| Abstract: |
Vasomotor symptoms (hot flush, hot flash, night sweats) are extremely prevalent in perimenopausal and menopausal women, with reported rates approaching 90%. This report explores the standards of care for treating VMS. The dilemma posed by hormonal therapy for VMS is that while long term use is clearly associated with increased risk of stroke, deep vein thrombosis and breast cancer, discontinuation of therapy is likely to lead to a recurrence of VMS. Key approaches that we review include the use of hormonal therapy, either alone or opposed by progestins, CNS active drugs (gabapentin, duloxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, ORG-50081), SERMs (bazedoxifene) and STEARs (tibolone).
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