Menopause Hot Flashes & Cold Sweats

Hot flashes and cold sweats are among the most common symptoms of the menopause transition. They are also among the most dreaded symptoms associated with this life stage, affecting millions of women the world over. According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 75 percent of all menopausal women experience hot flashes and cold sweats.

Identification

• Menopause hot flashes and cold sweats have been described as two sides of the same coin. A hot flash is a sensation of a sudden rise in body temperature, which seems to emanate from upward from the abdomen, working its way to the neck and face. Cold sweats, also called night cold sweats or simply night sweats, are hot flashes that are experienced in the night, and are accompanied by excessive sweating that can drench the woman's clothing and bedding.

Who is Affected?

• Hot flashes and night sweats commonly affect women who are experiencing or approaching menopause. Menopause is a transitional period in a woman's life during her menstrual cycle ceases and her reproductive period ends. It is a normal part of the aging process, and commonly occurs when she is in her 40's and 50's.

Causes

• Menopause hot flashes and cold sweats both have the same underlying physiological cause: a hormonal imbalance. This imbalance results from a fluctuation of estrogen levels that occurs during menopause. This fluctuation affects the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature, prompting physiological reactions that a woman experiences as hot flashes and cold sweats.

Risk Factors

• The severity and pattern of menopause hot flashes and night sweats differs from one woman to the next. This is influenced by a number of factors, including age and race. As a woman advances in age, the severity of her hot flashes and night sweats drops. In addition, African-American women are more prone to suffer from night sweats than white and Asian American women. Individual factors such as diet, stress levels and habits such as smoking also influence the degree of severity of these two symptoms.

Treatments

• There are a number of conventional and alternative treatment options for hot flashes and cold sweats. Conventional treatments include hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and prescription drugs, such as Bellergal-S and Neurontin. Alternative treatments include Chinese acupuncture and herbal remedies. Diet, exercise and yoga are also recommended to prevent or alleviate hot flashes and night sweats.