Are hot flashes common?

Hot flashes are symptoms that are commonly felt during menopause. These hot flashes can occur at any time and place. The individual will generally complain of feeling hot and excessively sweaty. Hot flashes are common and it is estimated that close to 80% of women who enter menopause experience these symptoms. Hot flashes sometimes tend to occur a few months prior to actual menopause- signaling that there is a decline in the female sex hormones.

Just because one has hot flashes does not mean that one needs treatment. If you are able to tolerate the symptoms, then there is no need for treatment. However, if you find the hot flashes uncomfortable, then there are a number of treatments available. Unfortunately, not everyone responds to one particular treatment and selecting the ideal treatment requires a trial and error of trying out a few treatments. Most decent doctors are knowledgeable about hot flashes and can help you make changes in your life style, provide your with prescription hormones and offer you ways o cope with these unpleasant symptoms.

Are hot flashes usually associated with other symptoms?

Yes, hot flashes are not isolated symptoms of menopause. Most women who enter menopause will complain of a variety of symptoms, but it is the hot flashes that are the most discomforting. Other symptoms include:

A varying degree of pressure in the face and eyes. This may occur at the same time as the hot flash. The pressure is not a pain but an odd ache or a dull headache.

The hot flash is often experienced as an intense sensation of heat or warmth. This sensation is most common around the face, chest and back. The heat sensation does not last long but can be very uncomfortable. It maybe associated with a desire to scratch the body.

Other women may also develop a flushed or redden face on the face and neck area. The flushing usually lasts a few seconds and can often be very obvious.
A fast heart rate or a sensation of pounding on the chest wall is also common. This sensation is associated with a feeling of anxiety and panic.

Sweating of the face, neck, arms and chest is also a common feature associated with hot flashes. The sweating can occur instantly and cause drenching of the clothes. At times, it can lead to embarrassment and most women need to change clothes several times a day.

Associated with hot flashes are chills which usually occur several times a day/week. The chilling sensation often follows the hot flash.
Other features of menopause include generalized fatigue, feeling weak, faint, dizzy and having no energy.

How often does one develop hot flashes?

Menopause is a trying time for many women. The symptoms of menopause are not predictable. The frequency of symptoms do vary from person to person. Most women develop hot flashes several times a week but some women have hot flashes every day. The unlucky female may have hot flashed several times a day. Hot flashes can occur both during the day and night or one may feel warm throughout the day. The duration of hot flashes is usually a few minutes but the occasional female may have symptoms lasting 20-30 minutes. The good news is that they can be handled very simply with natural bio-identical hormones to balance overall menopausale symptoms.  When hot flashes develop during the night, sleep can be difficult. Most hot flashes at night are also associated with drenching sweating episodes.