Hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms (VMS), are sudden feelings of warmth spreading through the body, often most pronounced in the face, neck and chest. They are very common during perimenopause and menopause transitions.
Causes Changing hormone levels during the transition to menopause are thought to affect the body's temperature regulation in the brain, causing hot flashes. Specifically, declining estrogen levels affect the hypothalamus' ability to properly regulate body temperature.
Symptoms In addition to feelings of heat, hot flashes can cause:
Hot flash duration varies but is often from 30 seconds up to 10 minutes. Most women have hot flashes for 6 months to 2 years, but they may persist for years in some women.
Management Lifestyle adjustments may help reduce hot flash frequency, such as staying cool by dressing in layers and avoiding triggers like stress, spicy foods, hot beverages, and alcohol. Hormone replacement therapy with low dose estrogen or estrogen progestogen combinations have the strongest evidence for relieving menopausal symptoms. However, hormones come with side effects like irregular uterine bleeding, breast tenderness, and increased cancer risks that should be discussed with a healthcare provider.
Non-hormonal prescription medications like low dose antidepressants and anticonvulsants may provide modest relief. Over-the-counter supplements like soy, black cohosh, and vitamin E have little evidence of efficacy.