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Beat Your Menopause Symptoms: Cleveland Clinic’s Top Tips for Relief

Wed, Mar 12th 2025, 10:02 AM
Health

It might be a relief not to have a monthly period anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’re rolling out the red carpet to welcome the start of menopause.

This stage in life, defined as 12 consecutive months without a period, can bring a slew of undesirable symptoms of its own. From hot flashes to hair loss and vaginal dryness to difficulty sleeping, menopause, and the lead-up to it, called perimenopause, may present a mixed bag of new issues.

The internet is full of rumored remedies for menopause, but how do we decide which ones are legitimate? Menopause specialist Pelin Batur, MD of Cleveland Clinic OH, weighs in on which ones to try, what to skip and when to see a healthcare provider.

When it comes to menopause, the word “remedies” is a bit of a misnomer. It insinuates that menopause is a condition that can be cured, which simply isn’t the case. This is a natural stage of life, and every woman, at some point, go through it, but there are some things you can do to lessen its impact, especially if you’re facing just one or two relatively mild symptoms.

“If your symptoms aren’t too bothersome, you may be able to make do with lifestyle changes like getting better sleep,” Dr. Batur says.

She shares a few more tips that can help you regain a sense of control over menopause’s impact on your body and your life. Some of which include changing your diet, using a moisturizer or lubricant for vaginal dryness, reducing stress, among several others.

Adopting a menopause-friendly diet can go a long way toward relieving vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, and other menopause symptoms like bone loss.

For instance, as you lose estrogen, calcium is critical in keeping bones strong and healthy. Vegetables, leafy greens especially, as well as lean protein are great for weight management and bone strength. Soy is helpful in alleviating hot flashes, but it is always best to get this from food and not supplements.

Cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar and fats, spicy foods and carbohydrates also helps with symptom alleviation.

Like other aspects of menopause, vaginal dryness is caused by a decrease in hormone levels. It can make sex uncomfortable or even painful, but over-the-counter products like vaginal lubricants can help.

“More people use lubricants during sex than not, and we should normalize that,” Dr. Batur says. Try a water-based lubricant, which is unlikely to cause irritation, or, for a longer-lasting effect, you might prefer a silicone-based lubricant.

Vaginal moisturizes can also help. You apply them regularly to your vagina, just like you put moisturizer on your face every day, to treat and prevent dryness.

If you can’t solve vaginal dryness on your own, your doctor can prescribe a vaginal hormonal cream, vaginal ring or suppository to help. Treatments taken by mouth are also available. “You don’t need to suffer,” Dr. Batur says.

Night sweats are vasomotor symptoms that occur at night — essentially hot flashes that happen while you’re asleep, often waking you up from your slumber in a pool of sweat. “They can be incredibly disruptive to the sleep cycle,” Dr. Batur confirms.

To combat this, you should keep your bedroom cool at night, pick pajamas made of breathable fabrics like cotton and linen, and avoid triggers like spicy foods and caffeine.

Night sweats can also be a symptom of other health issues, so it’s important to ask your doctor to weigh in. “There are more than 50 hormones in our body, and symptoms like night sweats aren’t always related to menopause,” Dr. Batur says.

Stress plays a role in menopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleeplessness and weight gain. One study even found that premenopausal people who struggle with anxiety were up to five times more likely to have hot flashes than their counterparts who learn to manage anxiety.

“The data is still weak, but it makes sense, from an overall health perspective, to try to minimize your stress by practicing deep breathing and mindfulness,” Dr. Batur advises.

“Studies show that even people with no history of PMS, postpartum depression or hormonal sensitivity can develop anxiety and depression during menopause,” Dr. Batur says. So, if you’re struggling to get a handle on your mental health, talk to your healthcare provider to figure out the best course of action.

It’s normal to lose hair thickness, shine and volume as you age. Estrogen loss can also cause hair loss and thinning, further diminishing the thick mane you once had.

Though hormone therapy may treat tress troubles, it’s not the only way. “You don’t necessarily have to be on hormone therapy for hair loss,” Dr. Batur says, “You can fight it with other topical over-the-counter products.”

Some tips for taking the best care of your aging hair include, not shampooing too often, using conditioners and volumizers to strengthen strands and foregoing heat styling, which can accelerate hair loss.

If your hair thinning is severe, ask your doctor if it’s OK for you to take biotin or iron supplements. They may also want to check your thyroid, iron and vitamin D levels to be sure it’s really menopause at the root of your mane issues.

If your menopause symptoms become severe and start interfering with your everyday well-being — say, you regularly wake up drenched from night sweats or your mood swings are unbearably miserable — it’s time to check in with your healthcare provider.

“When you’re dealing with hormones, it’s important to be sure you’re doing things safely,” Dr. Batur says. “If you’re suffering, don’t try to tackle things on your own. You really have to be an advocate for your health.”

