Medical treatment in menopause is, in principle, concerned with two aspects: Menopause Symptoms and Preventative Treatment. Women who experience symptoms, of course, expect immediate relief. While often considered less immediate goals, they, however, also should demand maximal prophylactic care to minimize the risks of such, later in life, arising medical problems as osteoporosis and bone fractures, arteriosclerosis of heart and peripheral vessels, breast cancer, dementia and of other conditions which potentially lend themselves to preventive medical care.

Especially in symptomatic women, there is often a mistaken emphasis on solving only the immediate problems at hand. What is often forgotten is that the consequences of neglect of longer term needs will come to haunt these patients in older life. Good menopausal care will, therefore, concomitantly address immediate- as well as longer-term needs of women.

This is one reason why menopausal women are well advised to opt for standard medical care and not to rely exclusively on alternative and/or complimentary methods of treatment (see below). While the latter, at times, may be very successful in relieving menopausal symptoms, there is basically no evidence that they can also be used in the long-term prevention of most medical conditions of older age.