symptom

Hot Flashes

Going through Perimenopause can be a physically and emotionally draining experience.

It is difficult to identify symptoms, and why they may be happening. It’s also hard to distinguish what symptoms may be attributable to perimenopause or not. The first and arguably one of the most common symptoms that will be discussed is Hot Flashes.

Hot flashes can be identified and felt as a sudden sensation of warmth in the upper body, most particularly the chest, face, and neck. The hot flashes may cause your skin to turn red, as if you’re blushing and can oftentimes be accompanied by sweating. When experiencing an episode of hot flashes, you may experience various symptoms, such as:

  • A sudden feeling of warmth spreading through the upper part of your body
  • Appearing flushed with red, blotchy skin
  • Rapid increase in heart rate
  • Sudden sweating/perspiration in the upper body
  • Chills
  • Feelings of anxiety

The severity of hot flashes and how they affect people varies; the symptoms can be very mild or can become so unbearable that they disrupt usual daily activities. It is recommended to seek medical attention if the flashes appear at nighttime, disrupting sleep.  

Hot flashes tend to be more prevalent during Menopause, therefore, when they appear during Perimenopause, it brings upon great alarm for the women affected. It is likely that they can appear in late 30s-40s, because by then, women tend to produce less progesterone and menstrual cycles tend to become more irregular and unpredictable.  

It is important to also note that hot flashes do not affect all women universally, equally. They tend to be less common in Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian women and interestingly, in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, hot flashes do not occur at all. However, in the U.S., a large population of American women report experiencing hot flashes. This discrepancy in experience of hot flashes can be due to differences in cultures and lifestyles (diets, physical activity, etc.)
-Written by Kaila An MPH

References
Harvard Health. (n.d.). Perimenopause: Rocky road to menopause. Harvard Health. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/perimenopause-rocky-road-to-menopause

Mayo Clinic. (2022, May 20). Hot flashes - Diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352795

LIFESTYLE TIPS

Stay hydrated as much as possible.
Keep a regular exercise routine. 

HOLISTIC APPROACH 

Look into Phytoestrogens 

If you're unsure that you're going through perimenopause, we recommend reaching out to you health care provider for further testing. Your doctor may suggest blood tests to check if you're in transition to menopause (aka perimenopause). 

for additional support join the perimenopause community here.

According to the NIH, current research shows that adding phytoestrogens to your diet could significantly decrease the intensity of hot flashes. 
Source:  The Pros and Cons of Plant Estrogens for Menopause (NIH)

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