Overview of Treatment Options

Treatment options for menopause can be categorised as hormonal or non-hormonal. There are also a selection of diet and lifestyle changes women can implement to improve their symptoms. A list can be found on the NHS website: Menopause - Things you can do - NHS.

Hormonal and Non-Hormonal Treatments

We shall discuss HRT in more detail in the next section. Hormonal options include HRT, testosterone gel, and vaginal oestrogen. Non-hormonal treatments are more symptom-dependent. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a talking therapy aimed at improving low mood and anxiety and improving how patients handle some of their physical symptoms such as joint pain. For anxiety and depression, patients can be prescribed antidepressants. There are also some medications that may help with vasomotor symptoms such as clonidine and gabapentin.

Some women may be tempted to try complementary or alternative therapies to manage their symptoms. Herbal remedies such as evening primrose oil, St John’s wort, black cohosh, angelica, ginseng, and red clover are common, but there is limited evidence they have any efficacy. Safety is also an issue with these remedies as they are not tested in the same way drugs are and many of them have interactions with other medications.

Compounded Biomedical Hormones

Compounded biomedical hormones are sometimes offered in private clinics as HRT. They are not recommended as there is little information on how well they work or how safe they are. They are not available on the NHS and are not the same as regulated biomedical hormones also called body identical hormones. These are available on the NHS and have been tested for efficacy and safety.