End Of Hot Flushes?

A new menopause treatment blocks a brain signal that triggers hot flushes.

21:22 29 March 2016

A promising treatment could spell the end of hot flushes for menopausal women. It works by blocking a brain signal that triggers the flushes, which is caused by the release of a brain hormone in response to dropping oestrogen levels.

 

Dr Julia Prague, an endocrinologist at Imperial College London, said: “Of all menopausal symptoms, hot flushes tend to bother women more than anything else.

 

“The impact on women’s lives can be huge, but because menopause is still a taboo subject, many suffer in silence.”

 

In the experiment, the Imperial team gave a brain hormone called neurokinin B (NKB) to rats and they had the rodent equivalent of a hot flush. Given a drug to block its effect, the flushes stopped.

 

“It could be hugely significant for women who can’t take HRT, or for those who continue to suffer from flushes despite using hormone replacement,” said Dr Prague.

 

Meanwhile, Dr Tim Hillard of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “Finding safe and effective alternatives to help these women, as well as those women who would rather not take HRT or who want a treatment specifically for one symptom such as hot flushes, is very important.”