Understanding and Managing Hot Flashes After Menopause

Hot flashes are common among postmenopausal women. Although a hot flash is not a life-threatening symptom, it can be very annoying, especially when it happens more than ten times a day. Understanding hot flashes is the first step to better health after menopause.

Hot Flash Symptoms

• A hot flash is not the same as feeling overheated. But rather, it is a sudden episode of intense heat, starting in the chest and flowing all the way up to the head. It lasts only a few minutes and is usually accompanied by profuse sweating.

What Causes Hot Flashes?

• A dramatic drop in estrogen after menopause can cause the hypothalamus or "the brain's thermostat" to become hypersensitive. Accordingly, the body tends to overreact to slight temperature changes that most people won't even notice.

Other Hot Flash Triggers

• Besides hormonal imbalance and temperature changes, certain things can also trigger hot flashes. These culprits include alcohol, caffeine, cigarette, tight clothing and spicy foods.

Prescription Treatments

• Most women's health specialists use hormone therapy to treat hot flashes, though hormone therapy is not suitable for everyone. Other prescribed medications for hot flashes include Megace, Catapres and Neurontin.

Herbal Remedies

• Black cohosh, soy isoflavones, evening primrose oil and flaxseed may help relieve hot-flash symptoms, though they are not FDA-approved medications for hot flashes. Therefore, you should consult with your doctor before taking them.