Therapy and meditation can ease menopause symptoms

THERAPY and meditation help to combat menopause symptoms, a study has found.

Anxiety, depression and memory issues are common signs of menopause, and University College London (UCL) scientists have found that mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy are effective at alleviating suffering.

It comes after criticism of government plans to provide talking therapy as a treatment for the menopause on the NHS. Authors of the study say doctors and patients should consider using the treatments in addition to medicines such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

A meta-analysis of 30 studies included more than 3,500 women around the world and found small to moderate benefits among menopausal women who underwent either therapy or mindfulness. “The message we want to be really clear about is that we are not in any sense suggesting this as an alternative to HRT, or recommending this instead of HRT,” said Prof Aimee Spector, the author of the study, from UCL.

Scientists said the findings offered hope for women ineligible to have HRT, such as breast cancer survivors, and people with other conditions including diabetes, epilepsy or asthma.

The study, which is is published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, focused on medical interventions with professional clinicians but it says practising mindfulness or meditation at home could also help.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recently recommended the use of cognitive behavioural therapy for menopause symptoms in draft guidance. This led critics to accuse the body of being patronising and too negative about HRT.