Hot Flashes

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Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What are hot flashes?
• What causes hot flashes?
• What are the symptoms of hot flashes?
• How are hot flashes diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for hot flashes?
• Hormone therapy
• Bioidentical hormone therapy
• Other drug treatments
• Complementary and alternative treatments
• Phytoestrogens
• Black cohosh
• Other alternative therapies
• Can hot flashes be prevented?
• Hot Flashes At A Glance
• Patient Discussions: Hot Flashes - Describe Your Experience

Featured hot flashes patient discussions on experience with condition "In the last two years, I suffered anxiety, mood swings, and other symptoms that almost ruined my marriage. I have recently discovered I am going through menopause. After I was diagnosed, the doctor offered HRT. I was told I became premenopausal in my late 30s. What made me go to the doctor was this chronic tiredness. At the time, I thought I just had a temperature/viral infection. I did not feel comfortable taking HRT. Now I am on a very special oil that I’ve been on for the last three months. My energy levels have increased. I have no more hot flashes and no side effects." "I had a hysterectomy in 1988 and now, more than 20 years later, I am still plagued with hot flashes and night sweats. They have basically ruined my life because I can't go out of air conditioning during the summer for more than a few minutes at a time or I sweat until I soak my clothes. I have been to numerous doctors to no avail. Anything above 60-65 degrees and I am wringing in sweat. I pray every night for relief, but none has been forthcoming. I don't believe that doctors take this condition seriously." "After being recently diagnosed with breast cancer, I too stopped my hormones. All hell broke loose. The hot flashes are so debilitating. I have never been a good sleeper, getting up several times a night, but now I have so many hot flashes and night sweats that I am exhausted. The cancer center recommended venlafaxine. I have only taken it for two days, and they say it will take several weeks. Let’s hope!" Read All Comments on Hot Flashes » Top Searched Hot Flashes Terms: bioidentical hormone therapy, male menopause, night sweats, pregnancy, black cohosh, effexor, evista, chills, ovarian cysts, flaxseed Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, or treatment. See the disclaimer at the bottom of the comments page.

What are hot flashes?

A hot flash (is a feeling of warmth that spreads over the body that begins, and is most strongly felt, in the head and neck regions. Hot flashes are a common symptom experienced by women prior to, and during the early stages of the menopausal transition. However, not all women approaching the menopause will develop hot flashes.

What causes hot flashes?

The complex hormonal changes that accompany the aging process, in particular the declining levels of estrogen as a woman approaches menopause, are thought to be the underlying cause of hot flashes. A disorder in thermoregulation (methods the body uses to control and regulate body temperature) is responsible for the sensation of heat, but the exact way in which the changing hormone levels affect thermoregulation is not fully understood.

While hot flashes are considered to be a characteristic symptom of the menopausal transition, they can also occur in men, and in circumstances other than the perimenopause in women as a result of certain uncommon medical conditions that affect the process of thermoregulation. For example, the carcinoid syndrome results from a type of endocrine tumor that secretes large amounts of the hormone serotonin and can cause hot flashes. Hot flashes can also develop as a side effect of some medications and can sometimes occur with severe infections or cancers that may be associated with fevers and/or night sweats.

What are the symptoms of hot flashes?

• Hot flashes are typically brief, lasting from about 30 seconds to a few minutes.
  
  
• Redness of the skin, known as flushing, may accompany hot flashes.
  
  
• Excessive perspiration (sweating) can also occur; when hot flashes occur during sleep they may be accompanied by night sweats.

The timing of the onset of hot flashes in women approaching menopause is variable.

• While not all women will experience hot flashes, many normally menstruating women will begin experiencing hot flashes even several years prior to the cessation of menstrual periods.
  
  
• It is impossible to predict if a woman will experience hot flashes, and if she does, when they will begin.
  
  
• About 75% of women experience hot flashes at some point in the menopausal transition.

Hot Flashes - Describe Your Experience

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Please describe your experience with Hot Flashes.

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