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Hot Flashes
Help for Women in Massachusetts with their Hot Flashes
Your day is going along normally — until it’s not. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you feel yourself burning up. You start sweating, even though it’s not warm out. Your face turns red and you feel anxious as your heart starts beating super fast. What’s going on?
You’re experiencing a hot flash. One of the most well-known symptoms of menopause, hot flashes are experienced by about 75% of women during perimenopause and menopause. For some women, the discomfort is so great that they have to seek medical help.
Fortunately, help is available. Take a look at what causes hot flashes and how to get the relief you’re seeking.
Hot Flashes and Perimenopause
If you’re in your 40s and haven’t gone a year without your periods, you’re not yet fully in menopause. The first time you get a hot flash, you may wonder what in the world is happening to you. The truth is, hot flashes are likely to start during perimenopause — that period of a few years before your periods stop completely. You may think menopause is still a while away when you experience your first hot flash and be surprised when you realize what just occurred.
Hot flashes typically start during perimenopause and continue for anywhere six months to ten years. Most women experience hot flashes for about seven years. Black and Hispanic women tend to experience hot flashes longer than Asian and white women.
While hot flashes stop for most women after menopause, a few women continue to experience them for up to another ten years or so. There’s just no way to predict what the hot flash experience will be like for any given woman.
What Can You Do to Prevent or Treat Hot Flashes?
While there are a few lifestyle changes that may make a difference in your hot flash experiences, most women find that they need medication to get rid of this daily life disruption. One of the primary treatments for hot flashes is hormone replacement therapy, which is also effective in treating other symptoms of menopause. Your doctor can talk to you about other options as well. Take a look at your choices for treating hot flashes.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes. It’s also of great value when you’re dealing with other notable symptoms of menopause, such as mood swings, vaginal dryness, loss of bone density, and loss of libido.
That’s because hormone replacement therapy works by increasing estrogen levels in your body. When your estrogen levels are stable, your hypothalamus remains under control, so no hot flashes are triggered.
Most women who opt for hormone replacement therapy take it for about five years or less — long enough to do away with the frustrating symptoms of menopause at their worst. If you stop hormone replacement therapy, those symptoms are likely to come back.
Hormone therapy is delivered in several ways. While most women take hormones via pills, they also have the option of gels or patches that deliver a doze, felt throughout the entire body, through the skin. Women whose primary menopausal complaint is vaginal dryness may choose localized creams and rings that are applied directly to the vagina. However, these forms of delivery do not calm hot flashes.
If your uterus is intact, you’ll be prescribed a combination of estrogen and progesterone. Women who have had a hysterectomy are prescribed estrogen on its own.
Other Medications
Several available prescription medications may provide relief from hot flashes. Many of these are selective serononin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are typically used in low doses to treat depression. SSRIs that have been shown to be useful in treating hot flashes include:
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil or Brisdelle)
- Velavaxine (Effexor)
- Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
Of these, only paroxetine has currently been approved for treatment of hot flashes.
Other medications that have also shown themselves effective in treating hot flashes include the blood pressure medication clonidine and the anti-seizure drug gabapentin, which is also used to treat epilepsy, migraines, and insomnia.
Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes
There are a few things you can do at home to cope with hot flashes — though how much these suggestions work will vary from woman to woman.
Some women find that taking E and B complex vitamins helps ameliorate hot flashes, while others mitigate them with ibuprofen.
Sleep hygiene measures can help when hot flashes turn into night sweats after bedtime. Turn down the thermostat, so you’re sleeping in a very cool bedroom, and drink ice water before you go to bed. Some women find that having a fan next to their bedside (always on or ready to turn on) makes a difference, as does layering bedding so they can flip warm blankets away as needed.
During the day, the layering method works as well: wear layered outfits so you can slip off a cardigan or outer layer when a hot flash strikes. You can also carry a portable fan (manual or electric) to get you through those moments. Drinking ice cold beverages through the day also helps some women.
Spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol all appear to make hot flashes worse. Avoiding them may be helpful. Foods that contain isoflavones, or plant-based estrogens, may reduce hot flashes for some women. These foods include soy, lentils, whole grains, and flaxseed.
