As you age, your body goes through hormonal and cellular changes that result in effects you can both see and feel. Women experience changes that result in a greater number of side effects, often the result of the reduced amount of estrogen in their body. This hormone has been linked to protective effects against heart disease and aging skin. The reduction of female hormones that accompanies the cessation of menstruation is associated with night sweats and hot flashes, symptoms women often seek treatment to eliminate.
Menopause and Symptoms
Menopause is a natural event in a woman's life -- the result of low levels of estrogen in the body, according to Patient UK. Top on the list of short term challenges experienced by menopausal women are night sweats and hot flashes, both of which commonly occur for two to three years. They occur in three out of every four women and usually last for only a few minutes. You might perspire during these episodes, experiencing them occasionally or up to 15 times per day. Other symptoms of menopause include headaches, tiredness, insomnia, depression, drier and thinner skin, osteoporosis, anxiety, aches and pains and loss of sex drive.
However, while hot flashes are uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing, researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that women who experience hot flashes may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than post-menopausal women who never have symptoms. This reduction in risk did not change after researchers accounted for other known risk factors such as obesity and hormone replacement therapy.
Remifemin
Black cohosh is an herb that has been popular with women for treatment of menopausal symtpoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, according to MayoClinic.com. According to Drugs.com, the active ingredient of a product called Remifemin Menopause is black cohosh extract that is equivalent to 20 mg per tablet. Black cohosh is estrogen-free, and the product has been formulated as a standardized black cohosh extract. Thus far it has been used in Europe for over 40 years. Package instructions recommend that women take it twice daily for six months and then discontinue. If symptoms return they can begin taking the supplement again.
Side Effects
Black cohosh can cause stomach upset, headaches, feelings of heaviness in the legs and weight gain, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health. Although the manufacturer of Remifemin recommends using it for up to six months and then repeating that time frame if symptoms reappear, ODS notes that there are no published studies supporting the safety of the herbal supplement for long periods of time. There have been some reports of liver damage in a few individuals taking the supplement, but these have come from a population of millions taking the supplement without any apparent adverse effects, according to ODS.
Warnings
Never take a supplement, herb or over-the-counter medication without first discussing it with your physician to determine if there are any interactions with other medications you may already be taking or if it will affect any underlying medical condition. Women who are pregnant or who have breast cancer should not take Remifemin because it has not been studied in these circumstances. Women who have liver disorders should not take Remifemin or other forms of black cohosh so they may avoid further potential liver damage.
