For many menopausal women, the only good thing about suffering through hot flashes is the idea that they are only a temporary problem that will last only a couple of years or so. But a new study has found that some women may have hot flashes for up to 14 years. And the earlier they begin the longer they tend to last.
Hot flashes are one of the main signs of menopause and are caused by the changes in hormone levels that occur then. In a hot flash, you feel intensely hot, your face and chest becomes flushed red, your heart races, and you may sweat enough to drench your clothing. It can last anywhere from a minute to half an hour. A hot flash that occurs during sleep is sometimes called a night sweat.
A study of nearly 1,500 women found that the median length of time for women to have hot flashes was 7.4 years, which means that half the women had them for less time than that, but half had them longer. It also found that black women and Hispanic women had hot flashes longer than did white or Asian women.
Women who started having hot flashes before they stopped menstruating were likely to keep having them longer; 11.8 years on average. About 1 in 8 women start getting hot flashes before their periods stop completely.
Hot flashes can be controlled with low-dose contraceptives for women who are still having periods. But estrogen replacement therapy or hormone therapy has been linked to increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer. Another treatment choice is low-dose antidepressants.
The North American Menopause Society has a mobile app that can help women make choices about treatment decisions for hot flashes and menopause in general. It is at http://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopro-a-mobile-app-for-women-bothered-by-menopause-symptoms.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
