Cancer In Randomized Clinical Trials: A Narrative Review
  19. Estrogen: What It Does and 5 Benefits
  20. FAQs: Hormone Therapy for Menopause
  21. Guidance on Menopausal Hormone Therapy [Video]
  22. HRT
  23. HRT & Menopause Extra
  24. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  25. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  26. Hormone Replacement Therapy
  27. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  28. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  29. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Oestrogen Tablets, Patches, Gel and Spray
  30. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Side Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  31. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  32. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Vaginal Oestrogen: About Vaginal Oestrogen
  33. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Vaginal Oestrogen: Common Questions About Vaginal Oestrogen
  34. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Vaginal Oestrogen: Side Effects of Vaginal Estrogen
  35. Hormone Therapy: Four Things A Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Specialist Wants You To Know [+ Video]
  36. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  37. Hot Flashes
  38. Hot Flashes
  39. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  40. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video]
  41. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  42. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  43. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?] [Other Languages and Formats]
  44. Management of Perimenopausal and Menopausal Symptoms
  45. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  46. Mayo Clinic Minute: Lifestyle Changes To Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  47. Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  48. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
  49. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Venous Thromboembolism
  50. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Women’s Health: An Umbrella Review
  51. Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke
  52. Menopause
  53. Menopause
  54. Menopause
  55. Menopause FAQs: Hormone Therapy for Menopause Symptoms
  56. Menopause Hormone Therapy: Does It Cause Vaginal Bleeding?
  57. Menopause Management Options: Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
  58. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Medication Tracker
    Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy
  59. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  60. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  61. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  62. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
  63. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  64. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  65. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  66. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  67. Menopause and HRT
  68. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  69. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment
  70. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  71. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  72. Navigating Menopause: Honest Answers To All Your Questions [+ Video: What To Expect in Menopause]
  73. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  74. Oestrogen Tablets, Patches, Gel and Spray
  75. Randomized Trials of Estrogen-Alone and Breast Cancer Incidence: A Meta-Analysis
  76. Risks and Benefits of MHT
  77. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
  78. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  79. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  80. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  81. Types of Hormone Therapy
  82. Vaginal Dryness
  83. Vaginal Oestrogen
  84. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  85. Video Series-2022: Perimenopause, Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions
  86. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  87. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  88. Video Series-2024: Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  89. Video: Leslie Cho, MD, Discusses CV Risks, Benefits of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  90. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  91. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: The Women’s Health Initiative – What Can We Believe?
  92. Webinars: Previous – Non-Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  93. Webinars: Previous – Perimenopausal Contraception [21 May 2024]
  94. What Are the Benefits and Risks of HRT?
  95. What Does Estrogen Do?
  96. What Everyone Should Know About Menopause Symptoms
  97. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted above?

You may find the Sources at:

Sources

  1. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Estrogen Alone or Estrogen Plus Progestogen. 2022:2. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  2. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Estrogen Alone or Estrogen Plus Progestogen. 2022:2. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  3. HRT: Which HRT? Oestrogen Alone. November 2021: 1. Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/09-WHC-FACTSHEET-HRT-NOV2022-B.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  4. Davis, S. R., Taylor, S., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., and Islam, R. M. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – MHT Formulations and Options: Estrogen Therapy. Published Online: 30 October 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  5. Davis, S. R., Taylor, S., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., and Islam, R. M. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – Considerations for All Women At Menopause: Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Published Online: 30 October 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  6. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  7. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Estrogen Alone or Estrogen Plus Progestogen. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 01 June 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 31 March 2024

/by

Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer

“Current evidence suggests that oestrogen alone HRT
is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer
than combined HRT”.1

Umbrella

What may the Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Breast Cancer
  • Cancer of the Breast
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  • Hormone Therapy (HT)
  • Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)

2002

What does the background hormone therapy (HT) and breast cancer include?

In Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk last updated on 07 January 2024, the (United States) Breastcancer.org explain:

“Years ago, before the link between HRT use and breast cancer risk was known, many women took HRT for years to ease menopausal symptoms and prevent bone loss. After 2002, when research linked HRT and breast cancer risk, the number of women taking HRT dropped dramatically.

Newer research that has followed women for a longer amount of time suggests the link between HRT and breast cancer risk is more complex than first thought, and using HRT remains a controversial topic”.2

Contraindication or Not

Is breast cancer a contraindication to the use of HT?

In The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – Considerations for All Women At Menopause, published online 30 October 2023, the authors note:

  • “Breast cancer is a contraindication to the use of MHT”.3

Risk

What is currently known about breast cancer risk and HT?

In Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): What Are the Risks of HRT? Breastcancer.org explain:

“Breast cancer risk differs depending on the type of HRT and a woman’s personal history of breast cancer”.4

Breast Cancer Risk

What else is is known about breast cancer risk and HT?

On page two and three in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

“Current evidence suggests that oestrogen alone HRT is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer than combined HRT. Breast cancer risk is duration dependent and may vary with the type of progestogen used. The risk of breast cancer should be considered in the context of the overall benefits and risks associated with HRT intake”.5

In Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Summary of Findings, published 2022, the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) explain:

  • “Estrogen-alone systemic menopausal hormone therapy does not significantly increase and may even reduce breast cancer risk.
  • Low-dose topical estrogen does not increase breast cancer risk.
  • Combined menopausal hormone therapy confers a small increased risk but this decreases after treatment is stopped.
  • Risk differs according to the progestogen used, being higher with medroxyprogesterone acetate, levonorgestrel and norethisterone and lower with dydrogesterone and progesterone.
  • Breast cancer risk has to be put into clinical perspective, with account taken of other risk factors”.6

In Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Cancer Research UK explain:

“Cancer risk from HRT is small and depends on many different things. This includes the type of HRT used, how long someone takes it for, their age, and general health. The benefits of taking HRT will be different for each person too. Cancer risk is only part of the decision on whether to take HRT. Your doctor can help you make an informed choice on what is right for you”.7

Uterus

Hormone Therapy and Breast CancerIf a woman has a uterus and chooses to use estrogen plus progestogen therapy, what is her breast cancer risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published June 2022, according to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS):

“Hormone therapy (combined estrogen and progestogen) might slightly increase your risk of breast cancer if used for more than 4 to 5 years”.8

No Uterus

Hormone Therapy and Breast CancerIf a woman does not have a uterus and chooses to use estrogen therapy, what is her breast cancer risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published June 2022, the NAMS explain:

“Using estrogen alone (for women without a uterus) does not increase breast cancer risk at 7 years but may increase risk if used for a longer time”.9

Risk Comparison

What puts a woman at a higher risk of developing breast cancer than taking HRT?

In Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Summary of Findings the EMAS note:

  • “Regular alcohol consumption, obesity and physical inactivity increase the risk of breast cancer by 32–46%, 26–152%, and 7–33% respectively. This is much higher than the risk conferred by menopausal hormone therapy”.10

Breast Cancer Screening

If a woman chooses to use HT, what is important about breast cancer screening?

In Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Risks – Breast Cancer the (United Kingdom) NHS note:

“It’s especially important to attend all your breast screening (mammogram) appointments if you’re taking HRT”.11

Breast Cancer Patients

Is HT recommended for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer?

In Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk last updated on 07 January 2024, the (United States) Breastcancer.org explain:

“HRT also can increase your risk of the cancer coming back (recurrence) if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past. Because of this risk, doctors usually recommend that women with a history of breast cancer should not take types of HRT that affect the entire body (called systemic HRT)”.12

On page three in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

“A history of breast cancer should be considered a contraindication to systemic HRT. The risk of breast cancer recurrence with HRT is higher in women with oestrogen receptor positive cancer, but women with oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer are also considered to have an increased risk of recurrence with HRT. HRT may, in exceptional cases, be offered to women with breast cancer with severe menopausal symptoms if lifestyle modifications and non-hormonal treatment options are not effective. This should be done after discussion with the woman, her menopause specialist and her breast/oncology team”.13

Questions To Ask

What questions can you ask about HT and your breast cancer risk?

In Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Steps You Can Take Breastcancer.org explain:

“Menopausal side effects can reduce quality of life for some women. You have to weigh the benefits of HRT against the risks.

If you’re having severe hot flashes or other menopausal side effects and are considering HRT, talk to your doctor about all of your options. Ask how you can relieve your symptoms while minimizing your breast cancer risk. Some questions you may want to ask:

  • What is my personal risk of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and other types of cancer? How will this risk be affected by HRT?
  • What is my personal risk of other conditions that HRT can affect, such as heart disease and stroke?
  • What other options are there — including non-hormonal medicines and complementary therapies — to treat menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis?
  • Would topical HRT be a good option for me?”14

Health Care Provider

If I choose to use HT how can I follow up?

