Hot Flashes

The heat wave comes crashing in. Your face and neck turn red. You perspire profusely. Your heart beats a mile a minute, followed by a cold, clammy chill. You’ve just had a hot flash.1

The patterns of hot flashes range from mild and sporadic to severely uncomfortable, embarrassing, and even debilitating.1

It is thought that the waves of heat come over you because your internal thermostat (called the thermoregulatory center, located in the hypothalamus of your brain) thinks your body is too warm and initiates a series of steps in an attempt to cool you off.1

First, blood vessels at the skin’s surface open wide. These dilated vessels are supposed to help your body let off some steam. This, in turn, causes sweating to increase.1

The end result: a hot flash. More than two-thirds of women may experience them. And they can keep coming back—on average, for 3 to 5 years.1

Because you never know when the next one will hit, dressing in layers is a must. That way if you feel a hot flash coming on, you can simply remove layers when you feel too warm. Open a window to keep air flowing, or keep cold drinks close at hand. Or, start a new trend—bring back the hand fan!1

If this is not enough, ask your healthcare professional if a treatment option that is proven to help relieve disruptive hot flashes, such as Divigel®, is right for you.

Important Safety Information for Patients

The following are not all the possible risks for Divigel®. Please read the full Patient Information leaflet and talk to your healthcare provider.

Estrogens increase the chance of getting cancer of the uterus. Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb). Your healthcare provider should check any unusual vaginal bleeding to find out the cause. In general, the addition of a progestin is recommended for women with a uterus to reduce the chance of getting cancer of the uterus.

Do not use estrogens, with or without progestins, to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens, with or without progestins, may increase your chance of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots.

Do not use estrogens, with or without progestins, to prevent dementia. Using estrogens, with or without progestins, may increase your risk of dementia.

Do not use estrogen products, including Divigel®, if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, currently have or have had certain cancers, had a stroke or heart attack in the past year, currently have or have had blood clots, currently have or have had liver problems, are allergic to any Divigel® ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.

The most common side effects for all estrogen products are headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and vomiting, and hair loss. The less common but serious side effects include breast cancer, cancer of the uterus, stroke, heart attack, blood clots, dementia, gallbladder disease, and ovarian cancer.

In Divigel® clinical trials, the most common side effects were inflammation of the nasal passages and pharynx, upper respiratory tract infection, vaginal yeast infection, breast tenderness and vaginal bleeding. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms that concern you.

Estrogen products should be used at the lowest dose possible for your treatment and only as long as needed. You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Divigel®.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

For more information, call 1-800-654-2299.