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Menopause - Management
What lifestyle advice can I give for menopausal symptoms?
- Encourage all women to make lifestyle modifications to reduce menopausal symptoms:
- Hot flushes and night sweats:
- Take regular exercise, wear lighter clothing, sleep in a cooler room, and reduce stress.
- Avoid possible triggers, such as spicy foods, caffeine, smoking, and alcohol.
- Sleep disturbances:
- Avoiding exercise late in the day and maintaining a regular bedtime can improve sleep.
- Mood and anxiety disturbances:
- Adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and relaxation exercises may help.
- Cognitive symptoms:
- Exercise and good sleep hygiene may improve subjective cognitive symptoms.
Basis for recommendation
- These recommendations are based on published expert opinion [ICSI, 2006; Rees and Purdie, 2006a].
- There is evidence that smoking cigarettes and having a body mass index of more than 30 kg/m2 increases the likelihood of flushing.
- From observational studies, there are more reports of positive effects of exercise on hot flushes than reports of negative effects or mixed findings. Therefore, regular exercise might positively influence the frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms in menopausal women [Daley et al, 2006].
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