The (United States) Mayo Clinic note:

  • “Seek regular follow-up care. See your doctor regularly to ensure that the benefits of hormone therapy continue to outweigh the risks, and for screenings such as mammograms and pelvic exams”.15

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 20 Years of Data Lead To Changes In Perceptions, Usage of Menopausal HT
  2. 8 Myths and Truths About Menopausal Hot Flashes
  3. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  4. Association of Menopausal Hormone Therapy With Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality During Long-Term Follow-Up of the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trials
  5. BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
  6. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  7. BMS TV: HRT and Bleeding
  8. BMS TV: HRT and Breast Cancer: Overall Risks and Benefits
  9. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  10. Breast Cancer
  11. Breast Cancer Risk Factors
  12. Breast Cancer: Risk Factors
  13. Breastcancer.org
  14. Breastcancernow.org
  15. Cancer Diagnosis: 11 Tips for Coping
  16. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  17. Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy [Video]
  18. Deciding About Hormone Therapy
  19. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  20. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  21. Emerging Research In the Management of Menopausal Symptoms
  22. Emotional Wellness In Menopause
  23. Endometrial Safety of Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens
  24. Endometrial Safety of Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens [Video]
  25. Estrogen Dependent Cancers
  26. Estrogen Therapy and Breast Cancer In Randomized Clinical Trials: A Narrative Review
  27. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  28. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  29. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  30. HRT & Menopause Extra [Video]
  31. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  32. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  33. HRT: The History
  34. Hormone Replacement Therapy
  35. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  36. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) With Dr Nicky Peel & Prof. David Armstrong [Video]
  37. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  38. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  39. Hormone Therapy: Four Things A Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Specialist Wants You To Know
  40. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  41. Hot Flashes
  42. Hot Flashes
  43. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  44. How Mindfulness Meditation Improves Mental Health
  45. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  46. How To Prevent Cancer: 6 Ways To Lower Your Risk
  47. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  48. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  49. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?] [Other Languages and Formats]
  50. Lubricant Alternatives: What To Use and What To Avoid
  51. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  52. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  53. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
  54. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Individualization Is the Key To Safety
  55. Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Why We Should No Longer Be Afraid of the Breast Cancer Risk [11 February 2022]
  56. Menopause
  57. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
    Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer
  58. Menopause Mindfulness: Understanding the Many Paths To Menopause
  59. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  60. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  61. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  62. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  63. Menopause Treatment Options After Cancer [Video]
  64. Menopause and Breast Cancer [Video]
  65. Menopause and HRT [Breast Cancer Risk]
  66. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  67. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guideline]
  68. Menopause: Things You Can Do
  69. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  70. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches: What You Need To Know
  71. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  72. Randomized Trials of Estrogen-Alone and Breast Cancer Incidence: A Meta-Analysis
  73. Reassuring Data Regarding the Use of Hormone Therapy At Menopause and Risk of Breast Cancer [September 2022]
  74. Risks and Benefits of MHT
  75. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
  76. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  77. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice
  78. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Findings In Context
  79. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  80. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  81. ‘Tis But A Scratch: A Critical Review of the Women’s Health Initiative Evidence Associating Menopausal Hormone Therapy With the Risk of Breast Cancer
  82. Type of Menopausal Hormone Therapy May Influence Cancer Risk
  83. Types of Hormone Therapy
  84. Understanding Hormone Replacement Therapy
  85. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)
  86. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  87. Vaginal Dryness: What To Do About It
  88. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  89. Video Series-2023: Lifestyle Modification and Prevention of Breast Cancer
  90. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  91. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  92. Video Series-2024: Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  93. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  94. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: The Women’s Health Initiative – What Can We Believe?
  95. Webinars: Previous – Non-Hormonal Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  96. Webinars: Previous – Non-Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  97. Webinars: Previous – Non-Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  98. What if HRT isn’t right for me? And is cold-water swimming really the answer to everything? Your Menopause Questions Answered
  99. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit
  100. Why We Don’t Have Good Evidence To Show That HRT Is Safe After Breast Cancer [Video]

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2-3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  2. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk. Last Updated: 07 January 2024. Breastcancer.org https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/using-hormone-replacement-therapy Accessed: Accessed: 31 March 2024
  3. Davis, S. R., Taylor, S., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., and Islam, R. M. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Management – Considerations for All Women At Menopause: Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Published Online: 30 October 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  4. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): What Are the Risks of HRT? Last Updated: 07 January 2024. Breastcancer.org https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/using-hormone-replacement-therapy Accessed: Accessed: 31 March 2024
  5. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2-3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  6. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Summary of Findings. 2022 European Menopause and Andropause Society https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Menopausal-hormone-therapy-and-breast-cancer-risk.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  7. Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Last Reviewed: 22 March 2023. Research UK https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-hormone-replacement-therapy-increase-cancer-risk#breast Accessed: 31 March 2024
  8. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  9. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  10. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Summary of Findings. 2022 European Menopause and Andropause Society https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Menopausal-hormone-therapy-and-breast-cancer-risk.pdf Accessed: 31 March 2024
  11. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Risks – Breast Cancer. Page Last Reviewed: 08 February 2023. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/risks/#breast-cancer Accessed: 31 March 2024
  12. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk. Last Updated: 07 January 2024. Breastcancer.org https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/using-hormone-replacement-therapy Accessed: Accessed: 31 March 2024
  13. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 31 March 2024
  14. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Steps You Can Take. Last Updated: 07 January 2024. Breastcancer.org https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/using-hormone-replacement-therapy Accessed: Accessed: 31 March 2024
  15. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You? Who Can Benefit From Hormone Therapy? If You Take Hormone Therapy, How Can You Reduce Risk? 06 December 2022. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/in-depth/hormone-therapy/art-20046372 Accessed: 31 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 11 June 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 31 March 2024

/by

Hormone Therapy and Cancer

“Cancer risk from HRT is small and depends on many
different things. This includes the type of HRT used,
how long someone takes it for, their age, and…”.1

Umbrella
What may the Hormone Therapy and Cancer Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Bowel/Colon/Rectum Cancer
  • Breast Cancer
  • Cancer
  • Cervical Cancer/Cancer of the Cervix
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  • Hormone Therapy (HT)
  • Lung Cancer
  • Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
  • Ovarian Cancer/Cancer of the Ovary
  • Uterine/Womb/Endometrial Cancer

Terminology

What can it be important to be clear about with hormone therapy (HT),  hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and cancer information?

It can be important to be clear about the type of HT such as estrogen therapy (ET) or estrogen plus progestogen therapy (EPT).

What can it also be important to be clear about with HT, HRT or MHT and cancer information?

It can also be important to be clear about the type of cancer (e.g. breast, ovarian or uterus/womb cancer).

Risk

What is cancer risk from HT?

In Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? the (United Kingdom) Cancer Research UK elaborate on:

“Cancer risk from HRT is small and depends on many different things. This includes the type of HRT used, how long someone takes it for, their age, and general health. The benefits of taking HRT will be different for each person too. Cancer risk is only part of the decision on whether to take HRT. Your doctor can help you make an informed choice on what is right for you”.2

Who is a GP?

Dots and/or DotC (Depending on the Country) a GP may be a registered general practitioner, a medical practitioner, a medical doctor or a doctor.

Cancer Risk Reduction

How can the risk of cancer be reduced?

In Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Cancer Research UK also note:

“Eating a healthy, balanced diet and being active may help with menopause symptoms. This can also help reduce your risk of cancer. Other things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer include:

  • Stopping smoking
  • Keeping a healthy weight
  • Drinking less alcohol”.3

Risks and Benefits

Is HT effective for the treatment of menopausal symptoms?

In Risks and Benefits of MHT: Key Points the Australasian Menopause Society elaborate on:

  • “For the majority of symptomatic women, the benefits of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) outweigh the risks”.4

Breast Cancer RiskHormone Therapy and Cancer RiskHormone Therapy and Cancer Risk

Can taking HT increase breast cancer risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published July 2022, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) note:

“Hormone therapy (combined estrogen and progestogen) might slightly increase your risk of breast cancer if used for more than 4 to 5 years. Using estrogen alone (for women without a uterus) does not increase breast cancer risk at 7 years but may increase risk if used for a longer time”.5

On page two and three in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

“Current evidence suggests that oestrogen alone HRT is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer than combined HRT. Breast cancer risk is duration dependent and may vary with the type of progestogen used. The risk of breast cancer should be considered in the context of the overall benefits and risks associated with HRT intake”.6

Ovarian Cancer Risk

Can taking HT increase ovarian cancer risk?

