Anyone woman that has experienced or is experiencing menopause has no doubt inquired about hot flashes treatment at some point. Every woman’s experience during menopause is unique. While some women will experience intense hot flashes on a daily basis, other women may only experience a hot flash once or twice a week. Regardless of how often or how intense your hot flashes may be, they can be bothersome and deserve a look into how they can be treated.
Hot Flashes Treatment
Hot flashes are defined as a feeling of sudden warmth throughout a woman’s body. You may find your face reddening or blushing as if you are embarrassed, and will likely feel the most warmth on your face, neck and chest. In intense cases, hot flashes can cause an immense amount of sweating as well as chills. Many women also experience hot flashes at night which interrupt their sleep. It’s these women who experience intense and frequent hot flashes or those whose sleep is interrupted that typically seek hot flashes treatment.
The most widely effective hot flashes treatment is taking estrogen. Unfortunately taking estrogen isn’t an option for all women. Taking estrogen comes with some very serious health risks that need to be weighed with other alternatives with your physician. If a woman has had a hysterectomy, she can take estrogen alone. However if a woman still has her uterus, it is recommended that progesterone be taken along with the estrogen to lower the risk of endometrial cancer. Another risk factor to consider is the individual risk of heart disease that a woman faces. If her risk factors are high, estrogen is not recommended. In those cases, progesterone can be taken alone. In any case, if estrogen is taken, it is recommended that the lowest dose is taken for the shortest amount of time, to keep risk factors to a minimum.
Even though estrogen is the most widely talked about and most effective hot flashes treatment, there are other options for women to explore with their physician, especially if her hot flashes aren’t bothersome or don’t occur very frequently. These treatments include home-remedies and life style changes. Some home remedies that have been discovered to help include daily exercise and stress-reducing techniques such as yoga or meditation. There are also recommended lifestyle changes to help reduce hot flashes including quitting smoking and reducing the intake of spicy foods, caffeinated beverages and alcohol as they all make hot flashes considerably worse.
Hot Flashes Treatment – The Conclusion
For women whose hot flashes are too frequent or bothersome, there are a few other treatments which may help. Researchers have found that low does of antidepressants, anti-seizure medications and blood pressure medications might help reduce the amount of hot flashes a woman experiences. They of course each come with their own set of side effects which need to be discussed with your physician. There are also natural remedies to explore including consuming more soy, taking Black Cohosh, Ginseng, Dong Quai or Kava. Keep in mind though that none of these remedies are approved by the FDA and all pose side effects and other health risks as well. The good news is that there are plenty of options when it comes to hot flashes treatment just do your research and talk to your physician to find the one that’s right for you.
