Treatment of issues during menopause
What can I do myself?
1) For some, hot flashes are triggered by caffeine, alcohol or hot drinks. Stress also increase the pain.
3) Supplementation of Omega-3 has been shown to help with hot flashes
4) Exercise helps. Overweight patients have on average more problems with hot flashes, so if you are overweight, weight loss is recommended.
5) There are also hormone-free preparations that can be bought at the pharmacy without a prescription. Examples of such preparations are Remifemin and Femarelle.
6) Some are helped by St. John's wort.
What treatment may be relevant from the doctor or gynaecologist?
Hormone therapy with estrogen is the most effective treatment for symptoms associated with menopause. Hormone treatment has both known side effects and health-promoting effects, and the treatment should therefore be discussed with a doctor.
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The way forward
Regardless of typical issues, weight gain is common around the time of menopause. This weight gain often comes with a changed fat distribution with more fat around the waist, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
After menopause, the risk of various cancers also increases, including breast cancer, which is the most common form of cancer among women.
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What can I do myself to improve my long-term health?
1) Avoid obesity and high alcohol consumption
2) Use calcium and vitamin D supplements, which reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D probably also reduces cancer risk
3) Have a healthy diet. Typical good ingredients are: Vegetables such as spinach, broccoli (especially broccoli sprouts) and cabbage, olive oil, nuts and fish.