NAWHO

Most women experience hot flashes during the early stages of menopausal transition. It is often characterized as a warm feeling that spreads across the entire body. This feeling is typically caused by hormonal changes that occur during the aging process. This can affect the body’s ability to regulate body temperature resulting in the hot flashes that many women across the country experience quite often.

Hot flashes carry many different symptoms, but the most obvious one is a feeling of hotness that spreads throughout the entire body lasting from around 30 seconds to a couple minutes. Another symptom of hot flashes involves redness of the skin typically referred to as flushing and excessive perspiration that can even result in night sweats.

There are, however, a number of treatments for hot flashes.

Hormone Therapy

This method involves either oral or transdermal forms of estrogen being introduced into the body. These methods have been successful in reducing the frequency of hot flashes by about 90%. However, caution must be observed before entering into this treatment as recent studies on the long-term effects of this treatment seem to indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or even breast cancer.

Black Cohosh

This is an herbal preparation that has become more and more popular in recent years. Studies have shown that the use of black cohosh over a short-term not only reduced the occurrences of hot flashes but brought with it none of the negative side-effects from other types of treatments. A more rigorous study, however, is still pending and not everyone believes in this treatment as much as the others.

Megestrol Acetate

This drug can be prescribed as a short-term solution in dealing with hot flashes, but it is not recommended for long-term use. Side-effects such as weight gain have been attributed to this drug making it comparatively unpopular in the list of treatments.

And there are many more treatments that can help one cope with the symptoms of hot flashes. If you are finding yourself waking up with night sweats, experiencing warm sensations that spread across the entire body or noticing excessive redness of the skin, then it may be time to consult your primary healthcare provider.