Sleep disturbances are one of the top things my patients struggle with as they transition into menopause. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation estimates 46% of women ages 40 to 54 and 48% of women ages 55 to 64 struggle with sleep. I think it is at least that many …
Hot flashes are never easy to treat, especially if you decide not to take estrogen and progesterone. And two recent possiblities for non-estrogen prescriptions failed to get FDA approval. Now a new study suggests that maybe all you need to do to lower hot flashes is just get hypnotized. A study in the March 2013 …
Monday the FDA failed to approve two new medications for hot flashes. The Advisers for the FDA felt the benefits did not sufficiently outweigh the risks. The first medication was for a drug made by Depomed Inc, which failed 12 to 2. The panel also voted 10-4 against approving a drug for hot flashes made by Hisamitsu …
Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you health, happiness and gratitude for all the wonderful things in your life. With such a big holiday here and Christmas and New Years now in sight, it is the official weight-gaining window of the year. And if you are trying to control your weight, it’s a downright “dangerous” time. According …
In honor of September is Menopause Awareness Month, today’s blog is on Menopause and Your Mental Health. I’m sure you know women who reach menopause and tip into a mental mess. Estrogen usually gets the blame; levels drop in the years leading up to menopause – the perimenopause – and those lower levels of estrogen …
With so many concerns about estrogen and menopause, many women either won’t or can’t take it. That’s why I’ve offered progesterone as a possible option to women in menopause for years. I think the risks are less and it works for many women. Now a new study has looked at using micronized progesterone – a …
Many women know that a flushing face and night sweats are a part of menopause. But menopause is not always the cause. Sometimes these nuisances are a symptom of something else. As a matter of fact, a wide range of conditions can cause hot flashes and night sweats (and sometimes day sweats). It’s called Sleep …
Seems like everyone is having difficulty falling asleep these days, so a new medication to help with that is always good news. The newest one is called Suvorexant. It’s called that because it targets the orexin system, a part of the brain that promotes wakefulness.This is the part of the brain that’s missing or damaged …
A new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in New Orleans gave a new tool for women in menopause looking for an alternative treatment for hot flashes – hypnosis. A five-session program reduced both the frequency and the severity of hot flashes by 80%. And there were side benefits …
This new study shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Most of my menopause patients complain of poor sleep. But the problem in aging isn’t falling asleep; it’s staying asleep. A study done at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that people ages 64-74 were 4 times more likely to wake up during the night than younger people …
