Later in menopause, you should focus on effectively preventing disease. Your earlier symptoms will probably disappear. Menopause and the years that follow it, usually cover the second half of a woman's life. Talk to your doctor about all of the treatment choices to decide what is right for you.

Hormone Treatment Options
Many women want to replace the Oestrogen their body is losing, because Oestrogen does relieve many symptoms of menopause. Women who still have a uterus usually take a combination of Oestrogen with a form of progesterone, called progestin. This is called hormone therapy (HT).

Oestrogen increases the risk of uterine cancer if taken alone. If a woman has had her uterus removed, she can take Oestrogen by itself. This is called Oestrogen therapy or ET. If you have a family history of breast cancer or have survived breast cancer, you probably should not take Oestrogen or HT, although not all studies support this conclusion. You also should not take Oestrogen if you have had cancer of the uterus, liver disease, history of blood clots, heart disease or unusual bleeding from the vagina. Oestrogen can help to reduce hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and skin changes. Oestrogen is a good way to protect your bones from rapid weakening as you age.

Some menopause treatments that do not involve hormone therapy:
Clonidine is a blood-pressure-lowering drug that can also reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Medroxyprogesterone acetate and megestrol acetate, progesterone-type drugs, may also be used to treat hot flashes.
The SSRI (Selective-Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs are useful in two ways - treating depression and treating hot flashes.
Counseling or support groups can also help you to handle sad, depressed, or confusing feelings you may be having as your body changes.
Vaginal lubricants, such as Vagisil or Replens, can help women with thinning vaginal tissue or dryness.
Low-dose vaginal Oestrogen is generally a safe way to take Oestrogen to solve vaginal thinning and dryness problems without substantially increasing the levels of Oestrogen in the blood. Lack of desire can be helped with more open communication with your partner, creating a pleasurable atmosphere at home, making a point to enjoy other activities with your partner, and counseling.
Tamoxifen (used to prevent breast cancer) and raloxifene (used to prevent osteoporosis) are drugs known as "designer Oestrogens." These drugs have been developed to act beneficially as Oestrogen on some tissue and to act as Oestrogen-blockers (anti-Oestrogens) on other tissue. These drugs also are known by the more technical name Selective Oestrogen Receptor Modulators or SERMs. SERMs help to protect your bones, lower levels of bad cholesterol and may lower the risk of breast cancer.