"Hormone replacement therapy may work slightly better than soy at reducing menopausal hot flashes a new study says.  Women who took such hormones had fewer hot flashes on average than women who took soy  and both had fewer than those who took a placebo or dummy pill.  The bottom line for someone who is very disturbed by hot flashes the best treatment is hormones and the next tier would be soy said Dr. Gloria Bachmann professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.  However a  landmark study by the National Institutes of Health NIH found that such treatments can increase the risk of breast cancer heart disease and stroke. That means that if women do take hormones Bachmann told Reuters Health it should be the lowest dose and for the shortest possible period of time.  And not every woman needs treatment notes Bachmann who was not involved in the study. Women with severe or frequent hot flashes or whose hot flashes keep them up at night should consider treatment she said.  Women typically suffer between  and  hot flashes a month said Dr. Rafael BolanosDiaz professor of health economics at San Marcos University in Lima Peru who coauthored the study.  Women who took hormones had an average of  fewer hot flashes per month while those who took soy had  per month fewer. The study did not look at whether eating soy in food has the same effect on hot flashes as supplements BolanosDiaz said.  The researchers looked at  studies on how a treatment either hormones or soy compared to a placebo. They compared the average number of hot flashes in  women who had treatment with  who did not.  The study was published in Menopause The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.  Soy hasnt been studied as much as hormone replacement to treat hot flashes and doctors dont know exactly how it works. Its thought to have similar effects to estrogen on the brain bones and blood vessels BolanosDiaz told Reuters Health by email.  Soy supplements also have side effects Nausea bloating and constipation according to the NIH. A months supply costs about  while a month of hormone tablets runs between  and .  For some women hormone therapy is the best option for some soy is best and for some its just watchful waiting until the hot flashes subside Bachmann said.  SOURCE bit.lyhBua httpbit.lyhBua Menopause The Journal of The North American Menopause Society online March  . Our StandardsThe Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. httpthomsonreuters.comenaboutustrustprinciples.html"