Women who smoke and are overweight experience hot flashes that are more numerous and severe. Therefore, losing weight and quitting smoking should diminish your hot flash experience, while also improving your health in general. Women who follow a regular exercise routine also experience fewer hot flashes.
Some women find that acupuncture and meditation help minimize their hot flash symptoms. Others turn to various herbal supplements, including evening primrose oil, black cohosh, and phytoestrogens. However, no clinical studies have shown that these supplements are actually effective at treating hot flashes and some have serious side effects.
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More Questions about Hot Flashes?
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What Are Hot Flashes?
Hot flashes typically come on suddenly. Though women’s experience with them slightly varies, they tend to start with a flush of heat through the face, neck, and chest. Your face may appear to blush or become red and splotchy and you may start to sweat.
Hot flashes last anywhere from one to five minutes. When they pass, you may feel very chilled and even start shivering. Some women experience the chill more strongly than the hot flash itself and they may even get dizzy. For some women, hot flashes are accompanied by rapid heartbeat and anxiety.
Hot flashes are not limited to your waking hours. When they occur at night, during sleep, they’re usually known as night sweats. You may find yourself sweating through your nightclothes or sheets. Some women are unable to sleep because of night sweats.
While hot flashes differ in severity from one woman to the next, (and from one hot flash to the next), some women find them very disruptive. Most women who experience hot flashes get them every day, often several times a day. One hot flash might be tolerable and pass quickly, but the next might be utterly debilitating, to the point thatt you can’t keep moving forward. For the most part, hot flashes are unpredictable.
What Are Hot Flashes?
Hot flashes typically come on suddenly. Though women’s experience with them slightly varies, they tend to start with a flush of heat through the face, neck, and chest. Your face may appear to blush or become red and splotchy and you may start to sweat.
Hot flashes last anywhere from one to five minutes. When they pass, you may feel very chilled and even start shivering. Some women experience the chill more strongly than the hot flash itself and they may even get dizzy. For some women, hot flashes are accompanied by rapid heartbeat and anxiety.
Hot flashes are not limited to your waking hours. When they occur at night, during sleep, they’re usually known as night sweats. You may find yourself sweating through your nightclothes or sheets. Some women are unable to sleep because of night sweats.
While hot flashes differ in severity from one woman to the next, (and from one hot flash to the next), some women find them very disruptive. Most women who experience hot flashes get them every day, often several times a day. One hot flash might be tolerable and pass quickly, but the next might be utterly debilitating, to the point thatt you can’t keep moving forward. For the most part, hot flashes are unpredictable.
Are Dietary Supplements Safe for Treating Hot Flashes?
While small amounts of supplements may be safe, the FDA hasn’t studied most of them, and many have significant side effects. Even eating foods with soy isoflavones is risky for anyone with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer.
No over-the-counter supplement has been proven effective on menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes. Because herbal supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, they don’t have to prove they’re safe for ingestion. Many supplements interact with prescription drugs, so it’s important to discuss any dietary supplements you’re considering with your doctor.
When Should I See a Doctor About My Hot Flashes?
If your hot flashes are proving disruptive to either your sleep or your daily routine, talk to a doctor about your options. Hormone replacement therapy, even for a short time, may be appropriate, depending on your medical and family history.
What Can Trigger a Hot Flash?
Different women find that different circumstances trigger their hot flashes. Among the common triggers are:
- Hot weather or hot temperature indoors
- Caffeine
- Spicy foods
- Stress
- Exercise
- Smoking
- Tight clothing
- Alcohol
Of course, some women experience hot flashes without any apparent trigger.
Our Approach to Treating Women With Hot Flashes in Massachusetts
At Hormonally Balanced, we understand the frustrations of dealing with hot flashes. We know that you might handle other symptoms of menopause with relative ease, but that hot flashes are likely what’s pushing you to seek help.
And we have solutions. We want to help you get your day-to-day life back on track without the annoyance (and sometimes agony) of hot flash interruptions. Let us help you. Contact us today for a no-pressure consultation and see if our approach to treating hot flashes is right for you.