Hot Flash News and Research

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Hot Flash is a sudden, temporary onset of body warmth, flushing, and sweating (often associated with menopause).

New drug approved for treating endometriosis

Drug manufacturer Pfizer announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for the release of depo-subQ provera 104 to be prescribed for the management of pain associated with endometriosis, a gynecological condition that affects one in ten women of reproductive age.

30 Mar 2005

Important that menopause not viewed as a disease

An independent panel convened last week by the National Institutes of Health found that many women move through the menopausal transition with few disabling symptoms, and that it is important that menopause not be viewed as a disease.

28 Mar 2005

NIH Panel supports use of hormone therapy for treatment of menopausal symptoms

A panel meeting in conjunction with this week's Conference on the Management of Menopause-Related Symptoms, convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued a statement supporting the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) for the management of moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.

23 Mar 2005

Increased risk of urinary incontinence with hormone therapy

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), consisting of oral estrogen plus progestin or estrogen alone, considered in the past as treatment for urinary incontinenc, was until recently, credited with many benefits well beyond the indications for symptomatic relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. One of the benefits of MHT was to improve the symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI), and it has often been prescribed to treat UI.

21 Feb 2005

Are hormone therapy drugs safe?

The history of hormone therapy drugs – once thought of as almost magic pills to keep women healthy, vital and young – shows why it is so important to conduct research studies to identify the risks and benefits of drugs, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

17 Feb 2005

Why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women

New research is shedding light on why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women, giving hope to the idea that new drugs might reach their targets and work more effectively. Ultimately it could mean that postmenopausal women would know that hormone-replacement therapy would have only its intended result.

13 Feb 2005

More data needed on what's effective for hot flashes

A University of Michigan expert on menopause says a new study that indicates placebos work as well as antidepressant drugs to help hot flashes shows how much more research is needed about what gives patients relief.

17 Jan 2005

Many women at high risk for breast cancer are foregoing tamoxifen

Many women at high risk for breast cancer are foregoing tamoxifen, the first FDA-approved drug for prevention of breast cancer, due to concerns about side effects, increased risk of other cancers, and lack of information, a new study by researchers in Boston shows. The study was published in the December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

20 Dec 2004

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

The University of Rochester has signed a license agreement with Pfizer which will allow Pfizer to market a specific class of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.

4 Nov 2004

New insights into hormone therapy show when estrogen best aids brain

New hormone therapy studies demonstrate estrogen's ability to directly stimulate neurons, repair damaged neurons, and stimulate support cells—most of which can alleviate some of the cognitive decline associated with menopause.

28 Oct 2004

Women with late effects of polio experience menopause differently than their non-disabled peers

Women with late effects of polio experience menopause differently than their non-disabled peers – physiologically, physically and psychologically – according to a new study funded by Post-Polio Health International.

19 Oct 2004

Survey of reproductive health professionals exposes the need for additional education tools on hormone replacement therapy

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) announced today at its 60th Annual Meeting the results of a new survey of reproductive health professionals on the topic of menopause treatment and education.

18 Oct 2004

Paroxetine is an effective treatment for diminishing hot flashes in men who are receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer

A new antidepressant medication is an effective treatment for diminishing hot flashes in men who are receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer, Mayo Clinic researchers report in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

12 Oct 2004

Researchers investigate whether hormone therapy and two alternative herbal products can lessen memory in menopausal women

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are investigating whether hormone therapy and two alternative herbal products can lessen memory and other cognitive problems experienced by menopausal women.

4 Oct 2004

Scientists embark on a five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues

A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a comprehensive five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues.

29 Sep 2004

Cymbalta approved for diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly's Cymbalta, a balanced and potent serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Cymbalta is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

8 Sep 2004

80% of cancer patients use some form of complementary or alternative therapies

Plug the terms "alternative" and "cancer" into Google and the Internet search engine returns a list of 3.27 million - yes, million - sites with information both credible and questionable about nontraditional treatments for cancer. What's a cancer patient to make of such a vast array of options?

18 Aug 2004

Combination therapies improve prostate cancer survival rates

The addition of six months of androgen suppression therapy (AST) to radiation therapy improves survival of patients with clinically localized prostate cancer, according to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Aug 2004

Further evidence about how estrogen helps activate breast cancer

A UC Irvine researcher has found a novel tumor- suppressor function for a gene that, when mutated, often triggers breast cancer in women.

29 Jul 2004

Findings from WHI memory study may not directly apply to newly menopausal women

The WHIMS article reported that estrogen therapy does not decrease, but may increase, the risk of probable dementia in women age 65 and older using hormones compared to women taking placebo.

23 Jun 2004