title: Menopausal symptoms following breast cancer treatment: a qualitative investigation of cognitive and behavioural responses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Menopausal symptoms - hot flushes and night sweats (HF/NS) - are particularly troublesome for women who have undergone breast cancer treatment. Non-medical treatments, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, are being developed but there is a lack of information about cognitive and behavioural reactions to HF/NS in breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five women who had completed active breast cancer treatment with at least 10 HF/NS per week completed questionnaires assessing HF/NS, mood and beliefs, and took part in interviews to elicit cognitive and behavioural reactions and a thematic content analysis used to analyse the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean weekly frequency of HF/NS was 76 (SD=46) (57 HF and 19 NS). Smokers reported significantly more night sweats, but BMI and mood were not associated with HF/NS frequency. Cognitive and behavioural responses were varied but broadly similar to those of well women. The main cognitive themes were: embarrassment/social anxiety, loss of control, beliefs about NS, sleep and tiredness, and the main behaviours were: carry on and ignore them, cool down, avoidance, communication with others.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are discussed within a cognitive behavioural framework and might inform the development of psychological interventions for these treatment related symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, NIHR Biomedical Centre for Mental Health, London, UK. myra.hunter@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Myra S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coventry
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Grunfeld
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires