Menopause

Menopause

Overview
Materials

woman walks down snow covered path surrounded by trees

Image courtesy of Open.Michigan under a Creative Commons license: CC-BY

Term:

2013

Published:

November 20, 2013

Revised:

June 9, 2015

Welcome to the web-based unit on Integrative Approach to Menopause. The material is structured as a supplement to the U-M Department of Family Medicine Residency curriculum on women's health and will help you work with your patients in managing the symptoms of menopause.

Components of the unit include:

Lists of common symptoms of menopause
A discussion of the history of menopausal symptom treatment
Discussion of the role of lifestyle in managing menopausal symptoms
References to commonly used herbs and supplements for menopausal symptoms
Recommendations for integrative therapies that are effective for various symptoms
Links to further references

View Menopause Module

Learning Objectives

Knowledge:

Understand the basic history underlying use (and disuse) of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Know about current trends in use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Learn about menopausal symptoms that women regard as most debilitating and for which they most frequently seek medical intervention.
Know about a range of integrative therapies (e.g., lifestyle changes, bioidentical hormones, phytoestrogens, herbs/supplements, body-based therapies) that can be used to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
Have a basic understanding of the scientific evidence supporting use of integrative therapies in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.
Understand that lifestyle changes have by far the best evidence of efficacy for treating menopausal symptoms.
Know what information to communicate to patients regarding the physiological basis for menopause in order to significantly decrease the discomfort they associate with menopausal symptoms.
Know what information to communicate to patients regarding alternative medical systems shown helpful in treating menopausal symptoms.

Skills:

Access evidence-based information regarding the use of integrative therapies in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.
Identify the most debilitating menopausal symptoms and the most frequently cited reasons for seeking medical intervention.
Apply knowledge of integrative treatments for depression to a clinical scenario.

Attitudes:

Appreciate that menopause is a natural stage of every woman's life.

About the Creators

John Stracks

Amy Locke is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. She currently serves as the Director of Integrative Medicine for the Department of Family Medicine, coordinates the Integrative Medicine curriculums for the U-M Medical School and Family Medicine residency, as well as directs the Integrative Medicine Fellowship offered by the Department of Family Medicine.