Novel methods for reduction or elimination of the incidence of hot flushes, vasomotor symptoms, and night sweats while decreasing the risk of acquiring breast, uterine or endometrial cancer and furthermore having beneficial effect by inhibiting the development of osteoporosis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes type 2, loss of muscle mass, adiposity, Alzheimer's disease, loss of cognition, loss of memory, or vaginal dryness in susceptible warm-blooded animals including humans involving administration of an amount of a sex steroid precursor, particularly dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and an antiestrogen or a selective estrogen receptor modulator, particularly benzopyran compounds. Pharmaceutical compositions for delivery of active ingredient(s) and kit(s) useful to the invention are also disclosed.