Blow struck at medical community’s claim that women only need hormone therapy for hot flashes for a brief period of time.
According to conventional wisdom widely accepted within the medical community, hot flashes last just a few years. This has long been used as a justification for advising women to limit the time they use hormone therapy to treat their hot flashes. In reality, this approach is both ineffective and irresponsible, because it does not take into account what is really going on inside women’s bodies.
At Renew Woman™, we’ve understood this for years because we always stay on the cutting edge of best practices in healthy aging for women. Now, a major study on hot flashes is finally helping to convince the larger medical community of what we’ve known all along: Hot flashes can last for many years, long after the transition to menopause is complete, and women should be provided with safe and effective treatment options this entire time.
Largest Study to Date on Hot Flashes
The new study, which appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine in February, examined the experience of 1,449 women from diverse racial, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds over 17 years, making it the largest study of hot flashes and night sweats to date.
The researchers found that:
- The median length of time hot flashes lasted was 7.4 years
- Some participants had hot flashes for 14 years
- Black and Hispanic women were likely to endure hot flashes for longer periods than white or Asian women
- The earlier hot flashes begin during the menopause transition, the more likely they are to persist for long periods of time
This last point is very important for women to understand. Hot flashes, which affect roughly 80 percent of menopausal women, can actually begin during or before the transitional period known as perimenopause. In the study group, only 20 percent of the individuals started having hot flashes after their periods stopped. The majority of women began experiencing hot flashes during perimenopause, and for about 12 percent of women the symptoms actually appeared even earlier, before any irregularity in their periods was noticed.
Renew Woman™ Gives You Options
If you experience hot flashes before your periods stop, you can and should get help. As this study shows, your hot flashes are likely to continue for many years if they begin before your periods stop, and you certainly do not want or need to live with the discomfort this entire time. The best way to find safe and effective treatments that will not only alleviate hot flashes but also help support your overall health as you age is to contact Renew Woman™ now. We’ll be happy to educate you about treatment options that may be available to you.