In the Journal Menopause a small study into the effects of CBT on menopause showed that it may reduce hot flashes, depression, and sleep disorders.

What is it?

CBT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on modifying negative thought patterns and behaviours.

This type of therapy encourages people to become aware of their negative thinking and respond to challenging situations in more effective ways.

In a recent new study led by Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of the North American Menopause Society, the researchers found that cognitive therapy may be effective in managing other symptoms of menopause, such as depression, sleep disorders, and sexual concerns as well as being effective in reducing hot flushes and night sweats.

The researchers found that the improvements lasted for at least 3 months after the treatment. Even though the study involved only a small number of participants, it is a crucial step in the search for effective alternative therapies to treat the symptoms of menopause.

How can it help?

Anxiety is certainly much more common at menopause as women adjust to the many physical and emotional changes that are taking place.

Talk therapies can help release stress and address the main causes of such anxiety by looking to reframe negative thoughts and attitudes into more positive ones.

Alternative therapies

There are a number of options women can consider from herbal help to therapies such as homoeopathy, acupuncture and eastern approaches like tai, chi, yoga and Ayurveda.ashes, it also improved sleeping disorders, depression, and sexual function.

Hormone balance

The conventional approach is to be offered HRT, or more often now, antidepressants.

HRT can help reduce women’s risk of bone loss and fracture and improve vaginal dryness or atrophy. However due to its unbalanced oestrogen content it may also have side effects, including bloating, breast tenderness, nausea, and mood changes.

Using bioidentical hormones, which worldwide have shown no side effects or health risks over many years by thousands of women, give your body hormones from natural sources like yam and soy and in the amounts your own body would naturally produce.

They are recognised as being identical to the hormones the body itself produces and unlike synthetic derivatives do not affect the body’s own hormone balance, but restore it so that symptoms can be reduced and brought under control.