It can be confusing when it comes to looking for information online about the menopause. There are so many different symptoms – some less common than others – and lots of different ways of treating them, be it with prescribed medications, such as HRT, or natural remedies.

Here at Become, we like to look at all the options. We know, from speaking to our customers, and from the comments we get on The Chilled Menopause, that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution and what works for one person may not help another. So, we’ve done the hard work for you and looked online to find some of the most reputable and reliable sources out there. This guide is all about natural solutions – what’s available and how it might help. We’ve already looked at HRT and will continue to discuss other options in the coming weeks.

The NHS and your GP – A good place to start

For an overview of the basic facts about natural solutions for the menopause, the NHS website is a good place to start and it’s always worth booking in with your GP for a chat about your menopause if you’re finding it's getting in the way of you going about your life. The latest guidelines from NICE are also worth looking at. Many women do choose to use HRT, but some health conditions may take away that choice, for example, a history of blood clots or heart disease, women’s cancers, or a strong family history of breast cancer amongst first-degree relatives.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists offers a Menopause Hub with a wealth of information. It has also produced downloadable guidelines on the various treatments available, but does suggest to consider the following questions before using such treatments:

• Does it work?
• Is it safe?
• Does it help my symptoms?
• What are the side effects?
• Are there long-term risks?
• Is the treatment licensed?

As well as treatments, the website addresses a whole range of topics from hysterectomy to mood swings, giving you answers to many menopause-related questions.  

Menopause Matters – An independent clinician-led website

Menopause Matters was founded by Dr. Heather Currie to talk women through all the treatment options for menopause, including natural ones. It answers many questions that you might have about the various alternatives to HRT, as well as alternative techniques that have worked for many women, including acupuncture, reflexology and yoga. It also provides guidance as to how to stay healthy during the menopause and offers a forum if you’d like to chat to other women about what you’re going through.

Maryon Stewart – pioneer of the Natural Menopause Movement

Maryon Stewart is a world-renowned healthcare expert who is referred to as the ‘Pioneer of the Natural Menopause Movement’. She has helped tens of thousands of women all around the world overcome their menopause symptoms through natural techniques that she has tried and tested over the last 27 years. Maryon has written a number of popular self-help books as well as medical papers and columns for numerous daily newspapers and magazines, and had her own TV and radio shows. She shares her knowledge on her website, which is packed with useful information about natural solutions to treat a whole range of symptoms.

The Chilled Menopause – Support from like-minded women

Our Facebook group, The Chilled Menopause is somewhere where all women going through the menopause can discuss health, lifestyle, fashion and beauty – including whatever questions you might have about natural remedies. If you find it hard to talk to someone face to face, it’s a good place to tune into what’s worked for other people. We also host guest experts, who can impart important knowledge about specific symptoms and solutions.    

Women’s Health Concern – An independent advisory service

An arm of the British Menopause Society, the Women’s Health Concern provides an independent service to advise, reassure and educate women of all ages about their sexual health, wellbeing and lifestyle concerns. They offer a range of factsheets about women’s health as well as many articles on complementary and alternative therapies, but they can also be contacted by phone or email if you need extra help or support. You can find all the details on their website.

Our advice – keep informed

We appreciate that no two menopause journeys are the same – there are thought to be at least 34 symptoms that are menopause related. We know that there are a range of ‘alternative’ and ‘complementary’ therapies that can help with hot flushes including homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy and herbal medicines.

And there are many other natural solutions out there, including cooling pillows, eye masks and, of course, our Become menopause clothing, which has been specifically created to help with hot flushes and night sweats. It’s different to other cooling clothing brands – we’ve carefully researched how the body experiences a hot flush to create a hi-tech fabric that uses a mixture of complex yarns and patent-pending Anti-Flush Technology™ to ease the symptoms in four important ways:

• Cooling the skin
• Wicking moisture
• Reducing odour
• Releasing heat back onto the body (when post-flush chill sets in)

Our clothing transfers heat and moisture away from the body, then cleverly stores the heat to keep you warm when you feel chilly.

With so much advice available and more discussions taking place online, the good news is that you can search for and even chat about menopause symptoms and treatment options with experts and other women going through the same experiences. But we do appreciate that some is contradictory and confusing, so we really do encourage you to look at the pros and cons of what is out there, do your research, discuss it with others (either online or in person) and then decide, with the help of your GP, what is right for you.

Do get in touch with us in the comments below if you have seen or used any useful guides to natural remedies for treating menopause symptoms, or if something has worked well for you. It’s always good to pool our knowledge!