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Perimenopausal Vasomotor Symptoms

You feel a sudden rush of heat across the neck, face and chest. Your face turns red. If you're between the ages of 40 and 58, it may be a vasomotor symptom of perimenopause.

  1. Perimenopause

    • Perimenopause precedes menopause, the time in a woman's life when she no longer ovulates or menstruates. Menopause is a permanent, physiological event that occurs over time and involves a complex hormonal process. Symptoms during perimenopause, which may last up to five years, vary among women. Among these are vasomotor symptoms--those which relate to the muscles and nerves that regulate blood vessels.

    Common Symptoms

    • Perimenopause symptoms include changes in the vagina, skin and hair. In one study, reported by OBGManagement, 95 percent of women interviewed had difficulty sleeping, 92 percent experienced forgetfulness, and 87 percent mentioned irritability. Muscle and joint pain, and, in some cases, depression were reported. Among the top four most severe symptoms, however, was the hot flash. It occurred in 82 percent of the women studied, with night sweats (hot flashes during sleep) reported by 86 percent of the women.

    Burst of Heat

    • According to PubMed of the National Institute of Health, almost every woman, and some men, will experience a hot flash at least once. During a hot flash, you will have a sudden, unpleasant burst of heat. The chest, shoulders, neck and face will all have the sensation of being hot. This is often accompanied by palpitations.

    Chills

    • The FDA, in the results of a study on hormone treatments, described hot flashes as short, recurrent periods of uncomfortable sweating and flushing. If you have one at night, it's called a night sweat. In the aftermath of a hot flash, you may get the chills, feel cold and clammy, and even shiver.

    Frequency

    • Hot flashes may occur once or twice a week. However, it is not unheard of to have 10 or more each day. Fortunately, as time progresses, the number diminishes. Most women who have hot flashes associated with menopause will have them for six months to two years. The symptoms appear spontaneously and depart in the same way. Unfortunately, about 29 percent of 60-year-old women report continuing hot flashes, according to a controlled trial reported in PubMed by the National Institutes of Health.

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