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What is Menopause

Menopause (also known as the "Change of life" or climacteric) is a stage of the reproductive lifecycle that every woman goes through at some point in her life, usually in the fifth or sixth decade, where the ovaries stop producing estrogen. (A similar mechanism in men is known as andropause.) This causes the reproductive system to gradually shut down and alters hormone levels drastically. As the body adapts to the changing levels of natural hormones, symptoms such as hot flashes, mood-swings, vaginal dryness, increased depression and anxiety, and increasingly scanty and erratic menstrual periods are common.

Technically, menopause is the ceasing of menses, while the process in which this occurs is the climacteric and takes place gradually over a year, but may take as little as six months or more than five years. Popular use however replaces climacteric with menopause.

The average onset of menopause is 50.5 years, but some women enter menopause at a younger age, especially if they have suffered from cancer or another serious illness and undergone chemotherapy. Premature menopause (or Premature Ovarian Failure) is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40, and occurs in 1% of women. Other causes of premature menopause include autoimmune disorders like thyroid disease or diabetes mellitus. Premature menopause is diagnosed by measuring the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH); the levels of these hormones will be higher if menopause has occurred.

Some women see menopause as being a normal stage of their life-cycle and one which will eventually pass by itself without medical intervention. Some doctors would disagree with that view, and medical 'treatments' for menopausal symptoms have been developed, eg. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). This is seen as sexist and mostly harmful by some.

Post-menopausal women are at increased risk of osteoporosis, mostly among European women.

Menopause is the cessation of the monthly female menstrual cycle. Women who have not had a menstrual period for a year are considered postmenopausal.

Most commonly, menopause takes place when a woman is in her late forties or early fifties. Women who have gone through menopause are no longer fertile. Menopause is not a disease and cannot be prevented. Many hormonal changes occur during menopause. Postmenopausal women are at higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, presumably because of a decrease in the production of estrogen or other hormones.

Checklist for Menopause

Rating Nutritional Supplements Herbs
Soy
Black cohosh
Progesterone
Red clover
DHEA
Flavonoids (hesperidin)
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Alfalfa
Asian ginseng
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
Burdock
Dong quai
Licorice
Motherwort
Sage
St. John’s wort
Wild yam

See also: Homeopathic Remedies for Menopause
Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.
Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.
For an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support and/or minimal health benefit.

What are the symptoms of menopause?
Several unpleasant symptoms may accompany menopause. Some, such as vaginal dryness, result from the lack of estrogen. Others, such as hot flashes and decreased sex drive, are caused by more complex hormonal changes. Some women experience depression, anxiety, or insomnia during menopause.

Medical treatments
The most common prescription drug treatment for symptoms of menopause is hormone replacement therapy. This includes an estrogen, either conjugated estrogen (Premarin®), estradiol (Estrace®, Estraderm®), or ethinyl estradiol (Alesse®), and a progestin (Provera®, Prometrium®). Some prescriptions contain both estrogens and progestins in a single tablet (Prempro®, Premphase®). Some products add methyltestosterone to esterified estrogens (Estratest®) to help enhance sex drive.

Dietary changes that may be helpful
Soybeans contain compounds called phytoestrogens that are related in structure to estrogen, though some reports show soy’s estrogenic activity to be quite weak.1 Soy is known to affect the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women.2 Societies with high consumption of soy products have a low incidence of hot flashes during menopause.3

In one double-blind trial, supplementation with 60 grams of soy protein caused a 33% decrease in the number of hot flashes after four weeks and a 45% reduction after 12 weeks.4 However, in further analysis of the data in this trial, researchers credit constituents in soybeans other than phytoestrogens for the therapeutic effect.5 In one controlled clinical trial, high intake of phytoestrogens from soy and flaxseed reduced both hot flashes and vaginal dryness; however, much (though not all) of the benefit was also seen in the control group.6 In another double-blind study, 100 mg per day of isoflavones extracted from soy was effective in relieving hot flashes.7

As a result of these studies, doctors often recommend that women experiencing menopausal symptoms eat tofu, soy milk, tempeh, roasted soy nuts, and other soy-based sources of phytoestrogens. Soy sauce contains very little phytoestrogen content, and many processed foods made from soybean concentrates have insignificant levels of phytoestrogens. Supplements containing isoflavones extracted from soy are commercially available, and flaxseed (as opposed to flaxseed oil) is also a good source of phytoestrogens.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful
Sedentary women are more likely to have moderate or severe hot flashes compared with women who exercise.8 9 In one trial, menopausal symptoms were reduced immediately after aerobic exercise.10

Cigarette smoking may be related to hot flashes in menopausal women. Preliminary data have shown that women who experience hot flashes are more likely to be smokers.11 Another preliminary study found that new users of hormone replacement therapy for the relief of menopausal symptoms were more likely to be current cigarette smokers than were those who had never smoked.12

Nutritional supplements that may be helpful
Many years ago, researchers studied the effects of vitamin E supplementation in reducing symptoms of menopause. Most,13 14 15 16 17 but not all,18 studies found vitamin E to be helpful. Many doctors suggest that women going through menopause take 800 IU per day of vitamin E for a trial period of at least three months to see if symptoms are reduced. If helpful, this amount may be continued. Using lower amounts for less time has led to statistically significant changes, but only marginal clinical improvement.19

In 1964, a preliminary trial reported that 1,200 mg each of vitamin C and the flavonoid hesperidin taken over the course of the day helped relieve hot flashes.20 Although placebo effects are strong in women with hot flashes, other treatments used in that trial failed to act as effectively as the flavonoid/vitamin C combination. Since then, researchers have not explored the effects of flavonoids or vitamin C in women with menopausal symptoms.

