Complementary and hormonal therapy for vasomotor symptom relief: a conservative clinical approach.

Vasomotor symptoms are the most common menopausal symptom experienced by women and the leading reason menopausal women seek health care advice. The recent shift towards a more conservative use of hormone therapy (HT) during menopause has prompted the need for treatment regimens to be individualized according to symptom severity. Our objective was to develop a new algorithm that enables practitioners to customize treatment regimens according to symptom severity.

Red clover isoflavones and menopausal health.

Menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats can be very disrupting. While hormone replacement therapy is an effective therapy, concerns about side effects and breast cancer risk have stimulated interest into alternative therapies such as phytoestrogens. These are oestrogen-like compounds made by plants.

Early menopause: increased fracture risk at older age.

The aim of this study was primarily to determine the relationship between early menopause and the presence of fractures later in life, and secondly, to check for the significance of confounding factors (such as smoking habits, body mass index (BMI), weight and use of hormones). In this cross-sectional population based study, the subjects were 4725 postmenopausal women, 50-80 years of age, registered with 23 general practitioners (GPs). For the purpose of the present study, the total population was analyzed as well as the subgroup of 2757 women (the study population) with a natural menopause.

Isoflavones from red clover (Promensil) significantly reduce menopausal hot flush symptoms compared with placebo.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of a red clover isoflavone dietary supplement (Promensil, Novogen Ltd., Australia) versus placebo on the change in hot flush frequency in postmenopausal women.

Methods: In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial 30 women with more than 12 months amenorrhoea and experiencing more than five flushes per day were enrolled.