Perimenopause Treatment Options Compared

Perimenopause leaves many Elk Grove readers choosing between remedies on their own. This page lays out the two treatment groups the U.S. Food and Drug Administration names and says where a self-directed choice should hand over to a clinician.

The home approach: picking a remedy yourself

A reader with symptoms may be tempted to choose something to try without a prescriber. The risk is picking a category without knowing what it is. The Endocrine Society's menopause library page is a plain place to read first.

What the official source says

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states: "Treatments for menopausal symptoms include hormone therapy and non-hormonal therapy. In addition, hormone therapy can be used to prevent bone loss in some situations."

So there are two groups, and the first has a use beyond symptoms. That second use is a reason the choice belongs in a medical conversation, not a shopping basket.

The non-hormonal group

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also notes: "Some women use non-hormonal medicines for their menopause symptoms." It lists an approved medicine "used to reduce moderate to severe hot flashes associated with menopause".

Whether that medicine suits you is a question for a clinician.

Reading the source yourself

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration keeps a menopause page for consumers that sets out these treatment groups. Read it before an appointment so the questions you bring are specific.

Who should choose the treatment

Do not start hormone therapy or a non-hormonal medicine on your own. Ask a licensed clinician which group fits your symptoms, and ask sooner if symptoms are severe or are getting in the way of daily life.