Hot Flashes & Menopause Fevers

According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), hot flashes are the most common complaint of women going through the menopausal transition (called perimenopause). They affect nearly two-thirds of all women. Menopause is the end of menstruation and usually is confirmed 12 months after a woman's last period.

Hot Flashes

• When a woman has a hot flash, she experiences a sudden rise in her body temperature. This is often accompanied by sweating, which can be mild or profuse. The sweating can occur on her face, neck and chest.

Fevers

• The rise in body temperature characteristic of a hot flash may make a woman think she's running a fever. However, medicinenet.com states that an actual fever is not a symptom of perimenopause.

Caution

• If you have sustained fever and not the transient rise in body temperature characteristic of a hot flash, you should call your doctor. The fever could be a sign of an infection.

Cause

• Doctors don't know why menopausal women suffer from hot flashes. According to NAMS, they suspect it may be a problem with the hypothalamus, the gland that regulates body temperature.

Research

• Doctors are trying to find out why some women have hot flashes and others don't. A Wayne State University study, published in the American Journal of Human Biology in 2001, found that women who have difficulty withstanding even small increases in core body temperature are most likely to have hot flashes.