WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued new guidelines about managing menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, sleep problems and mood changes.
Published on October 15, 2026, the guidance covers hormone therapy, non-hormonal medicines and other treatment options.
'Hormone therapy is probably the best option for symptomatic, newly menopausal women within 10 years of the final menstrual period or before the age of 60,' said Robert Kauffman, a co-author of the guidelines, in a press meeting.
According to ACOG, 50% to 92% of menopausal women experience hot flashes, while many also face sleep problems and depressive symptoms.
The guidelines recommend hormone therapy combining estrogen and progestogen for eligible women who have a uterus and no medical conditions that prevent its use. Estrogen alone can increase the risk of cancer in the uterine lining, while progestogen helps reduce this risk.
For women who cannot use standard hormone therapy, ACOG recommends other options, including Duavee, which combines estrogen with bazedoxifene, and gabapentin, a medicine that can help relieve menopause symptoms.
'What's so exciting about these treatment options is they were specifically studied based on the understanding that we have of the physiology of thermoregulation and sleep,' said Catherine Cansino, an obstetrician/gynecologist, chair of ACOG's Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines and co-author of the new guidance.
Other approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, exercise, hypnosis and acupuncture, may also help. However, evidence supporting these methods is more limited than the evidence for hormone therapy.
ACOG plans to issue separate guidelines in 2027 on genitourinary syndrome of menopause, which can cause vaginal dryness and urinary tract problems.
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