On page two in HRT Benefits and Risks, published November 2020, the (British) Women’s Health Concern note:

“Recent evidence from the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors demonstrated that there may be a slight increased risk of some types of ovarian cancer associated with HRT use but this is small and equates to around 1 extra case of ovarian cancer per 1000 HRT users”.7

Cancer of the Uterus

Can taking HT increase cancer of the uterus risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published July 2022, the NAM explain:

“If you have a uterus and take estrogen with progestogen, there is no increased risk of cancer of the uterus”.8

History of Cancer

Can HT be taken by those with a history of cancer?

In Menopause FAQs: Hormone Therapy for Menopause Symptoms – Q. Who should not use hormone therapy? the NAMS note:

“A. Hormone therapy is not a good choice for every woman. For some, the risks outweigh the benefits, so careful consideration with a healthcare provider is advised. In general, women who have breast cancer, uterine cancer, unexplained uterine bleeding, liver disease, a history of blood clots, and cardiovascular disease should not use hormone therapy”.9

History of Breast Cancer

Can HT be taken by those with a history of breast cancer?

In Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk , last updated on 07 January 2024, Breastcancer.org elaborate on:

“HRT also can increase your risk of the cancer coming back (recurrence) if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past. Because of this risk, doctors usually recommend that women with a history of breast cancer should not take types of HRT that affect the entire body (called systemic HRT)”.10

On page three in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

“A history of breast cancer should be considered a contraindication to systemic HRT. The risk of breast cancer recurrence with HRT is higher in women with oestrogen receptor positive cancer, but women with oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer are also considered to have an increased risk of recurrence with HRT. HRT may, in exceptional cases, be offered to women with breast cancer with severe menopausal symptoms if lifestyle modifications and non-hormonal treatment options are not effective. This should be done after discussion with the woman, her menopause specialist and her breast/oncology team”.11

Hormone Therapy Alternatives

What are some HT alternatives?

In Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review, published 07 March 2023, the authors note:

“For women who are not candidates for hormonal treatments, nonhormonal approaches such as citalopram, desvenlafaxine, escitalopram, gabapentin, paroxetine, and venlafaxine are available and are associated with a reduction in frequency of vasomotor symptoms by approximately 40% to 65%. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is associated with subjective improvement in GSM symptom severity by approximately 60% to 80%, with improvement in severity by 40% to 80% for vaginal prasterone, and with improvement in severity by 30% to 50% for oral ospemifene”.12

Health Care Provider

If I choose to use HT what are my risks of cancer?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use the NAMS explain:


Hormone Therapy and Cancer
“Every woman is different, and you will decide about whether to use HT based on the severity of your symptoms, your personal and family health history, and your own beliefs about menopause treatments. Your healthcare professional will be able to help you with your decision”.13

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Hormone Therapy and Cancer?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Cancer?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of Menopause Guidelines
  2. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  3. BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
  4. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  5. BMS TV: HRT and Breast Cancer: Overall Risks and Benefits
  6. BMS TV: HRT and the Risk of Breast Cancer
  7. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  8. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  9. Breast Cancer At the Menopause
  10. Breast Cancer Risk Factors
  11. Breastcancer.org
  12. Cancer Diagnosis: 11 Tips for Coping
  13. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  14. Deciding About Hormone Therapy
  15. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  16. Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase Cancer Risk?
  17. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  18. Endometrial Safety of Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens
  19. Estrogen Dependent Cancers
  20. FAQs: Hormone Therapy for Menopause
  21. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  22. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  23. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  24. Gynecological Cancer At the Menopause
  25. HRT
  26. HRT & Menopause Extra
  27. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  28. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  29. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  30. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) With Dr Nicky Peel & Prof. David Armstrong
  31. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  32. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Vaginal Oestrogen: Common Questions About Vaginal Oestrogen
  33. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  34. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  35. How To Prevent Cancer: 6 Ways To Lower Your Risk
  36. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
  37. Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review
  38. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  39. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  40. Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  41. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
  42. Menopause
  43. Menopause Management Options: Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) – Breast Cancer & MHT
  44. Menopause Management Options: Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) – What Are the Benefits of MHT
  45. Menopause Management Options: Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) – What Are the Risks of MHT?
  46. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  47. Menopause Mindfulness: Understanding the Many Paths To Menopause
  48. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  49. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  50. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
  51. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 5. Lifestyle Advice In Menopause & Perimenopause
  52. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  53. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  54. Menopause Treatment
  55. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  56. Menopause and HRT
  57. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  58. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment
  59. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guideline]
  60. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
  61. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  62. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches: What You Need To Know
  63. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Dietary and Herbal Supplements
  64. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Herbs At A Glance
  65. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  66. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Know the Science: How Medications and Supplements Can Interact
  67. Natural Remedies To Help Manage Perimenopause Symptoms
  68. Natural Therapies & Supplements
  69. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  70. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  71. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  72. Office of Dietary Supplements: Black Cohosh
  73. Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets
  74. Optimising Health After Early Menopause
  75. Risks and Benefits of MHT
  76. Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy: “Cold Turkey” Menopause
  77. The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society
  78. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
  79. The Lancet: Series From the Lancet Journal – Menopause 2024
  80. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  81. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Findings In Context
  82. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  83. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  84. Types of Hormone Therapy
  85. Ultra-Low Dose Menopausal Hormone Therapy [Multiply Languages]
  86. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)
  87. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  88. Vaginal Dryness
  89. Vaginal Dryness After Menopause: How To Treat It?
  90. Vaginal Oestrogen Is A Treatment on the Rise, But Is It Safe?
  91. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  92. Video Series-2023: Lifestyle Modification and Prevention of Breast Cancer
  93. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  94. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  95. Video Series-2023: Premature and Early Menopause
  96. Video Series-2024: Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  97. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  98. Videos and Podcasts: Video – Interviews: How Do I Deal With the Menopause After A Diagnosis of Gynaecological Cancer
  99. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: The Women’s Health Initiative – What Can We Believe?
  100. Webinars: Previous – Non-Hormonal Pharmacological Interventions For VMS

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources at:

Sources

  1. Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Last Reviewed: 22 March 2023. Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-hormone-replacement-therapy-increase-cancer-risk#breast Accessed: 28 March 2024
  2. Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Last Reviewed: 22 March 2023. Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-hormone-replacement-therapy-increase-cancer-risk#breast Accessed: 28 March 2024
  3. Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Increase the Risk of Cancer? Should I Take HRT? Last Reviewed: 22 March 2023. Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-hormone-replacement-therapy-increase-cancer-risk#breast Accessed: 28 March 2024
  4. Risks and Benefits of MHT: Key Points. Content Updated January 2021. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/hp/information-sheets/799-risks-and-benefits-of-mht-hrt Accessed: 28 March 2024
  5. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. July 2022: 1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 28 March 2024
  6. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2-3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 28 March 2024
  7. HRT Benefits and Risks. Updated: November 2020:2. Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/hrt-know-benefits-risks/ Accessed: 28 March 2024
  8. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. July 2022: 1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 28 March 2024
  9. Menopause FAQs: Hormone Therapy for Menopause Symptoms – Q. Who should not use hormone therapy? North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-faqs-hormone-therapy-for-menopause-symptoms Accessed: 28 March 2024
  10. Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk . Last Updated: 07 January 2024. Breastcancer.org https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/using-hormone-replacement-therapy Accessed: 28 March 2024
  11. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2-3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 28 March 2024
  12. Crandall, C. J., Mehta, J. M., Manson, J. E. Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review. 07 March 2023 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36749328/ Accessed: 28 March 2024
  13. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use. July 2022: 1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 28 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 28 March 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 28 March 2024

/by

Menopause Age

“Most women experience menopause
between the ages of 45 and 55 years
as a natural part of biological ageing”.1

Umbrella
What may the Menopause Age Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Menopause Age
  • Menopause Average Age

Globally

Globally, at what age does menopause occur?

In Menopause—Biology, Consequences, Supportive Care, and Therapeutic Options: Summary, published 14 September 2023, the authors note:

  • “Globally, menopause occurs around the age of 49 years, with geographic and ethnic variation”.2

45 and 55 Years

Between what ages do most women experience menopause?

In Menopause: Key Facts, dated 17 October 2022, the World Health Organization note:

  • “Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 years as a natural part of biological ageing”.3

Average Age

What is the average age of menopause?

