Menopause Research
Hot flashes are a major indication of menopause. This is a condition in which the skin around the head and neck become red and flushed with heavy sweating. Hot flashes continue for more than a year with most women and with a significant number of women it continues for several years. A hot flash is over in minutes with chills sometimes following. Night flashes may disturb sleep, which would further increase other nagging problems of menopause including fatigue and a general sickly feeling.
A change in lifestyle to a healthy diet, exercise and weight control with an optimistic attitude will be beneficial to women going through the menopause. For many years the perception was that menopause causes a loss in estrogen so hormone therapy was used for treatment of hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. However, later research has indicated that there is no significant loss in estrogen as a result of menopause. Hormone therapy continues to be used but only after the doctor and patient have thoroughly gone over the risks and benefits. Until recently the hormone therapy was made from horse urine that may have contributed to most of the affects of hormone therapy. Recent studies have indicated that natural estrogen and progesterone have been used in hormone therapy and are considered safe and well tolerated. There are many other drugs and supplements that can be used instead of hormone therapy and without its risk. If hormone therapy is used in mild doses of natural estrogen and only for a limited time it may be satisfactory.
