Tag Archives: hot sweats

Rebranding HRT-is it time we changed the way we think about it?

Is it time we changed the way we think about HRT? Some doctors argue menopause needs a rebranding so we no longer think of HRT as the treatment of last resort. Many women talk about HRT in terms of  ‘struggling on,’ ‘braving it out’ and ‘not succumbing’ by taking it because it’s ‘not natural’ – but is that correct? Dr Sarah Ball, a GP with a special interest in the menopause says it is time menopause was rebranded as a ‘chronic hormone deficiency’ rather than accepting it as natural part of getting older, and that HRT was seen as a…

Can diet help relieve your menopause symptoms

Can your diet help relieve some of the symptoms of menopause? Dietitian Sophie Medlin gives her top tips on what works and what may not. Can Phytoestrogens help with menopause symptoms? Phytoestrogens are compounds that occur naturally in plants and foods including fruits, veggies, legumes, and some grains. Soy is a popular source. They are said to mimic oestrogen and may be helpful for hot flushes, mood swings and painful breasts. But is there good evidence to back that up? “There is some data around phytoestrogens that some people find helpful,” Sophie says. “Again it’s not everybody and the data…

What are the symptoms of menopause?

Could it be menopause? With so many symptoms it’s easy to see why it’s often misdiagnosed. If you have a quick look at menopause sites on social media it wont take long to find a plethora of women who say their GP has told them they’re too young to be menopausal, put them on anti-depressants or sent them off on a merry-go-round of investigative procedures to try and find the cause of their malaise. The experience leaves many asking how hard can it be to diagnose menopause? Well, there is a long list of symptoms – many of which may…

Breast cancer and menopause: how can you manage the symptoms

How do you relieve menopause symptoms if you’ve had breast cancer & can’t take HRT? One in eight women in the UK develop breast cancer at some stage in their adult life. The diagnosis can be devastating, but just to add insult to injury it can also mean many women are either plunged into an early menopause because of the treatments or encouraged to go off their HRT because of the risk of a recurrence or new breast cancer. So, on top of having to deal with the cancer itself, there is a host of unwanted and unwelcome symptoms that they…