Women's health: perimenopause, menopause and hormone therapy
Perimenopause and menopause can bring hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes and vaginal symptoms, and they can start years before periods stop. Hormone therapy is one option, and its FDA labels changed recently: in November 2025 FDA asked makers of approved menopausal hormone therapy to remove cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia from the boxed warning, while keeping those risks in the body of the label. The guides in this topic explain symptoms, options and what the label changes do and do not mean. A licensed provider decides, with your input, whether treatment is appropriate.
Guides in this topic
Each guide lists its sources at the end.
Important safety information
Hormone therapy has risks that a licensed provider reviews with you, including blood clots, stroke and, for a woman with a uterus who uses estrogen alone, endometrial cancer.
Read the Important Safety Information for hormone therapy.
Prescription treatment requires an evaluation by a licensed healthcare provider, who decides whether treatment is appropriate for you. Not everyone qualifies. Completing an assessment, booking a visit, or paying a fee does not guarantee a prescription.
How these guides are reviewed
Every guide is checked against primary sources before it is published, and it is updated when the evidence or the rules change. Read our editorial and medical review policy.
This page is general health information and not medical advice. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.