How Hot Are You?

Most women in their 50's are not only older and wiser, but also hotter! Up to 80% of women experience hot flashes associated with menopause. They are most common during perimenopause and the first one to two years after menopause. While for most, hot flashes last two or three years or less, for some women, hot flashes may start as early as her 30s or extend through her 70s and beyond. Although variable, hot flashes generally occur every 2-4 hours. Find out how hot you are.

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Anatomy of a Hot Flash

There is no mistaking the sudden feeling of heat, flushing, and sweating associated with hot flashes and night sweats. It all starts with the Hypothymus. Researchers believe that hot flashes occur when the hypothalamus nerve cells in the brain, which help regulate body temperature, mistakenly sense you are too warm and attempt to cool you off. These nerve cells have estrogen receptors, so when estrogen levels decline, their temperature regulators don't work as well as they used to and can result in hot flashes....read more

Estrogen Therapy Treatment for Hot Flashes

Natural, low-dose estrogen therapy is one of the most effective treatments for alleviating the hot flashes experienced by as many as 80% of women at menopause and can also helps prevent osteoporosis.

Managing Hot Flashes

Today's forecast, hot and humid! That can apply to more than the weather if you're perimenopausal or menopausal and experiencing hot flashes. Karen Giblin, president and founder of PRIME PLUS/red hot mamas", a menopause management education program, has these recommendations on keeping cool by day....read more.

Ask Marla: When Will Hot Flashes End?

Dear Marla: I haven't had a cycle for 6 months but hot flashes and night sweats have recently intensified. How long can I expect this to go on?

Your question is a good one. Unfortunately, there is no one-answer-fits-all. Approximately 85% of women will experience some degree of hot flashes, often starting during perimenopause. But every woman is different with a unique hormone profile and unique response to hormone changes in her body, so the intensity and duration varies from woman to woman. Most women experience hot flashes for one to five years, about a quarter for five to ten years and ten percent for more than ten years....read more

In Search of Sleep

During perimenopause, hot flashes and night sweats can severely interfere with sleep. Thyroid disorders can also be the cause of insomnia. For something that humans spend so much time doing, researchers know precious little about why we sleep. But scientists do know that sleep deprivation can cause serious problems: irritability, anxiety, depression, increased risk for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disease, increased stress on the immune system, and infertility problems in women.....read more.

Thyroid Screening

Symptoms of low thyroid levels, or hypothyroidism, often mimic classic menopausal symptoms or can be dismissed in women and men as inevitable aspects of aging. Some researchers suggest that thyroid screening makes sense as part of a regular physical exam. Read more about your Thyroid health.