\n
<\/p>\n
Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause \u2014 all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging \u2014 are being bombarded with products.<\/p>\n
More open conversations about menopause and the period leading up to it \u2014 called perimenopause \u2014 are happening at the same time that marketing has been supercharged by social media. Women are being confronted by lotions and serums and light masks that promise to rejuvenate their faces and necks, dietary supplements claiming to do everything from boost moods to ease hot flashes and gadgets promising to help with symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe marketing has gotten very, very aggressive. It\u2019s pervasive,\u201d said Dr. Nanette Santoro, an OB-GYN professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz.<\/p>\n
Santoro and other physicians say that before spending lots of money on products that make big promises, it\u2019s important for women to talk to their doctors about what has actually been proven to help \u2014 and what could be harmful.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really pays to be very, very, very skeptical,\u201d Santoro said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As menstruation winds down, women\u2019s levels of estrogen and progesterone drop. In some women, the symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, vaginal dryness and sleep problems.<\/p>\n
Dr. Angela Angel, an OB-GYN with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, said that in the past, doctors would ask women around the age of 50 during their yearly exam if they were noticing any symptoms. But now, she said, patients are making separate appointments and initiating the conversations.<\/p>\n
And at those appointments, she said, many patients tell her they\u2019ve already tried something. \u201cThey\u2019re coming to see me because it\u2019s not effective or because it\u2019s caused some other side effect,\u201d Angel said.<\/p>\n
Her hospital has recently started a menopause support group led by doctors and, at the request of participants, an upcoming session will focus on helping women navigate through the marketing onslaught.<\/p>\n
Products aimed at women in that stage of life include everything from bracelets and rings claiming to help ease hot flashes to cooling blankets and bedding.<\/p>\n
Santoro said her advice to patients is to \u201cbalance what you\u2019re going to spend over whether this might help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s a bracelet that\u2019s going to cost you $20, it\u2019s not a big expenditure. It might provide some improvement,\u201d Santoro said. \u201cThings that are not well tested might still work but if you want something that works \u2014 come back, I\u2019m not going anywhere and I\u2019ll give you evidence based treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Santoro said dietary supplements have not been proven in multiple, well-done studies to alleviate hot flashes, but many are low cost with a low potential for harm. She said if a patient wants to try something they see online, it\u2019s important to at least tell their doctor so they can be monitored while taking it \u2014 or warned off.<\/p>\n
Doctors note that most of the time over-the-counter products like dietary supplements, shampoos or skin care that are advertised for menopausal women aren\u2019t different from regular products for that purpose ingredient-wise.<\/p>\n
And some products could have side effects.<\/p>\n
Dr. Monica Christmas, director of the menopause program at the University of Chicago Medicine, said there\u2019s not one symptom everyone gets. Some women get few or none, she said, while others are extremely impacted by a variety of symptoms. What\u2019s most important, she said, is seeking medical help.<\/p>\n
Doctors say that hormone therapy prescribed by a doctor can help with symptoms, as can prescriptions for nonhormonal medication. Some women are advised to avoid hormone therapy because they have had certain medical issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everybody needs hormone therapy, not everyone is a candidate for hormone therapy, not everybody should be on hormone therapy,\u201d Angel said.<\/p>\n
Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help a lot, doctors say. That can help with weight loss, which is associated with reducing hot flashes and night sweats.<\/p>\n
And Santoro notes that avoiding alcohol is a good step for someone with hot flashes since it can make them worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the symptoms actually get better over time, so sometimes it really is just a matter of lifestyle modifications and self-care and getting through this most tumultuous time frame,\u201d Christmas said.<\/p>\n
For Brandi McGruder, a 49-year-old school librarian from Dallas, it clicked that she was in perimenopause last year when she went out to dinner for her birthday. When she and her friends entered the steakhouse, she was freezing cold. About 20 minutes later, she was burning up.<\/p>\n
She said she made an appointment with her doctor, who prescribed an estrogen patch, which helped. McGruder said she\u2019s seen the advertisements for products aimed at women her age, but her first stop was her doctor.<\/p>\n
McGruder said that while she doesn\u2019t like the way the symptoms have driven home that she\u2019s getting older, she\u2019s also embracing this time in her life. Her advice: \u201cLaugh. It\u2019s OK. Reach out to others experiencing what you are going through, don\u2019t take it so serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are changes with skin that come both with time as one ages, and during menopause as skin gets less thick because of a loss of collagen and some of the hyaluronic acid that supports skin, said Dr. Melissa Mauskar, a dermatologist and associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Mauskar said using a prescribed retinoid or an over-the-counter retinol can help. Both assist with the production of collagen and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.<\/p>\n
She said good over-the-counter moisturizers can be found at drugstores. Her advice is to look for ones with ceramides, which help keep skin hydrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don\u2019t want to have anything that has too many additive ingredients \u2014 just because it\u2019s natural and a botanical does not mean it\u2019s better,\u201d Mauskar said. \u201cA lot of those actually are contact allergens that can make people more sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ingestible collagen is among the products being marketed to women, but she warns that studies are mixed and ingesting it \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s going to make its way to your skin and plump up your face\u201d \u2014 even though products claim it will. Light masks, she said, won\u2019t hurt and some studies show they could help, but they won\u2019t make a difference overnight. She said seeing any improvements from them would likely take daily use for many years.<\/p>\n
She said sun damage is one of the biggest reasons patients have more wrinkles, so consistent use of sunscreen is a must for all ages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of new fancy things coming out and targeted to perimenopause, menopause patients,\u201d Mauskar said, \u201cbut sometimes the tried and true things that we at least have the science for I think still are my kind of gold standard for my patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n