Hot flashes

What are hot flashes?

Hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms (VMS), are sudden feelings of warmth spreading through the body, often most pronounced in the face, neck and chest. Hot flashes are very common during perimenopause and menopause transitions. They are considered a normal symptom of fluctuating and declining estrogen levels in middle-aged women.

Some key things to know about hot flashes:

• They tend to last from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. The skin may redden like a blush, followed by chills as the heat subsides.


• They can occur a few times a month for some women or multiple times a day for others.


• Triggers can include stress, spicy foods, alcohol, hot beverages, and warm environments.


• Hormone therapy (HT) is the most effective medical treatment. Low-dose formulations with estradiol or conjugated equine estrogens can reduce hot flash frequency by 75-80%.


• Other prescription medications like antidepressants and gabapentin can also alleviate symptoms.


• Some women find relief through lifestyle changes - avoiding triggers, dressing in layers, using fans, practicing deep breathing, etc.

If you're experiencing frequent or severe menopause symptoms like hot flashes, HormoVital(/) has top experts in women's hormonal health. We offer customized bioidentical hormone therapy (bHRT) including estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA to help regulate hormones for a more comfortable menopause transition. bHRT can get to the root cause of hot flashes through natural hormone restoration. Book a consultation today to explore your treatment options!

I hope this overview on hot flashes and treatment alternatives helps provide some insight. Let me know if you have any other questions!