Is it safe to take hormones for the treatment of hot flashes and night sweats?
If you have hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruptions or other symptoms, the Task Force found that HT and ET still are the most effective therapies, reducing hot flashes by up to 90 percent. In fact, for severe hot flashes, nothing works better. Numerous studies have shown that, in addition to oral estrogens, transdermal estrogen patches effectively alleviate hot flashes. For the majority of women, hot flashes dissipate on their own within an average of four years. If you have mild to moderate hot flashes, a number of lifestyle changes can help you cope, such as wearing layers of light clothing, setting the thermostat to a lower temperature and avoiding spicy foods and caffeinated beverages and alcohol, which may help reduce the severity of hot flashes. Relaxation exercises or biofeedback may also help control temperature fluctuations. If those or other measures don’t work or if symptoms are severe and you have no family or personal history of blood clots, premature cardiovascular d
