Menopausal Treatment Using Relaxation Exercises (MaTURE)

Hot flashes occur in as many as two thirds of U.S. women during menopause and are severe enough to require treatment in 20%. Although postmenopausal hormone therapy is effective in suppressing hot flashes, it is associated with increased risk for a variety of serious adverse effects. There is an urgent need for alternative treatments that are effective, safe, and easy to use. In this study, the investigators will compare two different types of behavioral relaxation therapies, paced respiration and music therapy, for treatment of menopausal hot flashes. Effects on frequency of hot flashes, other symptom and quality-of-life outcomes associated with hot flashes, and physiologic measures of sympathetic/parasympathetic activity will be examined.