FDA Gives Hot Flashes a Chill Pill
Posted by on August 26, 2013 - 11:00am

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first non-hormonal solution to hot flashes associated with menopause; it is the drug Brisdelle.  Nearly 75% of menopausal women experience hot flashes, which are extreme feelings of warmth accompanied with redness and sweating.  While hot flashes can spread over the entire body, they are mostly concentrated in the face and neck. Hot flashes are the most common side effect of menopause, and while the exact cause of hot flashes is unknown, a great deal of research is conducted on alleviating this discomfort for women. This new drug Brisdelle offers a non-hormonal alternative to the hormone therapy options currently available.

Brisdelle contains paroxetine mesylate, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which differs from other FDA-approved hot flash treatments that contain the hormones estrogen and progestin. Brisdelle underwent two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with 1,175 postmenopausal participants and was found to produce positive results compared to the placebo control. The drug is taken once a day and some side effects include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and headache.  The director of the Division of Bone, Reproductive and Urologic Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Hylton V. Joffe, M.D., M.M.Sc., expressed that Brisdelle is a breakthrough product for women “who cannot or do not want to use hormonal treatments” for hot flashes associated with menopause. Brisdelle can now be added to the many treatment options available to women who experience symptoms related to menopause.

To read more about Brisdelle, click here.

 

50 and Fabulous: New Menopause Website Empowers Women to Combat Menopausal Symptoms
Posted by on June 28, 2013 - 8:32am

Do you have questions about menopause? Are you ever curious about hormone therapy treatments? You’re not alone!  Every year over two million women in America alone enter into menopause, and most have questions.  The Women’s Health Research Institute wants to provide answers with the creation of a new website: menopausenu.org.  This new site is tailored to the needs of women, offering up-to-date information on menopause and symptom management.  The site even offers a personalized “Menopause Self Assessment,” which enables women to evaluate their own symptoms and health status that they can then print out and share with their healthcare providers.

Menopause marks the transition in every woman’s life when menstruation and fertility decline and eventually end.  Menopause symptoms affect women differently, so treatments vary from woman to woman.  The many stages of menopause may seem overwhelming, but women should find comfort in the numerous treatment options developed by leading researchers and clinicians.  Empowering women with educated choices regarding their health provides them with the tools to live longer and stronger in their journey during and after menopause. Click here to learn more about menopause and the different ways you can navigate your menopausal transition.

 

Flaxseed Is Not Effective for Hot Flashes
Posted by on June 29, 2011 - 8:08am

Flaxseed provides no benefit in easing hot flashes among breast cancer patients and postmenopausal women, according to a Mayo Clinic and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) study. The randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 188 women between October and December 2009 and found no statistically significant difference in mean hot flash scores between women taking flaxseed and those taking a placebo. Preliminary data published in 2007 by Mayo Clinic investigators suggested consuming 40 grams of crushed flaxseed daily might help manage hot flashes.

The researchers presented their new findings during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

“Hot flashes are a common symptom during the menopause transition or following breast cancer treatment,” says Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., of Mayo Clinic’s Breast Diagnostic Clinic and a researcher with NCCTG. “While our preliminary data from our 2007 pilot study showed a reduction in hot flashes associated with the consumption of ground flaxseed, our new study did not result in a significant decrease in hot flashes with eating flaxseed compared to placebo.”

Flaxseed plant

Dr. Pruthi says patients shouldn’t give up flaxseed if they enjoy it. Flaxseed may be beneficial for people who want to add fiber and bulk to their diet to manage constipation, she says. Dr. Pruthi says more research is needed to identify whether flaxseed has any other health benefits.

Other study investigators include Rui Qin, Ph.D., Heshan Liu, Charles Loprinzi, M.D. and Regis Professor of Breast Cancer Research, and Debra Barton, R.N., Ph.D., all of Mayo Clinic.

Why has Menopause Management become so Controversial?
Posted by on March 8, 2011 - 11:59am

Women, on average, live one-third of their lives post menopause.   Some women find menopause an easy transition. Other women are chronically bothered by persistent hot flashes and night sweats that impact their quality of life.   For years, hormone therapy was the answer but it has been shadowed by controversy as researchers learn more about estrogen and its long term impact on the body.    The Institute for Women's Health Research discussed this controversy in its March e-newsletter that is available at  ENewsletter March 2011final.