AHRQ Report Assesses Therapies for Menopause

A new comparative effectiveness review from AHRQ examined the benefits and harms of treatments for menopause, including prescription, nonprescription and complementary therapies. The report assesses treatments and therapies for the symptoms of menopause, specifically hot flashes, sleep disturbance, psychologic symptoms, urogenital atrophy and sexual function. It evaluated a number of treatments, including the use of hormonal therapies (estrogen, alone or with progestogen or androgen), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and eszocpiclone. Both improvement in menopausal symptoms and adverse events were evaluated. The title of the review is “Menopausal Symptoms: Comparative Effectiveness of Therapies.”