In The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Definitions published online 30 October 2023, the authors note:

“The average age of natural menopause has been reported as being at 51.5 years in high-income countries, with a range between the ages of 45 and 55 years. However, menopause has been reported as occurring earlier in countries such as India, where the average age of menopause has been reported as 46 years”.4

United States

In the United States, what is the average age of menopause?

In Menopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview, dated 25 May 2023, the (United States) Mayo Clinic explain:

“Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States”.5

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom (UK), what is the average age of menopause?

In Menopause: Overview, dated 17 May 2022, the (United Kingdom) NHS note:

  • “Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier”.6

Australia

In Australia, what is the average age of menopause?

In What Is Menopause? Key Points, dated May 2022, the Australasian Menopause Society explain:

  • “The term “menopause” refers to the final menstrual period. The average age of menopause in Australian women is 51 years (normal range 45-55)”.7

Early Menopause

What is early menopause?Menopause Age

DotS the definition of early menopause may vary. In Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause the (Scottish) NHS Inform’s definition is:

“Menopause before the age of 45 is called early menopause”.8

Premature Menopause

What is premature menopause?Menopause Age

DotS the definition of early menopause may vary. In Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause the NHS Inform’s definition is:

“Menopause before the age of 40 is called premature menopause”.9

Smoking

Is there an association between smoking and menopause age?

In Looking After Yourself: Smoking and Other Drugs the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) note:

“Women who smoke generally reach menopause earlier than non-smokers. They are also more likely to experience early menopause”.10

Health Care Provider

What if would like help with menopause or to stop smoking?

If you would like help with menopause or to stop smoking, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. Together you can discuss your options and if required, agree on who may be the most appropriate health care provider to help you.

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Menopause Age?

In Health Topics A- you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Menopause Age?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 5 of the Most Common Questions About Menopause
  2. 8 Myths and Truths About Menopausal Hot Flashes
  3. Adverse Childhood Experiences Do Not Significantly Influence Age At Natural Menopause
  4. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  5. BMS Statement on Testosterone
  6. BMS TV: Menopause Explained
  7. BMS TV: Menopause – Weight Gain, Nutrition and Lifestyle
  8. BMS TV: Testosterone Explained
  9. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  10. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  11. Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy [Video]
  12. Contraception and the Menopause
  13. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  14. Diagnostic Tests for Menopause
  15. Dietary Intake and Age At Natural Menopause: Results From the UK Women’s Cohort Study [United Kingdom]
  16. Does Having Hot Flashes Mean I’ve Started Menopause?
  17. Dr Louise Newson Breaks Down The Menopause & Lisa Snowdon Shares Her Experience | This Morning
  18. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  19. EMAS Position Statement: Predictors of Premature and Early Natural Menopause [European Menopause and Andropause Society]
  20. Emotional Wellness In Menopause
  21. Hot Flashes
  22. Hot Flashes
  23. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  24. Hot Flushes, Night Sweats, Brain Fog? Here’s What We Know About Phytoestrogens for Menopausal Symptoms
  25. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  26. Is Menopause Making Me Put on Weight? No, But It’s Complicated
  27. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause [Other Languages and Formats]
  28. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Menopause [+ Video: Menopause Myths] [Other Languages and Formats]
  29. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Signs and Symptoms of Menopause [+ Video: Talking Menopause With Your GP] [Other Languages and Formats]
  30. Let’s Talk About Perimenopause
  31. Mastering Midlife Mood Changes With Marlene Freeman, MD
  32. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  33. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  34. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns
  35. Menopause
  36. Menopause
  37. Menopause
  38. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  39. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
    Menopause Age
  40. Menopause Mindfulness: Understanding the Many Paths To Menopause
  41. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 1. What Is Menopause?
  42. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  43. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 5. Lifestyle Advice In Menopause & Perimenopause
  44. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause
  45. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Understanding Menstrual Health and Menopause
  46. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: What Is Menopause?
  47. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  48. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  49. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  50. Menopause Wellness Hub
  51. Menopause What Are the Symptoms?
  52. Menopause and Mental Health
  53. Menopause – Multiply Languages
  54. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  55. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Diagnosing [NICE Guideline]
  56. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guideline]
  57. Menopause: Ensuring A Tranquil Transition
  58. Menopause: Things You Can Do
  59. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
  60. Menopause—Biology, Consequences, Supportive Care, and Therapeutic Options: Summary
  61. Mood and the Menopause
  62. My Periods Have Changed. Is Menopause Around the Corner?
  63. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  64. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  65. Natural Remedies To Help Manage Perimenopause Symptoms
  66. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  67. Navigating Menopause: Honest Answers To All Your Questions [+ Video: What To Expect in Menopause]
  68. Night Sweats
  69. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  70. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  71. Ovarian Tissue Freezing for Menopause Delay: Medical Breakthrough or Risky Gamble?
  72. Perimenopause
  73. Perimenopause
  74. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptom Checklist
    Menopause Age
  75. Premature & Early Menopause
  76. Spontaneous Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
  77. Supporting A Loved One Through Menopause
  78. The Lancet: Series From the Lancet Journal – Menopause 2024
  79. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  80. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  81. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  82. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  83. Vaginal Dryness
  84. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  85. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  86. Video Series-2023: Premature and Early Menopause
  87. Video Series-2023: Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Menopause Experience
  88. Video Series-2024: Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  89. Video: Researchers Emphasize Normalization of Menopause
  90. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: A Simple Approach To Menopause: The Menopause Quick Six (www.MQ6.ca)
  91. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Menopause and Abnormal Bleeding
  92. Webinar: Perimenopause
  93. Webinars: Previous – Clinical Climacteric Conundrums [19 September 2023]
  94. What Causes Menopause?
  95. What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About Menopause
  96. What Everyone Should Know About Menopause Symptoms
  97. What Is Menopause?
  98. What Is Menopause?
  99. What Is Menopause? [+ Video]
  100. What Is POI (Premature Ovarian Insufficiency)
  101. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Menopause. Key Facts. 17 October 2022. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause Accessed: 27 March 2024
  2. Davis S.R. Pinkerton, JA, Santoro N. Simoncini T. Menopause—Biology, Consequences, Supportive Care, and Therapeutic Options: Summary. 14 September 2023. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00905-4 Accessed: 27 March 2024
  3. Menopause. Key Facts. 17 October 2022. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause Accessed: 27 March 2024
  4. Davis, S. R., Taylor, S., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., and Islam, R. M. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause: Definitions. First Published Online 30 October 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 Accessed: 27 March 2024
  5. Menopause: Symptoms & Causes – Overview. 25 May 2023. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397 Accessed: 27 March 2024
  6. Menopause: Overview. Page Last Reviewed: 17 May 2022. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/ Accessed: 27 March 2024
  7. What Is Menopause? Key Points. Content Created May 2022. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/hp/information-sheets/what-is-menopause Accessed: 27 March 2024
  8. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause. Last Updated: 22 March 2023. NHS Inform https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/womens-health/later-years-around-50-years-and-over/menopause-and-post-menopause-health/early-and-premature-menopause/ Accessed: 27 March 2024
  9. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause. Last Updated: 22 March 2023. NHS Inform https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/womens-health/later-years-around-50-years-and-over/menopause-and-post-menopause-health/early-and-premature-menopause/ Accessed: 27 March 2024
  10. Looking After Yourself: Smoking and Other Drugs. Last Updated: 19 January 2024 | Last Reviewed: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/looking-after-yourself#smoking-and-other-drugs Accessed: 27 March 2024

Topic Last Updated: 30 April 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 27 March 2024
/by

Complementary and Integrative Health

“‘Natural therapy’, ‘complementary therapy’, ‘complementary medicine’ and ‘alternative therapy’ do not all mean the same thing, but they describe therapies…”.1

Umbrella

What may the Complementary and Integrative Health Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Alternative Medicine Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Ayurveda/Ayurvedic Medicine
  • Chinese Medicine Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Chiropractic
  • Complementary Health Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Complementary Medicine (CM)
  • Complementary Medicine Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Complementary Medicine and Therapies
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
  • Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Energy Medicine
  • Herbal Treatments
  • Homeopathy
  • Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy
  • Integrative Health Care/Medicine
  • Kinesiology
  • Manipulative and Body Based Therapies
  • Massage/Remedial Massage
  • Meditation
  • Mind and Body Approaches/Practices/Therapies/Treatments
  • Mindfulness
  • Natural Approaches/Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Naturopathy
  • Non Mainstream Health Care
  • Nutrition/Nutritional/Dietary Approaches
  • Osteopathy
  • Prayer
  • Psychotherapy
  • Qi Gong
  • Reflexology
  • Reiki
  • Relaxation
  • Remedial Therapy
  • Spiritual Healing
  • Supplements
  • Tai Chi
  • Therapeutic Touch
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
  • Traditional Medicine
  • Yoga

Complementary

What is considered complementary?

