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Women going through perimenopause and menopause may experience many uncomfortable symptoms. Use this chart to find solutions to help ease your discomfort.

Many different treatments are effective, so choose the ones that appeal most to you. Remember, it's very important to check with your doctor before trying any of these remedies!

Symptom and Solutions

Hot flashes
  • Estrogen replacement
  • 2% bioidentical progesterone cream
  • Meditation and relaxation
  • Dietary improvements, like eliminating white rice and foods made from white flour from your diet, as well as soda, alcohol and sweets
  • Add 45–160 mg of soy isoflavones to your daily diet.
  • Herbal therapies such as Remifemin or Women's Menocaps, reliable brands found in natural food stores
  • Acupuncture
Night sweats
  • Solutions are the same as for hot flashes.
Heart palpitations
  • If you are experiencing these, see your doctor immediately. They could be symptoms of a much more serious condition.
Migraine headaches
  • Avoid trigger foods like caffeine, alcohol, red wine, chocolate, peanuts and aspartame (found in some diet drinks). If there is no change, try eliminating wheat, sugar, corn and dairy for two weeks.
  • Avoid or transform potential stress by keeping a journal of what's going on when your headaches start. You should begin to see a pattern that you can then take steps to change.
  • Balance your hormones with a 2% bioidentical progesterone cream, applied to the skin.
  • Eat more soy.
  • Try herbal remedies like feverfew . and butterbur that have been shown to relieve migraine pain.
  • Supplements such as Magnesium and EPA and DHA (fish oil) are also effective at relieving migraine pain.
Breast swelling and tenderness
  • Follow a hormone-balancing diet
  • Take 100 to 200 mg of B vitamins and omega-3 fats such as EPA and DHA once or twice daily.
  • Cut out caffeine.
  • Use a 2 percent bioidentical progesterone cream.
  • Add whole soy foods to your diet.
Heavy menstrual periods
  • Consult your doctor about progesterone or birth control pills.
  • Investigate acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.
  • In severe cases, laser surgery can help. Check with your doctor.
Irregular or erratic periods
  • If you can live with it, hang in there. The problem will go away.
  • Talk to your doctor about alternatives such as birth control pills, progesterone cream or the herb chaste berry.
Published 01/15/2009

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