Are Hot Flashes During Menopause More Common In American Women?


by Linda Bruton - Date: 2006-12-25 - Word Count: 313 Share This!

Considered by many to be the main, and most uncomfortable, side effect of menopause is the hot flash. Hot flashes during menopause can happen on an average of every 2 to 4 hours, daily for 2 to 5 years depending on how quickly you move from perimenopause to menopause. Hot flashes and menopause can last up to 10 years in some women. The intensity will be stronger during perimenopause but will diminish as you progress towards the end of menopause.

An interesting bit of information is that hot flashes are more common in Western cultures then anywhere else in the world. They are particularly prevalent among American women. It is reported that only about 10% of women in Japan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Mexico have hot flashes during menopause. It has been proven that this is the case because of the women's low-fat and high-fiber diet. This adds to the information that women can control the level of intensity of hot flashes just by changing their diet.

It is also a fact that thinner women experience more hot flashes during menopause since the fat cells you have in your body convert the hormones that are secreted by the adrenals into estrogen. Although you don't want to gain weight specifically to avoid hot flashes, it might not be so bad to retain a few pounds during menopause, especially when you first begin perimenopause.

Hot flashes can be best characterized as mild, moderate, and severe. The faster you transition from being perimenopausal to post menopausal has a direct effect on how severe your hot flashes will be. Hot flashes during menopause are most severe with a surgery induced menopause. This is also true of a chemotherapy induced menopause. In general, with all menopause hot flashes, symptoms do begin to improve approximately 3 to 6 months after you experience your first hot flash, although they may last significantly longer.


Related Tags: menopause, womens health, hot flashes, perimenopause

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