DotS the definition of complementary may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health? What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative the (United States) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s (NCCIH) definition is:

  • “If a non-mainstream approach is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary””.2

Complementary Approaches

What are complementary approaches?

DotS the definition of complementary health approaches may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Health Approaches the NCCIH elaborate on:

Complementary and Integrative Health“Complementary approaches can be classified by their primary therapeutic input (how the therapy is taken in or delivered), which may be:

  • Nutritional (e.g., special diets, dietary supplements, herbs, and probiotics)
  • Psychological (e.g., mindfulness)
  • Physical (e.g., massage, spinal manipulation)
  • Combinations such as psychological and physical (e.g., yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, dance or art therapies) or psychological and nutritional (e.g., mindful eating)

Nutritional approaches include what NCCIH previously categorized as natural products, whereas psychological and/or physical approaches include what was referred to as mind and body practices”.3

Alternative

What is alternative?

DotS the definition of alternative medicine may vary. The NCCIH’s definition is:

  • “If a non-mainstream approach is used in place of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative””.4

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

DotS the definition of CAM may vary. In Natural Therapies the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) definition is:

“‘Natural therapy’, ‘complementary therapy’, ‘complementary medicine’ and ‘alternative therapy’ do not all mean the same thing, but they describe therapies and approaches to health and healing that are not considered parts of conventional, evidence-based (Western) medicine. The common catch-all term for all of these is ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM)”.5

Integrative Health

What is integrative health?

DotS the definition of integrative health may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Integrative Health the NCCIH’s definition is:

“Integrative health brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. Integrative health also emphasizes multimodal interventions, which are two or more interventions such as conventional medicine, lifestyle changes, physical rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and complementary health approaches in various combinations, with an emphasis on treating the whole person rather than, for example, one organ system. Integrative health aims for well-coordinated care among different providers and institutions by bringing conventional and complementary approaches together to care for the whole person”.6

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

What is the mission of the (United States) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)?

In About NCCIH the NCCIH explain:

“The mission of NCCIH is to determine, through rigorous scientific investigation, the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care”.7

Tips for Talking

What are tips for talking to health care providers about CIH?

In 4 Tips: Start Talking With Your Health Care Providers About Complementary Health Approaches the NCCIH elaborate on:

  1. “List the complementary health practices you use on your patient history form…
  2. At each visit, be sure to tell your providers about what complementary health approaches you are using…
  3. If you are considering a new complementary health practice, ask questions…
  4. Don’t wait for your providers to ask about any complementary health practice you are using. Be proactive. Start the conversation”.8

Health Care Provider

What if I choose to use CIH?

If you choose to use CIH it may be in your best interest to also choose to talk with your health care providers about this.

In Are You Considering A Complementary Health Approach? Take Charge of Your Health the NCCIH note:

  • “Tell all your health care providers—complementary and conventional—about all the 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”.9

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Complementary and Integrative Health?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Complementary and Integrative Health?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. About CBD
  2. Ashwagandha
  3. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  4. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  5. BMS TV: Complementary and Alternative Therapies
  6. Complementary and Alternative Therapies [Topics]
  7. Complementary and Integrative Medicine
  8. Complementary & Alternative Therapies: Non Hormonal Prescribed Treatments
  9. Complementary Medicine
  10. Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy [Video]
  11. DHEA
  12. Does CBD Help With Anxiety?
  13. Drugs and Supplements: Herbs, Supplements and Vitamins [Topics]
  14. Emotional Wellness In Menopause
  15. Everything You Need To Know About Progressive Muscle Relaxation
  16. Evoking Calm: Practicing Mindfulness In Daily Life Helps
  17. Exercise In Menopause
  18. FDA 101: Dietary Supplements
  19. Herbs and Supplements [Topics]
  20. Home Remedies: A Calmer, More Positive You Through the Power of Patience
  21. Homeopathy
  22. Hot Flushes, Night Sweats, Brain Fog? Here’s What We Know About Phytoestrogens for Menopausal Symptoms
  23. How Guided Imagery Helps You Relax
  24. How Integrative Health Research Tackles the Pain Management Crisis
  25. How Mindfulness Meditation Improves Mental Health
  26. Integration of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in the Institutionalization of Evidence-Informed Decision-Making [23 January 2024]
  27. Integrative Approaches To Treating Pain
  28. Integrative Medicine
  29. Is MCT Oil Worth the Hype?
  30. Kratom: Unsafe and Ineffective
  31. Mayo Clinic Minute: Prescribing Nature for Mental, Physical Health [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  32. Mayo Clinic Minute: What Is Integrative Health and How Can It Help? [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  33. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Can Medications and Supplements Interact With One Another?
  34. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Dietary Supplements Useful In Some Situations, But Also Can Be Harmful
  35. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Does CBD Live Up To Its Claims?
  36. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Hot Yoga for Weight Loss and Overall Health
  37. Mayo Clinic Q&A Podcast: Integrative Women’s Health
  38. Meditation [+ Video: Meditation 2.0: A New Way To Meditate]
  39. Meditation, Mindfulness and Mental Health
  40. Menopause Management Options: Natural Therapies (Complementary Medicine and Therapies)
  41. Menopause Mindfulness: Embracing the Change of My Midlife
  42. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause Wellness
  43. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Mindfulness & Wellbeing During the Menopause Transition
  44. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  45. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  46. Menopause and Natural Therapies
  47. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment– Alternative Medicine
  48. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guidelines]
  49. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
  50. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: 4 Tips: Start Talking With Your Health Care Providers About Complementary Health Approaches
  51. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: 5 Tips: What Consumers Need To Know About Dietary Supplements
  52. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Acupuncture: What You Need To Know
  53. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth
  54. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Black Cohosh
  55. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chasteberry [Vitex]
  56. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name?
  57. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Dietary and Herbal Supplements
  58. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil
  59. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Herbs At A Glance
  60. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Homeopathy
  61. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  62. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How To Find A Complementary Health Practitioner
  63. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Hypnosis
  64. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Kratom
  65. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Meditation: What You Need To Know
  66. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Placebo Effect
  67. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Red Clover
  68. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Relaxation Techniques: What you Need To Know
  69. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Safe Use of Complementary Health Products and Practices
  70. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Sage
  71. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Tips on Complementary Health Practices
  72. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Yoga: What You Need To Know
  73. Natural Therapies
  74. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  75. Nutrition In Menopause
  76. Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets
  77. Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin and Mineral Fact Sheets
  78. Physical Activity for A Stronger You
  79. Sleep, Food, Exercise, Stress: Why Working on One of These Can Improve the Others
  80. Supplements for Menopause Symptoms: Are They Safe?
  81. The 2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society
  82. The 2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society
  83. The First WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit [17-18 August 2023]
  84. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  85. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  86. Traditional Medicine
  87. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  88. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  89. Vitamins & Supplements
  90. WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine
  91. What Are Adaptogens and Are They Healthy?
  92. What Is Black Seed Oil?
  93. What Is Chasteberry, and What Can It Do?
  94. What Is EFT Tapping? Your Guide To Emotional Freedom Technique
  95. What Is Homeopathy and Does It Work?
  96. What To Know About Berberine: Benefits, Uses and Side Effects
  97. What You Should Know About Kratom
  98. Why You Shouldn’t Self-Treat With ‘Natural Antibiotics’

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Natural Therapies. Last Updated: 26 August 2023. Last Reviewed: 16 December 2016. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/natural-therapies-supplements/natural-therapies Accessed: 16 October 2023
  2. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 24 March 2024
  3. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 24 March 2024
  4. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Health Approaches. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 24 March 2024
  5. Natural Therapies. Last Updated: 26 August 2023. Last Reviewed: 16 December 2016. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/natural-therapies-supplements/natural-therapies Accessed: 16 October 2023
  6. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Integrative Health. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 24 March 2024
  7. About NCCIH. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/about Accessed: 24 March 2024
  8. 4 Tips: Start Talking With Your Health Care Providers About Complementary Health Approaches. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/tips-start-talking-with-your-health-care-providers-about-complementary-health-approaches Accessed: 24 March 2024
  9. Are You Considering A Complementary Health Approach? Take Charge of Your Health. Last Updated: September 2016. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/are-you-considering-a-complementary-health-approach Accessed: 24 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 24 March 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 24 March 2024

/by

Women’s Health Initiative

“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)
is a long-term national health study funded by the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, or NHLBI”.1

Date

What can it be important to be clear about with hormone therapy (HT) information?

