Hot Flashes Can Last HOW Long?????

by Wendy on July 13, 2009

Hormone Therapy Can Last a Long Time!

Some women are just plain lucky. They sail through Menopause without a minute of discomfort.  I put them in the same category as super-models.  They’re freaks of nature.  The fact is that most menopausal women experience hot flashes and/or night sweats and they can range from mildly disruptive to downright debilitating.   Hormone therapy will help with the hot flashes (vasomotor symptoms as they are called), but current guidelines recommend that it be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time.   So,  in making the decision to take HT, wouldn’t it be a lot easier if women knew how long their hot flashes would last?

Current guidelines state that vasomotor symptoms last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.  Another report claims that hot flashes resolve in most women within 4 to 5 years.  So, to find an estimate based on real data, researchers at the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project tracked more than 400 Australian women, ages 45-55, from pre-menopause through the menopausal transition.  After thirteen years, they recently reported that hot flashes, for these women, averaged nearly SIX YEARS (!!!) in hormone users and just over FIVE YEARS (!!!) for nonusers.

Two other noteworthy findings:  There was a connection between high exercise levels and shorter hot flash duration;  and the longer women experienced hot flashes, the lower the average positive mood score.  That’s certainly not a surprise.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Alex at BodyLogicMD 07.13.09 at 1:42 pm

Hot flashes and the other symptoms many women experience during menopause are not something they should need to deal with for the rest of their lives. With the help of bioidentical hormone therapy and a new nutrition and fitness plan, you can get rid of your problems forever. If you would like to read more about the symptoms of menopause, then click here:

http://www.bodylogicmd.com/for-women/symptoms-of-hormonal-imbalance

2 Ann S 07.16.09 at 11:36 am

I enjoyed reading your article and found the information to be quite informative.
I have found from research that watching what you eat and drink can definatly help with hot flashes, my advice to you is keep hot drinks, spicy food and alcohol to a minimum. Another way of helping yourself thru menopause is sticking to a healthy diet and ensuring you put time aside for an exercise routine. So I definatly found a common ground with your article, though every female is individual some things are helpful to some and not so helpful to others. Easier said than done but the reality is this will not last forever and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunatly at some point in our life we have to face menopause, so having access to articles and information is to me so imperative. Always remembering we are not alone :)

3 Wendy 07.16.09 at 11:53 am

Hi Ann – yes, you’re right. For me, a glass of wine can bring on a hot flash. I learned that early on… thanks for your comment.

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