Healthy Living | Summer Issue | 2018 13
other symptoms—both physical
and emotional. Hot flashes,
poor sleep, and mood changes
are common. Some women have
vaginal dryness, weight gain,
and thinning hair. Bone density
may also start to decrease.
“Most people don’t have
severe symptoms. Most people
have mild or less frequent
symptoms,” says Dr. Hadine
Joffe, an NIH-supported
menopause researcher and psychiatrist
at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital.
NIH is funding studies
looking into how to relieve
menopause symptoms. There
are medicines and lifestyle
changes that can help.
“No two people are going
to go through menopause in
exactly the same way,” explains
Dr. Chhanda Dutta, who oversees
clinical aging research at
NIH. “Different women go
through menopause with different
kinds of symptoms, and
we’re trying to give them options
for how they can manage
them.”
Waves of Heat
Hot flashes are a common
symptom during the midlife
transition. Many women have
these for several years after
menopause. Some experience
hot flashes for 10 or more years.
A mild hot flash feels like
being embarrassed, Joffe says.
“There’s a wave of heat sensation
that rises to your head
and chest, and sometimes you
look red, feel hot, and then it’s
gone.”
A not-so-mild hot flash can
make your skin appear very
red. Your head, neck, and chest
may become hot and sweaty.
“It’s particularly disruptive
at night,” Joffe says. “People are
waking up, feeling very hot and
sweaty, and they have weird,
disrupted sleep.”
NIH-supported studies
have found some medicines
that reduce hot flashes. The
most effective FDA-approved
treatment is low-dose hormone
therapy. Some women are given
estrogen or estrogen with
another hormone, progestin.
Women take hormone therapy
for the shortest time that they
need it.
Not every woman can take
hormone therapy. Another option
is an antidepressant that
is FDA-approved for treating
moderate to severe hot flashes.
A doctor can help determine
which medicine might
work best. See the Wise Choices
box for other ways to outsmart
hot flashes.
Restless Nights
During midlife, women
may start having trouble sleeping
because of changes in hormone
levels. Hot flashes and
night sweats can also cause
women to wake up.
“In people who have hot
flashes at night, their sleep is
disrupted throughout the entire
night. It’s like a ripple of