Study details

For the study, researchers tracked 250 participants at Baylor University and the University of Michigan between March 2019 and February 2024. Participants were postmenopausal and self-reported a minimum of four daily or 28 weekly hot flashes. They were also asked to discontinue any other therapies for hot flashes at least a month before enrollment.

The women in the group were randomized into two groups: one group listened to prerecorded digital audio recordings designed to invoke images of scenery like beaches, lakes, or mountains. After the third week of the trial, researchers included hypnotic instructions to focus on an image that prompted feelings of "coolness and comfort."

The other group had participants listen to white noise audio recordings under the guide of self-administered hypnosis, or sham hypnosis.

Researchers calculated a hot flash score for each participant by multiplying their hot flash frequency by severity divided by the number of days of trial participation. A lower score meant fewer and milder hot flashes.

The researchers found that the average hot flash score in the hypnosis group dropped from 88.7 at baseline to 34.7 at 12 weeks. Meanwhile, scores in the sham hypnosis group dropped from an average of 94.6 to 52.8 over the same period.

Discussion

At least 80% of women experience hot flashes during menopause. Hormone therapy is used to manage these hot flashes, however, it is not recommended for those initiating the therapy more than 10 years after the onset of menopause, for those older than 60, and for those with a history of breast or uterine cancer or thromboembolic or cardiovascular disease. Hormone treatments can also increase the risk of developing certain cancers, experiencing stroke, heart disease, or blood clots.

"It can be practiced at home without needing to travel for doctor visits, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to in-person sessions," he said. " Once a person learns how to use self-hypnosis to reduce hot flashes and improve sleep, it can be used for other purposes such as managing anxiety, coping with pain and for stress management."

Elkins added that self-hypnosis could provide an easily accessible treatment option that could supplement medication or serve as an alternative for those who can't or don't wish to take medications.

"Our primary intention is to give women a choice," he said. "Self-hypnosis is a safe and effective behavioral intervention that could be used in combination with whatever the individual's healthcare provider may recommend."

Elkins also said he was surprised by the benefits seen by the sham hypnosis group. "I think it reflected that some people found the white noise in the placebo hypnosis to be soothing and pleasant," he said.

Jennifer Lew, an ob/gyn at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, said that while alternative options like acupuncture have been available for a while for hot flashes, hypnosis is not commonly recommended, though some patients could be interested because of the low barrier to use.

"There is a place for both treatments in the basket of options available to patients," she said. "The more safe options available for patients, the better."