Unfortunately for the vast majority of women going through menopause, there is not a lot that can be done to manage the symptoms. Up until recently, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was the preferred method of treatment for menopause but this all changed when HRT was found to cause an increase in certain types of cancers, strokes, and blood clots. In 2002 the US government actually halted an HRT study being conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Once this study was stopped, HRT use plunged, women no longer felt save taking the treatment and figured suffering with their symptoms was less of a risk.

HRT is still in use, but only for short term use during natural menopause. It may be prescribed longer in the case of young women with surgical menopause. Not a lot of treatment options have been found to be both safe and effective and more time and money needs to be spent testing the new medications that have stepped in to fill the void left by HRT.