SYMPTOMS OF THE MENOPAUSE: HOT FLUSHES
Hot flushes are the commonest symptom of the menopause, and may vary in severity from warm feelings to drenching sweats disturbing sleep. Some patients describe changing their clothes four to five times a night. They move out of double beds into single beds in separate rooms as they disturb their partners.
In a survey at the Prince Henry’s Hospital clinic, 91 per cent of women complained of hot flushes, and gave them as a reason for attending the clinic. Even women who do not experience these find themselves reacting more to heat than they did before. Women in all kinds of work describe the difficulty of coping with flushes during their working day. They are obvious to other people; the neck and face become red; and they are known to be aggravated by stressful situations. Others describe a more severe phenomenon of underlying weakness following the flush; they feel quite exhausted. Hot flushes may occur hourly, by day or night, or they may be occasional.
The actual mechanism that causes hot flushes is not known in detail, but they are known to be aggravated by heat, alcohol, obesity, caffeine and hot, spicy foods and stressful situations.
*6\63\8*
Add A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.