Hot flushes, night sweats or swinging mood changes are some of the most common symptoms of menopause – the stage of a woman’s life when menstrual periods stop permanently, and she is no longer fertile.

Some women choose to ride out the symptoms. Some choose hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or MHT. This contains oestrogen, progesterone or combined therapies. Others use complementary therapies.

But do complementary therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicines actually help?

Remind me, what’s going on with menopause?

Menopause is a normal part of ageing, as is the menopausal transition (or perimenopause), which occurs for several years before it. Some women’s periods stop earlier than others. But most women become menopausal naturally between the ages of 45 and 55.

During menopause, women often have a range of symptoms. These can include hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, joint discomfort, sleep disturbances, decreased libido, headache or migraine, cardiometabolic disturbances (such as high blood pressure), weight gain, and loss of bone mineral density.

These symptoms can be distressing and can affect women’s quality of life.

Why complementary therapies?

Some women prefer to use complementary therapies alongside conventional treatment, or instead of it, due to side effects of menopausal hormone therapy.

Other women cannot use MHT because of other medical conditions, such as breast cancer, or being at risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots........

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