Background: Surgical menopause is associated with a sudden and rapid onset of symptoms,
as opposed to the natural menopausal transition. Hot flashes often begin immediately after
surgery due to the abrupt and complete absence of all ovarian steroids, they are severe enough
to alter sleep, social activities, and the overall quality of women's life. Paced breathing is a
behavioral relaxation technique that may be effective in the reduction of the severity and
frequency of menopausal hot flashes. Objectives: This study was done to determine the effect
of paced breathing technique on the frequency and severity of hot flashes and their
interference with daily life activities among surgically menopaused women. Study design: A
quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. Methods: A convenient sample
of 80 women undergone surgical menopause were recruited. Three tools for data collection
were used: (1) Basic data structured interview schedule (2) Daily hot flash diary (3) Hot flash
related daily interference scale Results: Significant differences were found between the two
groups in the second week (p = 0.038) and third week (p = 0.001) after applying intervention
in relation to hot flashes frequency also, significant differences were found between the two
groups in the second and third weeks (p = 0.001) in relation to hot flashes severity.
Additionally, the differences between the two groups were statistically significant after
applying interventions in relation to the quality of daily life activities, where p=<0.001 in
week 3. Conclusion: paced breathing technique is an effective non-pharmacological
intervention in decreasing the severity and frequency of hot flashes among surgically
menopaused women.