สรุป

• The diagnosis is clinical, based on the absence of menses for 12 months.
• Oestrogen therapy should be prescribed for moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats that are impacting daily well-being.
• Because of the potential risk of breast cancer, stroke, and thromboembolic and cardiovascular events, hormone therapy should be given in the lowest dose and for the shortest time frame possible in patients who are at higher risk for these events.
• Venlafaxine and gabapentin have been shown to be fairly effective if the patient has contraindications to oestrogen or when hot flushes resume after discontinuation of oestrogen.
• For isolated vulvovaginal symptoms, local rather than systemic oestrogen should be prescribed.