This edition of Staying Well looks at new treatment options for menopause. The menopause is a single event in life: a woman's last menstrual period. The average age at menopause is 51.5 years, ranging from 45 to 55 years.[1]Because hormone therapy (estrogen alone after hysterectomy, or with progestin in presence of an intact uterus) is no longer recommended for prevention of chronic conditions, deciding who needs treatment is more personalized and individualized. The decision to treat is based on the presence and severity of menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and dyspareunia.

When menopausal women cannot or do not want to take estrogen to combat bothersome hot flashes and night sweats, antidepressants may serve as an effective alternative.

 
Although estrogen has long been the gold standard for treating the hot flashes and night sweats of menopause, some women are unable or unwilling to use it because of associated risks. Consequently, SSRI or SNRI antidepressants—particularly the SNRI antidepressant venlafaxine—are often prescribed as a treatment for these vasomotor symptoms.

June 02, 2014---Low-dose estradiol and low-dose venlafaxine were both effective and well-tolerated in a trial comparing them with placebo as treatments for vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in peri- and postmenopausal women, according to an article published online May 26 in JAMA Internal Medicine.The trial results mean that women who do not want to, or cannot, take estrogen for VMS have another treatment option, which already has been commonly prescribed off-label.
 

May 19, 2014--Early natural menopause is significantly associated with heart failure (HF) when compared with menopause at age 50 to 54 years.