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The menopause can be a trying time for some women with the vast majority experiencing some degree of hot flushes and temperature instability. For many women, hot flushes start during the perimenopausal period, several years before the cessation of menstrual periods takes place. After the menstrual periods stop, more than three quarters of women continue to experience some degree of temperature instability that lasts up to a full year after menopause. Even more disturbing is the fact that up to half of all women continue to experience hot flushes well past the menopausal stage which can be a source of great frustration and discomfort. Why do some women continue to have postmenopausal hot flushes while others appear to have resolution of their temperature instability?

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine looked at why some women continue to have postmenopausal hot flushes. After administering questionnaires to over 3,000 women questioning them about the severity of their hot flushes, they found that women who reported persistent postmenopausal hot flushes were more likely to have used estrogen in the past, have had elevated LDL cholesterol levels, have a history of hysterectomy in the past, and were more likely to be overweight with symptoms of vaginal dryness and sleep problems. Although this study does shed some light as to which groups of women are most likely to develop postmenopausal hot flushes and points out how frequent these symptoms are, it doesn’t suggest an established cause or treatment.

For many women, using postmenopausal hormone treatment to resolve postmenopausal hot flushes isn’t an option due to the potential health risks of hormone replacement therapy. In the absence of hormone replacement therapy, is there anything women can do to ease the symptoms when those hot flushes just won’t go away?

Some studies have suggested that women who are highly active after the menopause suffer less from hot flushes than women who are sedentary. In fact a study conducted at University Hospital in Sweden found that women who engaged in organized physical exercise on a routine basis were half as likely to experience postmenopausal hot flushes. This study gives another good reason to get out those exercise shoes if you’re a postmenopausal female.

Other studies have looked at the effect of diet on postmenopausal hot flushes and have suggested that consumption of soy and other foods rich in natural phytoestrogens such as flaxseed as well as herbal remedies such as black cohosh, dong quai, and evening primrose oil may reduce the frequency of postmenopausal hot flushes, although these studies haven’t been conclusive and the long term safety of the use of these natural remedies hasn’t been established.

So where does this leave you if you want some relief from postmenopausal hot flushes and you don’t want to take hormone replacement therapy? The best option may be to start a regular exercise program consisting of a daily brisk walk. In addition, you may want to

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Written by: Dr. Kristie
Available File Types:Text
Words: 559