It can be important to be clear about the date of all information including the date of HT information, because this information may have been updated.

Symptoms or Chronic Conditions

What can it also be important to be clear about with HT information?

It can also be important to be clear about whether HT information is about the use of HT for the management of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness; or for the prevention of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures.

Women’s Health Initiative

What is the (United States) Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)?

In About WHI the WHI elaborate on:

“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is a long-term national health study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, or NHLBI”.2

Goal

What is the goal of the WHI?

In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? the (United States) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) explain:

“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is a long-term national health study that focuses on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. These chronic diseases are the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds”.3

Original WHI Study Dates

When was the original WHI study?

In About WHI the WHI note:

“The original WHI study began in the early 1990s and concluded in 2005”.4

Original WHI Study

In the original WHI study, what were the three parts?

In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? the NHLBI explain:

“The original WHI study had three parts—a clinical trial, an observational study, and a community prevention study—and completed data collection in 2005”.5

Expectations

What did the WHI’s researchers expect to find in their two studies in the hormone trial?

On page one in the NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI Ten Years Later the North American Menopause Society explain:

“Researchers expected to find that hormones prevented chronic conditions of aging in women, including heart disease. Instead, they found that hormones produced a mix of risks and benefits”.6

Heart Disease

What did the WHI find about hormone replacement therapy and heart disease?

In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): At A Glance the NHLBI note:


Women’s Health Initiative

  • “The WHI found that hormone replacement therapy did not prevent heart disease in postmenopausal women as once thought”.7

Hormone Replacement Therapy

What did the WHI’s first results for hormone therapy in 2002 show?

In The Controversial History of Hormone Replacement Therapy: Abstract the authors elaborate on:

“After the announcement of the first results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) in 2002, which showed that HRT had more detrimental than beneficial effects, HRT use dropped. The negative results of the study received wide publicity, creating panic among some users and new guidance for doctors on prescribing HRT. The clear message from the media was that HRT had more risks than benefits for all women. In the following years, a reanalysis of the WHI trial was performed, and new studies showed that the use of HRT in younger women or in early postmenopausal women had a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, reducing coronary disease and all-cause mortality. Notwithstanding this, the public opinion on HRT has not changed yet, leading to important negative consequences for women’s health and quality of life”.8

Extension Studies

What are the WHI’s extension studies?

In About WHI the WHI explain:

“Since 2005, the WHI has continued as Extension Studies, which are annual collections of health updates and outcomes in active participants. The second Extension Study enrolled 93,500 women in 2010 and follow-up of these women continues annually”.9

Extension Studies Main Areas of Research

What are the extension studies main areas of research?

In About WHI the WHI elaborate on:

“As with the original WHI study, the main areas of research are cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures. While WHI continues to focus on strategies to prevent the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women, the breadth and richness of the WHI data allow for the exploration and investigation of many more research questions on women’s health and aging”.10

01 May 2024 Update – Chronic Disease Prevention

What do the authors conclude about the prevention of cardiovascular disease or other chronic diseases in The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice, published 01 May 2024?

In The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance the authors conclude:

“For postmenopausal women, the WHI randomized clinical trials do not support menopausal hormone therapy to prevent cardiovascular disease or other chronic diseases”.11

01 May 2024 Update – Vasomotor Symptoms

What do the authors conclude about vasomotor symptoms in The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice?

In The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance the authors conclude:

“Menopausal hormone therapy is appropriate to treat bothersome vasomotor symptoms among women in early menopause, without contraindications, who are interested in taking hormone therapy”.12

01 May 2024 Update – Routine Supplementation

What do the authors conclude about routine supplementation in The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice?

In The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance the authors conclude:

“The WHI evidence does not support routine supplementation with calcium plus vitamin D for menopausal women to prevent fractures or a low-fat diet with increased fruits, vegetables, and grains to prevent breast or colorectal cancer. A potential role of a low-fat dietary pattern in reducing breast cancer mortality, a secondary outcome, warrants further study”.13

Health Care Provider

What if I choose to use HT?

On page one in The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement, published 07 July 2022 and “endorsed by more than 20 well-respected international organizations”, the North American Menopause Society note:

“Highlights from the NAMS 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement include:

  • “Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and has been shown to prevent bone loss and fracture”.14

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to the Women’s Health Initiative?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Women’s Health Initiative?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. ACOG Explains: Managing Menopause Symptoms [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]
  2. A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of Menopause Guidelines
  3. About WHI
  4. Association Between Insomnia, Stress Events, and Other Psychosocial Factors and Incident Atrial Fibrillation In Postmenopausal Women: Insights From the Women’s Health Initiative
  5. BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
  6. BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  7. BMS TV: HRT and Breast Cancer: Overall Risks and Benefits
  8. BMS TV: HRT and the Risk of Breast Cancer
  9. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  10. Women’s Health InitiativeBioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  11. Blood Pressure Control and Glaucoma Risk In Postmenopausal Women: An Analysis From the Women’s Health Initiative
  12. Build Better Bones.org [International Osteoporosis Foundation]
  13. Chocolate Consumption In Relation To All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality In Women: The Women’s Health Initiative
  14. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  15. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  16. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  17. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  18. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  19. Getting At the Heart of Needs In Women’s Heart Health
  20. Guidance on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  21. HRT & Menopause Extra
  22. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  23. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  24. HRT: Summary
  25. HRT: The History – HRT Timeline
  26. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  27. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  28. Hormone Therapy In Postmenopausal Persons: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
  29. Hormone Therapy: Four Things A Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Specialist Wants You To Know [+ Video]
  30. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  31. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  32. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  33. Infertility and Risk of Heart Failure In the Women’s Health Initiative
  34. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  35. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?] [Other Languages and Formats]
  36. Longitudinal Patterns of Abdominal Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue, Total Body Composition, and Anthropometric Measures In Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women’s Health Initiative
  37. Managing Your Symptoms
  38. May Is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month!
  39. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Lifestyle Changes To Reduce Heart Attack and Stroke Risk
  40. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns
  41. Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  42. Menopausal Hormone Therapy Trends Before Versus After 2002: Impact of the Women’s Health Initiative Study Results
  43. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
  44. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cancer
  45. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Change In Physical Activity In the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Therapy Clinical Trials
  46. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Venous Thromboembolism
  47. Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke
  48. Menopause
  49. Menopause
  50. Menopause
  51. Menopause Management Options
  52. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
    Women’s Health Initiative
  53. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  54. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
  55. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Common Conditions Associated With Menopause and Midlife
  56. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  57. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  58. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  59. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  60. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  61. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
  62. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  63. NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI 10 Years Later
  64. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  65. Pathtogoodbonehealth.org [Your Path To Good Bone Health, Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, United States]
    Women’s Health Initiative
  66. Perimenopause
  67. Perimenopause
  68. Persistent Gap In Menopause Care 20 Years After the WHI: A Population-Based Study of Menopause-Related Symptoms and Their Management
  69. Psychosocial Stress and Bone Loss Among Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women’s Health Initiative
  70. Q&A: At 20 Years, WHI Emphasizes Personalized Postmenopausal Care, Shared Decision-Making
  71. Reappraising 21 Years of the WHI Study: Putting the Findings In Context for Clinical Practice
  72. Relationships of Depression and Antidepressant Use With Epigenetic Age Acceleration and All-Cause Mortality Among Postmenopausal Women
  73. Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  74. Sequential Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Tablets and Patches
  75. The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
  76. The Menopause: After the Menopause
  77. The Truth About Hormone Therapy for Menopause
  78. The Women’s Health Initiative
  79. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Findings In Context
  80. The Women’s Health Initiative Study and Hormone Therapy – What Have We Learned 10 Years On?
  81. The Women’s Health Initiative Trials: Clinical Messages
  82. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  83. ‘Tis But A Scratch: A Critical Review of the Women’s Health Initiative Evidence Associating Menopausal Hormone Therapy With the Risk of Breast Cancer
  84. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  85. Video Series-2023: Menopause and Heart Disease
  86. Video Series-2024: Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  87. Video: Leslie Cho, MD, Discusses CV Risks, Benefits of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  88. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Cardiovascular Disease In Women
  89. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Preventing Bone Loss At Menopause
  90. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: The Women’s Health Initiative – What Can We Believe?
  91. Webinars: Previous – Approach To Bone Health In the Perimenopause and Postmenopause?
  92. Webinars: Previous – Cardiovascular Disease
  93. Webinars: Previous – Non-Hormonal Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  94. Webinars: Previous – Non-Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  95. What Is Menopause? [+ Video]
  96. Women’s Health Initiative
  97. Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)
  98. Women’s Health Initiative: Recent Publications
  99. World Menopause Day
  100. World Menopause Day [18 October 2023]: Patient Information Leaflet
    Women’s Health Initiative

