Hot Flashes = Flash Floods of Menopause

Affecting 80 Percent Of Women, They Can Be Severe & Mighty Distressing

Illustration by: Cé Marina

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Count yourself lucky if you’re in mid-life and have never experienced sudden episodes of profuse sweating and flushing. Your neck and chest turn red, your hair looks like you just took a shower, and your heart is beating faster.  Called hot flashes \when you’re lunching with a client, and night sweats if they awaken you at 2:43 am - together they're classified as vasomotor symptoms - they affect 80 percent of women during the menopausal transition. And, they can be mighty intrusive. 

"As estrogen levels fluctuate and decrease during perimenopause, nerves in the brain send chemical signals to the hypothalamus (our internal thermostat) that increase its sensitivity to changes in body or external temperature," explained Dr. James Simon, Menopause Master and co-founder of M.D. For You.

When the temperature rises, even slightly, the hypothalamus starts to think your body is too hot. It opens up the blood vessels on the skin and sweat glands and triggers a hot flash, which is a normal adaptive response so the body can cool off. 

If your body cools off too much from excessive sweating, it can trigger chills and shivering to warm up again, creating a vicious cycle.

Typically lasting from 30 seconds to about five minutes—although they can last much longer —hot flashes are severe for one-third of women. They’re so distressing they can stop even the most hale and heartiest women in their tracks.  

Much has been learned about hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, thanks to a game-changing health study following 3,302 African American, Caucasian, Chinese American, Hispanic, and Japanese American women in six states over 10 years. 

Focused on the relationship between menopause and illnesses including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, bone loss, and osteoporosis, The SWAN* Study amassed valuable insights to help advance the field of women’s midlife health. Women’s physical and cognitive functioning during midlife were also studied.

*The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation 

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Don't Get Caught Unawares: More Hot Flash Cold Facts

✓ About 30 percent of women will experience hot flashes in their 30s, while they’re still having regular periods. 

✓ The frequency and severity of hot flashes differ from woman to woman, and even within the same woman. Many women have few or mild hot flashes, but about 10 percent will have over seven hot flashes a day. Almost 40 percent had moderate or severe vasomotor symptoms.

✓ About 50 percent of women experience frequent hot flashes for at least seven years. They may last longer if they began early, or if a woman is also stressed, anxious, or depressed. 

✓ There are bi-directional associations between hot flashes, stress, and depression. Women with more severe vasomotor symptoms tend to report more depressive symptoms, and women who are depressed can find vasomotor symptoms hard to manage. 

✓ Smoking, high body mass index, and negative beliefs about menopause have also been identified as risk factors for hot flashes. Lifestyle and behavioral changes have shown some success in reducing troublesome symptoms. 

✓ Black and Native American women have the most frequent and bothersome hot flashes of all races and ethnicities studied to date. Hispanic and Caucasian women have similar rates of hot flashes. Japanese and Chinese women have the fewest hot flashes. 

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Know When it's Time to Dam (Damn!) the Floods

Hot flashes can interfere with sleep, make it harder to concentrate, affect your mood, sap your energy, and cause you to become less social, or even unsociable. 

You don’t have to—and shouldn’t—put up with these disruptions during the best years of your life. 

Hormones are extremely effective treatments for hot flashes during perimenopause. 

Non-hormonal treatments, such as SSRI antidepressants, hypnosis, or cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful for women who cannot or do not wish to take hormones.

What's more, exciting new and efficacious, non-hormonal treatments that block the chemical messengers associated with hot flashes are entering the market.