This is the origin of the alternative term "hot flush", since the sensation of heat is often accompanied by visible reddening of the face.
Severe hot flashes can make it difficult to get a full night's sleep (often characterized as insomnia), which in turn can affect mood, impair concentration, and cause other physical problems.
[2] If hot flashes occur at other times in a young female's menstrual cycle, then it might be a symptom of a problem with the pituitary gland; seeing a doctor is highly recommended.
[19][20] Since the incidence of cardiovascular disease in women has shown a rise that matches the increase in the number of post menopausal women, recent studies have examined the benefits and side effects of oral versus transdermal application of different estrogens and found that transdermal applications of estradiol may give the vascular benefits lowering the incidences of cardiovascular events with fewer adverse side effects than oral preparations.
[21][22] Women who experience troublesome hot flashes are advised by some to try alternatives to hormonal therapies as the first line of treatment.
A French study of 80,391 postmenopausal women followed for several years concluded that estrogen in combination with micronized progesterone is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
[28] On 28 June 2013 FDA approved Brisdelle (low-dose paroxetine mesylate) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms (e.g. hot flashes and night sweats) associated with menopause.
[29] Clonidine is a blood pressure-lowering medication that can be used to relieve menopausal hot flashes when hormone replacement therapy is not needed or not desired.
For hot flashes, clonidine works by helping reduce the response of the blood vessels to stimuli that cause them to narrow and widen.
The half life of these molecules is about eight hours, which might explain why some studies have not consistently shown effectiveness of soy products for menopausal symptoms.
[citation needed] Although red clover (Trifolium pratense) contains isoflavones similar to soy, the effectiveness of this herb for menopausal symptoms at relatively low concentrations points to a different mechanism of action.
that dietary changes that include a higher consumption of phytoestrogens from sources such as soy, red clover, ginseng, and yam may relieve hot flashes.