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  2. About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  3. Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  4. About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  5. Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  6. NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI Ten Years Later. 29 May 2012:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-document-library/pr12whi.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Accessed: 23 March 2024
  7. Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): At A Glance. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  8. Cagannci, A. and Venier, M. The Controversial History of Hormone Replacement Therapy: Abstract. Published Online 18 September 2019 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6780820/ Accessed: 23 March 2024
  9. About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  10. About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 23 March 2024
  11. Manson, J.A, E. Crandall, C. J., Rossouw, J. E. et al. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance. 01 May 2024 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/ Accessed: 02 May 2024
  12. Manson, J.A, E. Crandall, C. J., Rossouw, J. E. et al. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance. 01 May 2024 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/ Accessed: 02 May 2024
  13. Manson, J.A, E. Crandall, C. J., Rossouw, J. E. et al. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: Abstract – Conclusions and Relevance. 01 May 2024 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/ Accessed: 02 May 2024
  14. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement. 07 July 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/ht-position-statement-release.pdf Accessed: 23 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 25 June 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 23 March 2024

/by

Mother’s Menopause

“If you’re wondering why you entered menopause
earlier or later than other women, blame your mother.
That’s because numerous studies have confirmed…”. Read more

/by

Hormone Therapy and Stroke

“ Hormone therapy might slightly increase
your risk of stroke or blood clots in the legs or lungs
(especially if taken in pill form)”.1

Umbrella
What may the Hormone Therapy and Stroke Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  • Hormone Therapy (HT)
  • Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
  • Stroke

Cardiovascular Disease

What is cardiovascular disease (CVD)?

DotS the definition of CVD may vary. In Cardiovascular Heart Disease the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) definition is:

“Cardiovascular disease (CVD), also called heart and circulatory disease, is an umbrella name for conditions that affect your heart or circulation. These include high blood pressure, stroke and vascular dementia”.2

Stroke

What is a stroke?

DotS the definition of a stroke may vary. The American Stroke Association’s definition is:

“A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die”.3

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency and Premature or Early Menopause

Is HT recommended for women with primary ovarian insufficiency and premature or early menopause?

On page one in The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement, published 07 July 2022, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) explain:

  • “Women with primary ovarian insufficiency and premature or early menopause have higher risks of bone loss, heart disease, and cognitive or affective disorders associated with estrogen deficiency. It is recommended that hormone therapy can be used until at least the mean age of menopause unless there is a contraindication to its use”.4

Risk

What is the risk of stroke associated with HT?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits, published July 2022, the NAM explain:


Hormone Therapy and Stroke“As with all medications, HT is associated with some potential risks. For healthy women with bothersome hot flashes aged younger than 60 years or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits of HT generally outweigh the risks. Hormone therapy might slightly increase your risk of stroke or blood clots in the legs or lungs (especially if taken in pill form)”.5

In Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke the European Menopause and Andropause Society note:

  • “MHT may confer a small risk of stroke, more so with oral than with transdermal estrogen”.6

Chronic Disease

Is HT recommended for the prevention of stroke?

On page four in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

  • “HRT should not be recommended for the primary or secondary prevention of chronic disease in women experiencing the menopause in keeping with national and international guidelines”.7

Health Care Provider

If I choose to use HT what is my risk of stroke?

Different women who choose to use HT can have different risks of stroke. It may therefore be in your best interest to also choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause another of the recommendations is:

  • “The decision whether to take HRT, the dose and duration of its use should be made on an individualised basis after discussing the benefits and risks with each patient. This should be considered in the context of the overall benefits obtained from using HRT including symptom control and improving quality of life as well as considering the bone and cardiovascular benefits associated with HRT use”.8

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Hormone Therapy and Stroke?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Stroke?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 5 Critical Steps To Help Prevent A Stroke
  2. 7 Things You Can Do To Prevent A Stroke
  3. About Stroke
  4. BMS TV: Bioidentical Hormones
  5. BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  6. BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  7. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  8. Blood Clots
  9. Cardiovascular Diseases
  10. Consumer Health: Stroke Awareness
  11. Deciding About Hormone Therapy
  12. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  13. Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
  14. Family History
  15. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  16. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  17. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  18. Guidance on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  19. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  20. HRT: Benefits and Risks
  21. Healthy Lifestyle
  22. Heart Disease and Stroke In Women
  23. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  24. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Alternatives To Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  25. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Benefits and Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  26. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  27. Hot Flashes
  28. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  29. Hypertension
  30. I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
  31. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
  32. Learning To Cope With Hot Flashes
  33. Let’s Talk About Perimenopause
  34. Life’s Essential 8
  35. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video]
  36. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  37. Mayo Clinic Minute: What Women Need To Know About Stroke [+ Video]
  38. Mayo Clinic Q and A: 21st Century Stroke Prevention Strategies
  39. Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  40. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Venous Thromboembolism
  41. Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke
  42. Menopause
  43. Menopause
  44. Menopause Management: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – Cardiovascular Disease & HRT
  45. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  46. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  47. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  48. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
  49. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 5. Lifestyle Advice In Menopause & Perimenopause
  50. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Common Conditions Associated With Menopause and Midlife
  51. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause Wellness
  52. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  53. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  54. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  55. Menopause and Heart Disease
  56. Menopause and Women’s Health
  57. Menopause and Your Health
  58. Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
  59. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Benefits and Risks of HRT – Heart Disease and Stroke (Cardiovascular Disease) [NICE Guideline]
  60. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guideline]
  61. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
  62. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Herbs At A Glance
  63. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  64. Natural Remedies To Help Manage Perimenopause Symptoms
  65. Natural Therapies & Supplements
  66. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  67. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  68. Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
  69. Perimenopause
  70. Postmenopause
  71. Preventing Cardiovascular Disease
  72. Q&A: Health Changes During Menopause Associated With Increased Cardiovascular Risk
  73. Read My Lips
  74. Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  75. Staying Healthy During and After Menopause
  76. Stroke
  77. Stroke
  78. Stroke
  79. Stroke
  80. Stroke.org [American Stroke Association]
  81. The 2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society
  82. The Menopause: After the Menopause
  83. The Truth About Menopause Supplements | Dr Sarah Berry
  84. Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
  85. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  86. Types of Hormone Therapy
  87. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  88. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  89. Video Series-2023: Menopause and Heart Disease
  90. Video Series-2023: NAMS 2023 Nonhormone Therapies Position Statement for Bothersome Menopause Symptoms
  91. Video Series-2023: New FDA-Approved Nonhormone Option for the Treatment of Hot Flashes
  92. Video: Leslie Cho, MD, Discusses CV Risks, Benefits of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  93. Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Heart Disease, Risk Factors of Developing Heart Disease, and Can I Take Hormones?
  94. Webinars: Previous – Hormones and Stroke: An Update on Treatment and Risk
  95. Webinars: Previous – Non-Hormonal Pharmacological Interventions For VMS
  96. What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
  97. Women & CVD
  98. World Heart Day [29 September]
    Hormone Therapy and Stroke
  99. World Stroke Day [29 October]
    Hormone Therapy and Stroke

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement. 07 July 2022. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/ht-position-statement-release.pdf Accessed: 19 March 2024
  2. Cardiovascular Heart Disease. Page Last Reviewed: October 2019. British Heart Foundation https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/cardiovascular-heart-disease Accessed: 19 March 2024
  3. About Stroke. American Stroke Association https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke Accessed: 19 March 2024
  4. Deciding About Hormone Therapy: Potential Risks. July 2022. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 19 March 2024
  5. The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement. 07 July 2022. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/ht-position-statement-release.pdf Accessed: 19 March 2024
  6. Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke. 2022. European Menopause and Andropause Society
    https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Menopausal-hormone-therapy-heart-disease-and-stroke.pdf Accessed: 19 March 2024
  7. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 19 March 2024
  8. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 19 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 22 March 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 19 March 2024

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Pelvic Floor Exercises

“It’s important to practise pelvic floor exercises
to strengthen your muscles
and reduce the risk of incontinence and prolapse”.1

Umbrella

What may the Pelvic Floor Exercises Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Kegel Exercises
  • Kegels
  • Pelvic Floor Exercises
  • Pelvic Floor Muscle Control
  • Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises
  • Pelvic Muscle Exercises (PMEs)
  • Pelvic Muscle Strengthening Exercises

Pelvic Floor Muscles

What are the pelvic floor muscles?

