Menopause symptoms can be curbed by cognitive behavioural therapy, trial finds

‘I was breaking out into full sweats no matter the time or weather,’ says woman

The majority of the 3.4 million women aged between 50 and 64 in the UK will be experiencing symptoms of the menopause – with these ranging from heart palpitations to hot flushes, vaginal pain, changes in mood and much more. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Debilitating symptoms of the menopause can be curbed by group cognitive behavioural therapy, according to new research.

The clinical trial, carried out by Breast Cancer Now, found menopausal women with breast cancer, who went through six weeks of group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a breast cancer nurse, said their symptoms of the menopause became substantially less difficult to cope with.

While the prevalence of their menopausal symptoms was curbed by just over a quarter after going through group CBT - a popular form of therapy that helps people change unhealthy patterns of behaviour and thinking.