Hot flushes in late post-menopausal years

In many women, hot flushes persist even in late post-menopausal years.Hot flushes are among the most frequent complaints of women during the menopausal transition. In most women, hot flushes resolve within a few years of menopause, but some women report symptoms for many years after they cease to menstruate.Researchers in America assessed the severity of hot flushes in 3167 post-menopausal women aged 67 years on average, who had attained menopause around 19 years back. These women were asked to fill out questionnaires that gave characteristics associated with hot flushes at the outset and after three years of follow-up. Initially, 375 (nearly 12 per cent) women reported bothersome hot flushes. Symptoms were seen more in women who had less education, had more recently entered menopause, had undergone hysterectomy, or had previously used oestrogen. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are still unclear.Hot flushes were also linked with higher body mass index, vaginal dryness, and trouble sleeping. Three years later, data were available for 278 of the 375 women. More than half of them still had persistent symptoms. Independent predictors of continuing hot flushes included fewer years since menopause and trouble sleeping.The findings indicate that many women have hot flushes that are a persistent source of discomfort in the late post-menopausal years. Identification of risk factors for hot flushes may help guide evaluation and treatment in these patients.