The mineral boron is known to affect estrogen metabolism. In one double-blind trial using 2.5 mg of boron per day for two months, hot flashes and night sweats worsened in 21 of 43 women, but the same symptoms improved in ten others.21 Women who are experiencing hot flashes or night sweats that have been diagnosed as menopausal symptoms and who are also supplementing boron (sometimes found in significant amounts in osteoporosis formulas and multivitamin-mineral supplements) should consider discontinuing use of boron-containing supplements to see if the severity of their symptoms is reduced.

Aging in women is characterized by a progressive decline in blood DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) levels. These levels can be restored with DHEA supplementation. This process also improves the response of some brain chemicals, called endorphins, to certain drugs.22 These endorphins are involved in sensations of pleasure and pain; improving their response may explain why DHEA has an effect on mood symptoms associated with menopause. In one double-blind trial, however, menopausal women who took 50 mg of DHEA per day for three months had no improvement in symptoms compared with women taking placebo.23 Further study is needed to validate a role for DHEA in the management of menopausal symptoms.

Natural progesterone supplementation has been anecdotally linked to reduction in symptoms of menopause.24 25 26 In one trial, natural progesterone was found to have no independent effect on symptoms, and synthetic progestins were found to increase breast tenderness.27 However, a double-blind trial found that topical administration of natural progesterone cream led to a reduction in hot flashes in 83% of women, compared with improvement in only 19% of those given placebo.28 Preliminary research has found that oral, micronized progesterone therapy is associated with improved quality of life among postmenopausal women. However, oral micronized progesterone is available only by prescription in the United States.29 Hot flashes, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and sexual functioning were among the symptoms improved in a majority of women surveyed. Synthetic progestins, also available only by prescription, have reduced symptoms of menopause.30 31 32

Progesterone is a hormone and, as such, concerns about its inappropriate use (i.e., as an over-the-counter supplement) have been raised. The amount of progesterone in commercially available creams varies widely, and the progesterone content is not listed on the label because the creams are legally regulated as cosmetics, not dietary supplements. Therefore, a physician should be consulted before using these hormone-containing creams as supplements. Although few side effects have been associated with topical progesterone creams, skin reactions may occur in some users. Effects of natural progesterone on breast cancer risk remain unclear; research has suggested both increased and reduced risk.

Are there any side effects or interactions?
Refer to the individual supplement for information about any side effects or interactions.

Herbs that may be helpful
Double-blind trials support the usefulness of black cohosh for women with hot flashes associated with menopause.33 A review of eight trials concluded black cohosh to be both safe and effective.34 Many doctors recommend 20 mg of a highly concentrated extract taken twice per day; 2–4 ml of tincture three times per day may also be used.

A variety of herbs with weak estrogen-like actions similar to the effects of soy have traditionally been used for women with menopausal symptoms.35 These herbs include licorice, alfalfa, and red clover. In a double-blind trial, a formula containing tinctures of licorice, burdock, dong quai, wild yam, and motherwort (30 drops three times daily) was found to reduce symptoms of menopause.36 No effects on hormone levels were detected in this study. In a separate double-blind trial, supplementation with dong quai (4.5 grams three times daily in capsules) had no effect on menopausal symptoms or hormone levels.37 A double-blind trial using a standardized extract of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), a relative of red clover, containing 40 mg isoflavones per tablet did not impact symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, though it did improve function of the arteries.38 An extract of red clover, providing 82 mg of isoflavones per day, also was ineffective in a 12-week double-blind study.39 In another double-blind study, however, administration of 80 mg of isoflavones per day from red clover reduced the frequency of hot flashes in postmenopausal women. The benefit was noticeable after 4 weeks of treatment and became more pronounced after a total of 12 weeks.40

Sage may reduce excessive perspiration due to menopausal hot flashes during the day or at night.41 It is believed this is because sage directly decreases production of sweat. This is based on traditional herbal prescribing and has not been evaluated in clinical studies

Blue vervain (Verbene hastata) is a traditional herb for menopause; however, there is no research to validate this use. Tincture has been recommended at an amount of 5–10 ml three times per day.

Preliminary evidence suggests that supplementation with St. John’s wort extract (300 mg three times daily for 12 weeks) may improve psychological symptoms, including sexual well-being, in menopausal women.42

A double-blind trial found that Asian ginseng (200 mg per day of standardized extract) helped alleviate psychological symptoms of menopause, such as depression and anxiety, but did not decrease physical symptoms, such as hot flashes or sexual dysfunction, in postmenopausal women who had not been treated with hormones.43

Warning: Kava should only be taken with medical supervision. Kava is not for sale in certain parts of the world.

In a double-blind trial, a standardized kava extract was found to be effective at reducing anxiety and other symptoms associated with menopause.44 The study used 100 mg of kava extract standardized to contain 70% kava-lactones, three times per day. Most commercially available kava extracts contain up to 35% kava-lactones. In another study, administration of kava enhanced the anti-anxiety effect of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women.45

Are there any side effects or interactions?
Refer to the individual herb for information about any side effects or interactions.

Holistic approaches that may be helpful
Acupuncture may be helpful in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Animal research suggests that acupuncture may help normalize some biochemical changes that are associated with menopausal disturbances of memory, mood, and other functions.46 One preliminary trial in humans demonstrated a significant reduction (more than 50%) in hot flashes in menopausal women receiving either electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation) or superficial acupuncture (shallow needle insertion).47 Other preliminary trials support these results48 49 and suggest additional menopausal symptoms may also respond to acupuncture.50 However, no placebo-controlled trials have been done to conclusively prove the effectiveness of acupuncture for menopausal symptoms.