It might be a relief not to have a monthly period anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’re rolling out the red carpet to welcome the start of menopause.
This stage in life, defined as 12 consecutive months without a period, can bring a slew of undesirable symptoms of its own. From hot flashes to hair loss and vaginal dryness to difficulty sleeping, menopause, and the lead-up to it, called perimenopause, may present a mixed bag of new issues.
The internet is full of rumored remedies for menopause, but how do we decide which ones are legitimate? Menopause specialist Pelin Batur, MD of Cleveland Clinic OH, weighs in on which ones to try, what to skip and when to see a healthcare provider.
When it comes to menopause, the word “remedies” is a bit of a misnomer. It insinuates that menopause is a condition that can be cured, which simply isn’t the case. This is a natural stage of life, and every woman, at some point, go through it, but there are some things you can do to lessen its impact, especially if you’re facing just one or two relatively mild symptoms.
“If your symptoms aren’t too bothersome, you may be able to make do with lifestyle changes like getting better sleep,” Dr. Batur says.
She shares a few more tips that can help you regain a sense of control over menopause’s impact on your body and your life. Some of which include changing your diet, using a moisturizer or lubricant for vaginal dryness, reducing stress, among several others.
Adopting a menopause-friendly diet can go a long way toward relieving vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, and other menopause symptoms like bone loss.
For instance, as you lose estrogen, calcium is critical in keeping bones strong and healthy. Vegetables, leafy greens especially, as well as lean protein are great for weight management and bone strength. Soy is helpful in alleviating hot flashes, but it is always best to get this from food and not supplements.
Cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar and fats, spicy foods and carbohydrates also helps with symptom alleviation.
Like other aspects of menopause, vaginal dryness is caused by a decrease in hormone levels. It can make sex uncomfortable or even painful, but over-the-counter products like vaginal lubricants can help.
“More people use lubricants during sex than not, and we should normalize that,” Dr. Batur says. Try a water-based lubricant, which is unlikely to cause irritation, or, for a longer-lasting effect, you might prefer a silicone-based lubricant.
Vaginal moisturizes can also help. You apply them regularly to your vagina, just like you put moisturizer on your face every day, to treat and prevent dryness.
If you can’t solve vaginal dryness on your own, your doctor can prescribe a vaginal hormonal cream, vaginal ring or suppository to help. Treatments taken by mouth are also available. “You don’t need to suffer,” Dr. Batur says.
Night sweats are vasomotor symptoms that occur at night — essentially hot flashes that happen while you’re asleep, often waking you up from your slumber in a pool of sweat. “They can be incredibly disruptive to the sleep cycle,” Dr. Batur confirms.
To combat this, you should keep your bedroom cool at night, pick pajamas made of breathable fabrics like cotton and linen, and avoid triggers like spicy foods and caffeine.
Night sweats can also be a symptom of other health issues, so it’s important to ask your doctor to weigh in. “There are more than 50 hormones in our body, and symptoms like night sweats aren’t always related to menopause,” Dr. Batur says.
Stress plays a role in menopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleeplessness and weight gain. One study even found that premenopausal people who struggle with anxiety were up to five times more likely to have hot flashes than their counterparts who learn to manage anxiety.
“The data is still weak, but it makes sense, from an overall health perspective, to try to minimize your stress by practicing deep breathing and mindfulness,” Dr. Batur advises.
“Studies show that even people with no history of PMS, postpartum depression or hormonal sensitivity can develop anxiety and depression during menopause,” Dr. Batur says. So, if you’re struggling to get a handle on your mental health, talk to your healthcare provider to figure out the best course of action.
It’s normal to lose hair thickness, shine and volume as you age. Estrogen loss can also cause hair loss and thinning, further diminishing the thick mane you once had.
Though hormone therapy may treat tress troubles, it’s not the only way. “You don’t necessarily have to be on hormone therapy for hair loss,” Dr. Batur says, “You can fight it with other topical over-the-counter products.”
Some tips for taking the best care of your aging hair include, not shampooing too often, using conditioners and volumizers to strengthen strands and foregoing heat styling, which can accelerate hair loss.
If your hair thinning is severe, ask your doctor if it’s OK for you to take biotin or iron supplements. They may also want to check your thyroid, iron and vitamin D levels to be sure it’s really menopause at the root of your mane issues.
If your menopause symptoms become severe and start interfering with your everyday well-being — say, you regularly wake up drenched from night sweats or your mood swings are unbearably miserable — it’s time to check in with your healthcare provider.
“When you’re dealing with hormones, it’s important to be sure you’re doing things safely,” Dr. Batur says. “If you’re suffering, don’t try to tackle things on your own. You really have to be an advocate for your health.”
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