About 75% of women experience hot flashes (vasomotor symptoms) during menopause. Hot flashes are a hallmark of menopause. Sweating is accompanied by hot flashes, sometimes followed by chills and chills. They appear suddenly and randomly, day or night.
Hot flashes may begin a few years before the last menstrual period and peak 1 year later. In about half of women, hot flashes continue for 4 years after menopause. In approximately 12% of women, this period may extend up to 11-12 years. In women whose hot flashes start earlier than menopause, these symptoms last an average of 7.5 years longer after menopause.
Surgical removal of the ovaries (ovaries) before menopause causes a more rapid drop in estrogen than natural menopause. Hot flashes are much more severe in these patients. Similarly, breast cancer patients may have more severe hot flashes due to the rapid loss of ovarian function associated with the treatment given.
Hot flashes can occur at any time of the day or night and are often spontaneous. However, embarrassment can also be triggered by a sudden change in temperature, stress, alcohol, caffeine, hot spices or a hot beverage. Hot flashes are individual and variable, although in many they begin with a sudden feeling of warmth, often accompanied by sweating, some redness of the skin, and sometimes palpitations. Often this starts in the upper part of the body and spreads upwards or downwards and infrequently throughout the body. A hot flash can last for a few seconds to 60 minutes, with an average duration of 3 to 4 minutes. This warming phase may be followed by chills and shivering.
There are worldwide variations in the frequency of hot flashes. Because hot flashes are affected by lifestyle, genetic, environmental and racial factors. However, it has been shown to be more severe in people of African descent, smokers, overweight, or those with a history of premenstrual syndrome. In 5% of patients, hot flashes may accompany mood and sleep changes and problems with sexual intercourse in clusters. These patients are generally women with low household income, poor social support, low education level, poor general health status, a history of stressful life and surgical menopause.
Women with hot flashes at night have more restlessness, less productive sleep, and less rest in the morning than those who do not. Nocturnal hot flashes are more common in the first 4 hours of sleep and there are multiple episodes of waking from the onset of sleep. Then, when the REM stage of sleep enters, hot flashes, arousals, and awakenings are suppressed. As a result, available data show that hot flashes impair sleep quality, which in turn impairs the mental state and productivity of the person on the following day.
Excessive lubrication is an important factor affecting the quality of life of women during the menopausal transition. Excess oil acts as an insulating material; thus creating a negative situation for hot flashes. Obesity prolongs the menopause transition time and increases the severity of hot flashes. Increases in waist circumference and body mass index measurements in the early stages of menopause are proportional to the severity of hot flashes. That's why having a healthy weight during early menopause can help prevent hot flashes.
