{"id":381003,"date":"2025-11-15T15:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T15:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/381003\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T15:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T15:42:13","slug":"a-look-at-nonhormonal-options-for-menopause-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/381003\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at nonhormonal options for menopause symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shilpa Gajarawala struggled with hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems and brain fog. But given her history of breast cancer, treating these menopausal symptoms<\/a> with hormone therapy<\/a> wasn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor two years, I tried to kind of power through,\u201d said the 58-year-old physician assistant from Jacksonville, Florida.<\/p>\n

But doctors say women like Gajarawala don\u2019t need to suffer.<\/p>\n

Though many women take hormone therapy<\/a> medications to ease menopause symptoms, recently announced label changes may encourage even more to start. But others choose not to use these medications that circulate throughout the body. And doctors advise some to avoid them because they have medical problems such as severe liver disease or a history of heart attack, stroke, blood clots or a type of breast cancer that grows in response to hormones such as estrogen.<\/p>\n

For those people, there are lifestyle changes, medications without hormones<\/a> and other strategies that can help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key here is that there\u2019s something for everybody,\u201d said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director at the Menopause Society. \u201cThere\u2019s always a solution. We have lots of other options available.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article is part of AP\u2019s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Lifestyle changes<\/p>\n

Boosting physical activity can make a difference. While exercise hasn\u2019t been shown to alleviate menopausal symptoms directly, it can help to shed pounds, which is associated with reductions in hot flashes and night sweats. <\/p>\n

Doctors suggest a mix of aerobic exercise, such as running or walking, and strength training, which slows the loss of bone density.<\/p>\n

Along with exercise, doctors advise watching what you eat.<\/p>\n

Emerging science shows that a \u201cplant-forward diet,\u201d rich in produce and soy and low in oil, may help with managing hot flashes in particular, said Faubion of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women\u2019s Health. Experts aren\u2019t sure why this is true, but some suggest it may be because it also helps with weight loss.<\/p>\n

Another key, doctors said, is to avoid things in the diet that may trigger hot flashes, like caffeine or alcohol.<\/p>\n

Eating well and exercising also help with other midlife health issues, like rising heart and diabetes risks.<\/p>\n

During menopause, the body\u2019s production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone declines greatly. The drop in estrogen levels can lead to higher blood pressure and cholesterol.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that we focus on maintaining cardiovascular health\u201d such as stopping smoking, getting enough sleep and watching stress levels, Faubion said. <\/p>\n

Prescription drugs<\/p>\n

Beyond lifestyle changes, some nonhormonal prescription medicines have been shown to ease menopausal symptoms.<\/p>\n

Antidepressants can help with hot flashes and mood issues. Recent data suggest that a drug for an overactive bladder called oxybutynin may reduce hot flashes while also treating frequent urination that\u2019s common during menopause.<\/p>\n

And doctors pointed to a new drug on the market \u2013 Veozah, a brand name for fezolinetant \u2014 which works in the area of the brain that controls body temperature and blocks a source of hot flashes and night sweats. Another nonhormonal drug called elinzanetant \u2014 marketed as Lynkuet \u2014 was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It works similarly, except it blocks two molecules in the nervous system instead of one.<\/p>\n

One downside of such medications? Possible side effects.<\/p>\n

Veozah\u2019s label includes a federally required warning about the risk of a rare but serious liver injury. Lynkuet\u2019s possible side effects include difficulty staying awake, fatigue and others. Some antidepressants can cause weight gain, although generally in doses higher than those used for menopause symptoms. And oxybutynin can cause dry mouth and, in some people, a condition in which they can\u2019t completely empty the bladder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no medication out there that\u2019s entirely free of risk,\u201d said Dr. JoAnn Manson at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n

Other nonhormonal options<\/p>\n

Over-the-counter products can also treat some menopausal symptoms. Lubricants available at drugstores can help women struggling with vaginal dryness.<\/p>\n

Cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors, has been shown to help women cope with hot flashes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like it\u2019s going to make you not have a hot flash,\u201d Faubion said. \u201cBut it makes them less significant for you and less burdensome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manson said there\u2019s \u201cmoderate evidence\u201d that clinical hypnosis might also help, with some studies showing reductions in the frequency and severity of hot flashes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat seems a promising option,\u201d she said. \u201cBut more research is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that women don\u2019t have to simply \u201cget through\u201d menopause, said Dr. Juliana Kling, a women\u2019s health expert at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona. \u201cI would implore women to have that conversation … about what treatment might be beneficial for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gajarawala did that. She now skips red wine, walks at least 10,000 steps a day, practices tai chi and takes an extended-release antidepressant to address her symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a significant improvement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shilpa Gajarawala struggled with hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems and brain fog. But given her history of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":381004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3881,3384,210,1165,1060,27989,182538,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-381003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-ap-top-news","9":"tag-be-well","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-lifestyle","12":"tag-medication","13":"tag-menopause","14":"tag-stephanie-faubion","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}