Hot flashes - A woman's personal heat wave

Almost everyone has felt and complained about this summer's heat. The sweaty days and hot nights are par for the course at this time of year. But there comes a time when a woman will start having her very own 'personal hot summers'.

You are in a relatively comfortable, cool place and you suddenly feel a gush of heat coming over you, even to the point where you have to mop sweat off your face. This is understandably called a hot flush or some say a hot flash. Either way, it gets your attention and some curious glances from those around you!

More than a hot flash!

A woman may experience a lot of different things around that time of life when her menstrual cycle gets irregular and eventually stops. The symptoms, if you choose to call them that, come about basically because the amount of oestrogen hormone produced by the ovaries is getting less and less.

Here are the possible effects:

• Hot flashes/heat intolerance/sweats/chills
• Insomnia or sleep problems with fatigue
• Depression, irritability and mood swings
• Memory and concentration problems
• Fast, irregular heart beats
• Loss of interest in sex and vaginal dryness
• Muscle and joint pains

Does that sound like you? The reality is that there are a lot of differences between women with respect to the menopause experience. Approximately 70 per cent of women at some point will have the hot flashes and sweating. Others, like many of my patients, will tell you they just haven't felt anything!

Why so much heat and sweating?

Your body is constantly doing its best to control its internal environment. So unless something really goes wrong, things like temperature, heart rate, sleep cycle and even your mood are maintained within a balanced and satisfactory range. The main control centre is found in the hypothalamus, which is a very small part of the brain that connects your nervous system to your hormonal or endocrine system.

Around menopause, the signals from falling oestrogen create some amount of confusion in the hypothalamus and disturbs the balance in areas such as body temperature, sleep and mood. Your body has no choice but to respond to these signals.

Cooling down

The menopause experience is so variable that if you are of age and reading this and have not yet had a symptom, don't worry and don't start looking for it either. Having a positive approach, welcoming your transition to a new life and embracing ageing can make a big difference in how you feel.

So, I would encourage you to take a common sense approach and do things such as wearing light outfits, turning on the fan when needed, having adequate fluids, regular exercise, balanced, healthy meals and relaxation and recreation.

It's also a good time to get a check up and make sure if you are having symptoms that they are not due to any other problem such as an overactive thyroid gland. At the same time, have a chat with your doctor about whether you need any special treatment and what is the best approach to keeping well throughout this 'personal summer'.

Dr Tomlin Paul is a family physician at Health Plus Associates in Kingston; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com