Menopausal symptoms can affect your daily routines, relationships, work and social life. Learn different ways to manage your symptoms, from medical treatments to lifestyle changes.
Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness.
Healthy lifestyle choices are important for managing menopausal symptoms whether you use a medical treatment or not.
Practical ways to reduce symptoms include avoiding triggers for hot flushes, using relaxation techniques and staying cool.
Vaginal moisturisers, lubricants and hormone therapies can ease vaginal dryness and painful sex.
Menopausal symptoms can affect relationships and work. Supportive partners, friends, family and workplaces can make a difference.
Managing menopausal symptoms
1 in 4 women will have severe menopausal symptoms, 1 in 4 women will have no menopausal symptoms, and 2 in 4 women will have menopausal symptoms that vary from mild to difficult to manage.
There are different ways to manage your symptoms, from medical treatments to lifestyle changes.
Managing hot flushes and night sweats
Around 3 in 4 women experience hot flushes and night sweats around the time of menopause.
There are many ways to deal with hot flushes.
MHT is the most effective way to manage hot flushes and night sweats. If you can’t use MHT, or don’t want to, you can try non-hormone treatments.
Try to avoid things that trigger your hot flushes or make them worse. For example:
spicy food
hot drinks
alcohol
caffeine
exercise before bed
smoking.
For some women, stressful situations can make hot flushes worse. Reducing stress and using mind-body techniques can help.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in managing hot flushes and night sweats. While CBT doesn’t usually reduce the frequency of hot flushes, it can reduce their impact on you.
There is some evidence that breathing and relaxation techniques can help you manage the impact of hot flushes.
Yoga has also been shown to be a safe and effective way to manage menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes.
It can be hard to manage hot flushes, particularly in warmer weather.
During the day, you can:
wear layered clothing so you can take some clothes off if you get hot
wear lightweight, looser-fitting clothes made of natural fibres
carry a hand fan or water spray bottle to cool down if needed
control the air temperature at home through air-conditioning or fans
drink cold drinks.
At night, you can:
wear breathable, light pyjamas
use cotton, bamboo or linen sheets on your bed
use layers of blankets instead of a heavy doona
use separate bed covers if you sleep with a partner
sleep with the window open
use a fan or air-conditioning in your bedroom
put a cold pack (wrapped in a light cloth) into your bed before going to sleep
keep a change of clothes and a glass of cool water nearby, in case you wake with a night sweat.
Maintaining a healthy weight might help to improve menopausal symptoms. There is some evidence that weight gain can increase the severity of hot flushes and night sweats.
In this video, Dr Premitha Damodaran, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Pantai Hospital, Malaysia, discusses the best way to manage hot flushes and night sweats around the time of menopause.
It’s common to experience sleep problems in the lead-up to menopause. Around 1 in 4 women aged 50 to 64 years have sleep problems.
Menopausal symptoms, sleep habits, stress and other lifestyle factors can impact your sleep.
Poor sleep can make it hard to eat well, do regular physical activity and manage menopausal symptoms.
Hot flushes during the night, also known as night sweats, can interrupt your sleep, or make it hard to sleep well. There are many things you can do to manage night sweats.
Healthy sleep habits and lifestyle choices can also help to improve your sleep.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you manage hot flushes and night sweats by reducing the impact they have on you.
CBT is also effective in treating sleep problems such as insomnia. This is called “CBT-I”.
You might benefit from taking melatonin before bed. Melatonin might interact with other prescription or over-the-counter medicines, so talk to your doctor if you’re not sure.
Managing mental and emotional health
In the lead-up to menopause, you may notice things like:
mood changes
forgetfulness
brain fog.
This may be due to hormone changes or life pressures or both.
There are many practical things you can do to look after your emotional wellbeing at this stage of life. For example:
talk to someone about your feelings, such as a friend, family member, doctor or psychologist
take time for yourself and do things you enjoy
get quality rest when you can
do regular physical activity, especially in a group or with friends
Sexuality is an important part of our human experience, but hormonal changes at menopause can lead to reduced sex drive (libido).
It’s common for some menopausal symptoms to affect your sex drive. For example:
hot flushes
lowered mood
sleeplessness
fatigue
dry vagina.
This can be frustrating and may affect your relationships.
At midlife, your sex drive may be influenced by life’s pressures and responsibilities, such as caring for children and elderly parents while working.
You may also feel differently about your body at this age and might not want to be intimate as often as you used to.
If you’re in a relationship, it’s important to discuss your thoughts openly with your partner.
Your partner may not know about menopausal symptoms or what you’re going through. You can ask them to learn more about menopause so they can support you through this time.
If you’re concerned about your sex drive, ask your doctor about treatment options. They might refer you to a psychologist who specialises in couples therapy.
Watch this video about menopause and libido
In this video, Professor Sheryl Kingsberg, Clinical Psychologist, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (USA), talks about how women can boost their libido.
This podcast features Professor Susan Davis, a leading researcher and endocrinologist at Jean Hailes Clinics, talking about low libido and testosterone therapy.
This information has been reviewed by clinical experts and is based on the latest evidence.
Our content review process ensures our health information is accurate, trustworthy, current and useful.
We regularly check our information to make sure it reflects the latest clinical guidelines and key findings from large, reliable studies.
Where possible, we focus on Australian research to make our information more relevant locally.
Experts play a key role in reviewing our content. Clinicians at Jean Hailes check information for accuracy and real‑world relevance. These include GPs, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, psychologists and allied health professionals.
We also work with partner organisations, independent specialists and people with lived experience to make sure our content reflects both expert knowledge and the experiences of the community.
How to manage menopausal symptoms • Looking after yourself around the time of menopause • Medically induced menopause • Menopause information for partners • Premature and early menopause • Treatments for menopause
