Weathering menopausal hot flashes

The vast majority of middle-aged women will experience hot flashes as they go through the menopausal cycle. These sudden waves of sweating come on anytime, without warning. WINK News health and medical reporter Amy Oshier took a look at why our body is turning up the heat and what you can do about it.

Like the blazing sun beating down on your skin, hot flashes have been described as a burst of heat, sizzling you from the inside out. The experience is extremely common. It comes with age.

“About 80% of women or so will experience hot flashes. And for some of them, that can be debilitating,” said Dr. Cherrie Morris, Lee Health’s chief physician executive, who is also an OB-GYN.

Dr. Morris said while the average age for menopause is 51, the range is 45- 55 years old for the start of the cycle. Menopause is brought on by a drop in hormones used to stimulate egg production. The sudden surge of heat is a consequence of the changes going on inside.

“Physiologically what happens is there’s like a vasodilation of your peripheral blood vessels. And so it’s releasing heat,” said Dr. Morris. “Usually in the trunk, the face, the neck, and it releases heat all at one time.”

It may be quite natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s desirable. Throughout time, menopausal women have looked for ways to beat the heat. It’s a mistaken belief that you have to weather it alone.

Doses of birth control and hormone replacement therapy are medical treatments show to alleviate symptoms.

Doctors also find certain things can trigger hot flashes or make them more severe. Those include spicy foods, caffeine, hot weather, stress and smoking.

Watch the video above to learn about more natural treatments.