Practice
Asking about hormone therapy
The most effective treatment there is for hot flashes and night sweats. A conversation with a clinician, not something to start on your own.
What to do
Go in with three things written down: which symptoms bother you most and how often, when your periods changed, and your personal and family history of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke and heart disease. Worth asking about the form as well as whether — patches, gels and sprays carry a lower clot risk than tablets, and if you still have a uterus you need a progestogen alongside estrogen to protect the lining. If hormones are not an option for you, ask about the newer non-hormonal prescriptions for hot flashes as well.
Write your three worst symptoms in your phone the moment you book the appointment.
On a hard day: One line in your notes: the symptom that bothers you most, and how many times a day.
When you might notice
Hot flashes usually settle within a few weeks of starting. Getting the appointment often takes longer than the treatment takes to work.
Roughly what it costs
Depends on your insurance, your country and the form — ask what it will actually cost before you leave
What this is based on
Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats. The alarm that followed the 2002 WHI trial was later understood to have overstated the risk for symptomatic women starting it under 60 or within ten years of menopause, and current guidance supports it for that group with an individual assessment.
Well established · The Menopause Society position statement, 2022
Or instead of this
These do a similar job. Pick the one that fits your life — doing all of them is not better.
Worth checking first
- Worth a word with your provider first if you have a hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, have had a blood clot, have had a stroke or heart disease, have vaginal bleeding no one has explained yet, have liver disease, or are pregnant or trying to conceive.
What this is for
Also worth knowing about
A colder bedroom
The cheapest thing on this list, and for night sweats often the most effective.
Finding your triggers
One week of noticing what comes before a flash. Costs nothing and often does more than a supplement.
Glycine
An amino acid that lowers your core body temperature — the signal your brain waits for before deep sleep.
Magnesium glycinate
The form of magnesium that calms rather than loosens. For nights that will not settle.
Guía is not a doctor and none of this is medical advice. It is here so you can have a better conversation with someone who is. Who made this
Which of these is for you?
Three questions and Guía puts the ones that fit your symptoms into a plan — in the right order, with the smaller version for the days you cannot. Free, and there is nothing to buy.
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