DotS the definition of the pelvic floor muscles may vary. In Pelvic Floor Muscles: About the Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Muscles In Men and Women [+ Images] the Continence Foundation of Australia’s definition is:

“A woman’s pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, bowel and uterus (womb). The urethra (urine tube), anus (back passage) and vagina all pass through the pelvic floor muscles”.2

Pelvic Floor Exercises

What are pelvic floor exercises?

DotS the definition of pelvic floor exercises may vary. In What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises? the (United Kingdom) NHS’s  definition is:

“Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles around your bladder, bottom, and vagina or penis”.3

Importance

Why are pelvic floor exercises important?

In Your Pelvic Floor the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health explain:

Pelvic Floor Exercises“It’s important to practise pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your muscles and reduce the risk of incontinence and prolapse.

Even if you don’t have any symptoms, these exercises may prevent problems developing in future”.4

In Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises: Information the (United States) MedlinePlus’ explain:

“Pelvic floor muscle training exercises can help strengthen the muscles under the uterus, bladder, and bowel (large intestine). They can help both men and women who have problems with urine leakage or bowel control”.5

In Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises? the (United States) National Association for Continence (NAFC) include a diagram and elaborate on why:

“Kegels or kegel exercises (also known as pelvic floor exercises) are one of the best ways to improve and maintain bowel and bladder functions. Kegels can be done by both men and women to increase the strength of your pelvic floor and may help to improve or even eliminate bladder leakage”.6

Identifying the Correct Muscles

How may women identify the correct muscles?

In Women: Pelvic Floor Exercise the Continence Foundation of Australia’s, Pelvic Floor First note:

“The first step in performing pelvic floor muscle exercises is to identify the correct muscles”.7

Then, in Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises – How Can I Find My Pelvic Floor Muscles? Method 1 – Stopping the Flow Pelvic Floor First continue:

“There are several ways which may help you to correctly identify the different parts of your pelvic floor muscles. One way is to try to stop or slow the flow of urine midway through emptying the bladder. Stopping the flow of urine repeatedly on the toilet is not an exercise, but a way of identifying your pelvic floor muscles. This should only be done to identify which muscles are needed for bladder control.

If you can, stop the flow of urine over the toilet for a second or two, then relax and finish emptying without straining. This ‘stop-test’ may help you identify the muscles around the front passage which control the flow of urine. It is not recommended as a regular exercise”.8

How Do I Do

How do I do pelvic floor exercises?

Examples of how to do pelvic floor exercises are included in:


Pelvic Floor Exercises

Tips

What are some tips about performing pelvic floor exercises properly?

In Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises the NAFC elaborate on:

Pelvic Floor Exercises“So, how do you know you are doing kegels properly? Like any exercise, it can be difficult to know at first. But with a daily commitment, it becomes instinctive. Here are a few tips for doing kegel exercises:

  • Which muscles do I use?…
  • How many should I do per day?…
  • Work both your fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers…
  • Things to watch out for…
  • Repeat your exercises 3 times a day…
  • Give yourself encouragement…”.9

Suitable or Not

Are pelvic floor exercises suitable for everyone?

The JH note:

“Note, pelvic floor strengthening exercises are not suitable for everyone. If you experience vaginal or pelvic pain, you may need a special program to learn how to relax your pelvic floor muscles”.10

Health Care Provider

What if I would like to find out if pelvic floor exercises could help me?

If you would like to find out if pelvic floor exercises could help you, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. Together you may clarify your symptoms, discuss your options and if required, agree on who may be the most appropriate health care provider to help you.

In Kegel Exercises – A Step By Step Guide: Signs of Pelvic Floor Strength Improvement the NAFC encourage us to seek help:

“Women and men who have difficulty performing kegel exercises on their own may find biofeedback therapy helpful. With professional instruction from a nurse specialist or pelvic floor therapist, many people experience significant improvement in pelvic floor muscle strength, tone, and function with a good regime.

It’s crucial to remember that incontinence and pelvic floor symptoms almost always have solutions and shouldn’t be shrugged off as normal. You can try these exercises regardless of how long you have had your symptoms. Even if you have been experiencing leakage for as short as 1 month or as long as 10 years, it is never too late to try Kegels”.11

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Pelvic Floor Exercises?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Pelvic Floor Exercises?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. Bladder & Bowel
  2. Bladder Incontinence
  3. Bladder Training: Tips and Techniques To Regain Control
  4. Bowel Incontinence
  5. Continence.org.au [Continence Foundation of Australia]
  6. Current Management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse In Aging Women: EMAS Clinical Guideline [European Menopause and Andropause Society]
  7. Fact Sheets and Downloads
  8. Fact Sheets and Downloads: Additional Downloadable Resources – Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Bladder Training
  9. Fact Sheets and Downloads: Additional Downloadable Resources – Talking With Your Doctor
  10. Fact Sheets and Downloads: Fact Sheets – Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Bladder Training
  11. Glossary
  12. How To Exercise Without Wetting Yourself
  13. Kegel Exercises
  14. Kegel Exercises
  15. Kegel Exercises for Men: Understand the Benefits
  16. Kegel Exercises – Self-Care
  17. Kegel Exercises: A How-To Guide for Women
  18. Kegel Exercises: How Do You Exercise Your Pelvic Muscles?
  19. Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises?
  20. Lifting the Lid on Prolapse
  21. Menopause
  22. NAFC’s Review of 3 Popular Kegels Apps [National Association for Continence, United States]
  23. Nafc.org: Learning Library [National Association for Continence, United States]
  24. PFD 101: Fact or Fiction
  25. Pelvic Floor Disorder Awareness [+ Video]
  26. Pelvic Floor Exercises for Women Physio BEGINNERS Guide [Video]
  27. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training As Treatment for Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  28. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises
  29. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Women
  30. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Women: How Do I Do Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?
  31. Pelvic Floor Muscles
  32. Pelvic Floor Muscles In Women: About the Pelvic Floor [+ Video: Female Pelvic Floor Muscle – 3D Animation]
  33. Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Featured Video [+ Video: Let’s Talk About Prolapse]
  34. Pelvicfloorfirst.org.au
  35. Prolapse
  36. Prolapse & Bladder Weakness: What Is Prolapse? [+ Image]
  37. So Many Products To Fit Your Personal Style: Absorbent Products for the Way You Live
  38. The Pelvic Floor
  39. Urogenital Atrophy Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  40. Voices for PFD [Pelvic Floor Disorders]
  41. What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises?
  42. Why Physical Therapy Should Be the First Thing You Try When Treating Incontinence
  43. Women
  44. Women: Getting the Technique Right
  45. Women: How Can I Find My Pelvic Floor Muscles?
  46. Women: Pelvic Floor Exercise
  47. Women’s Wellness: Are You Doing Your Kegels?
  48. Working Your Pelvic Floor

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Your Pelvic Floor. Last Updated: 26 August 2023 | Last Reviewed: 11 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder-bowel/pelvic-floor-strength Accessed: 07 September 2023
  2. Pelvic Floor Muscles: About the Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Muscles In Men and Women. Last Updated: 07 February 2024. Last Reviewed: 23 March 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/continence-health/pelvic-floor Accessed: 18 March 2024
  3. What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises? Page Last Reviewed: 22 November 2023. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/what-are-pelvic-floor-exercises/#close%22 Accessed: 18 March 2024
  4. Your Pelvic Floor. Last Updated: 26 August 2023 | Last Reviewed: 11 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder-bowel/pelvic-floor-strength Accessed: 07 September 2023
  5. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises: Information. Review Date: 15 October 2022.  MedlinePlus https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003975.htm Accessed: 18 March 2024
  6. Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises? National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 18 March 2024
  7. Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises. Pelvic Floor First https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-for-women.html Accessed: 18 March 2024
  8. Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises – How Can I Find My Pelvic Floor Muscles? Method 1 – Stopping the Flow. Pelvic Floor First https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-for-women.html Accessed: 18 March 2024
  9. Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 18 March 2024
  10. Your Pelvic Floor: How Do You Do Pelvic Floor Exercises? Last Updated: 26 August 2023 | Last Reviewed: 11 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder-bowel/pelvic-floor-strength#how-do-you-do-pelvic-floor-exercises Accessed: 07 September 2023
  11. Kegel Exercises: Signs of Pelvic Floor Strength Improvement. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 18 March 2024
Topic Last Updated: 04 April 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 18 March 2024

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