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Hot Flashes

Women notice many changes as they age. Menopause is the time of life when no periods have occurred for one year. It is a time when the body is adjusting to aging. One sign, known as hot flashes, happens in 4 out of 5 women who start natural menopause or who have their ovaries removed. It's the loss of the female hormone estrogen that makes these happen.

A hot flash feels like a warmth that starts in the chest and spreads up to the head and neck. A flush, or redness, may follow this feeling. The body actually cools itself by sweating. Some women are dizzy, sick to their stomach, or have a fast heartbeat with this feeling. These flashes often occur at night and wake the woman from sleep. They may last a few seconds or many minutes. Flashes may happen once a week or as often as every 30 minutes. If sleep is lost every night, the woman will be tired and stressed in the day.

Hot flashes can occur even before periods are missed and last well into the menopause. Forty-five percent of women have flashes 5 to 10 years into menopause. If these are not too disturbing, they do not need to be treated. If they are severe, or if other problems (such as vaginal dryness) occur too, treatment may be helpful.

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