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Anatomy of a Hotflash

Anatomy of a Hotflash

Is it hot in here or is it just me? is a common refrain among the estimated 50 to 75 percent of women in the U.S. who experience hot flashes during menopause. Hot flashes can be very mild, or bad enough to have you opening every window in the house, even in the dead of winter.

Also known as "vasomotor flushing," the hot flash occurs when the blood vessels in the skin of the head and neck open more widely than usual, allowing more blood to shift into the area, creating the heat and redness.

Perspiration is also common to the phenomena and in some women the hot flash takes the form of a night sweat, followed by a chill that has one groping for the covers kicked to the floor just minutes earlier.
It's usually over in seconds, and there's no telling when it will recur--maybe minutes, maybe hours--but it will be back.

Triggered by falling estrogen and rising levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, hot flashes arrive unannounced, and usually at a most inconvenient time: in the middle of a job interview, in the middle of an important speech, in the middle of the night. Besides hormonal changes, anxiety and tension magnify hot flashes and many women find that hot drinks and wine do the same.

Using test results as a guideline, natural hormone supplements can be prescribed to restore balance and cool the hot flashes. Many women also use phyto (plant) estrogens, such as Dong Quai and Black Cohosh; and/or optimal nutrition and relaxation exercises for added relief. In most cases, hot flashes usually go away a year or two after actual menopause and the cessation of menses.

References
Prior JC. Perimenopause: the complex endocrinology of the menopausal transition. Endocrine Rev 1998; 19(4): 397-428.

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