My patients often describe a sense of isolation and lack of support during this transformative phase.

Many of you may have felt the impact on your well-being and the prolonged suffering caused by symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

For instance, I had a patient last week who reported experiencing severe hot flashes at an important work meeting.

Moreover, she woke up every hour at night sweating.

Given estrogen and progesterone feed her cancer, she could not take hormonal replacement therapy.

I offered a non-hormonal option, which is this essay’s main topic.

The Statistics

I’ll begin with this disturbing statistic:

Vasomotor symptoms of menopause — such as hot flashes or night sweats — are common, affecting more than four out of five menopausal women.

Moreover, some women experience moderate-to-severe hot flashes and night sweats for an average of 7.4 years or more.

Today, I’ll explain why I write about menopause.

I will also discuss hot flashes, with a focus on a new non-hormonal drug aimed at alleviating suffering.

Why I Write About Menopause

Menopause is a universal experience for half of humanity, but its effects are far from uniform.

While some women navigate this transition with minimal disruption, others grapple with debilitating symptoms that significantly impact their well-being and can linger for extended periods.

Many women feel isolated and unsupported during this transformative phase.

The Emotional Roller Coaster of Menopause

www.webmd.com.

We Need A Comprehensive Approach

A comprehensive approach is necessary to improve the experience for all women.

This strategy means:

• providing women with accurate information
• decision-making tools
• compassionate medical care
• workplace accommodations when required.

We should give special attention to women experiencing early or medically induced menopause, as well as those vulnerable to mental health challenges.

I acknowledge that societal biases against aging women can exacerbate negative menopause experiences.

Therefore, efforts to destigmatize menopause and celebrate the value and contributions of older women are crucial.

What Are Hot Flashes?

Hot H.F.sshes (H.F.s) are sudden sensations of heat, sweating, flushing, anxiety, and chills lasting one to five minutes.

My patients often report that they first have sudden, intense warmth that typically begins in the chest, neck, or face.

The warm sensation then spreads throughout the body, often accompanied by sweating, flushing, and (for some) a rapid heartbeat.

While hot flashes are often the product of hormonal drops secondary to premenopause or menopause, some have the symptoms because of a medical condition or medications.

Are There Hot Flash Risk Factors?

Risk factors

Some women experiencing menopause do not have hot flashes.

We need to understand better why some have them.

Still, some factors that may increase hot flash risk:

• Smoking
• Obesity
• Race. Black women report more hot flashes than other races. Asian women report the least.

Hot Flash Triggers

I always discuss potential triggers with my patients who are experiencing hot flashes.

Here are some more potential hot flash triggers:

• Stress
• Heat
• Spicy foods
• Caffeine
• Tight clothing
• Alcohol
• Sedentary lifestyle

Mayo Clinic Minute: Why alcohol and menopause can be a dangerous mix – Mayo Clinic News Network

newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

Let’s get to the recently approved non-hormonal drug that alleviates hot flashes.

What is Veozah?

VEOZAH (generic name: fezolinetant) is a neurokinin 3 NK3 receptor antagnoist.

It is a non-hormonal prescribed medicine to manage hot flashes and night sweats.

Here’s what that means.

Your brain has receptors known as NK3.

These receptors respond to neurokinins (a brain chemical messenger) and estrogen.

As estrogen levels decline during the menopause transition, neurokinins show increased activity.

This neurokinin-increased activity makes them less likely to respond accurately to body temperature changes.

By binding to (and blocking) NK3 receptors, Veozah stops this activity, reducing hot flash severity.

Veozah Approved for Menopause-Related Vasomotor Symptoms

Veozah is approved (by the Food and Drug AdministrationU.S.in the U.S. for moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats related to menopause.

What is VEOZAH® (fezolinetant) | VMS due to Menopause

Discover VEOZAH® (fezolinetant): a treatment option for moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats caused by…

www.veozah.com

How is Veozah Taken?

Your healthcare provider will determine the appropriate dosage of Veozah, typically taken as one tablet once daily.

Women can take Veozah with or without food, ideally simultaneously each day, for optimal results.

It’s important to swallow the tablet whole with liquid and avoid cutting, crushing, or chewing it.

Does Veozah Work to Reduce Hot Flashes?

Veozah reduces the number and severity of hot flashes, day and night.

While individual results vary, many patients get relief within a week or so.

Here are the clinical trial results:

At 12 weeks, women taking Veozah experienced 63 percent fewer hot flashes than 42 percent taking a placebo.

Very good results, although the placebo results are pretty good, too.

Does Veozah Have Side Effects?

Veozah sometimes causes serious side effects, including increases in liver blood test values.

Your healthcare provider should perform a blood test to check your liver before you start Veozah. The test is repeated at months 3, 6, and 9 after you start the medicine.

Please call your healthcare provider immediately if you have symptoms suggestive of liver problems, including:

• nausea or vomiting
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• upper right abdominal pain.

Veozah — Common Side Effects

The most common toxicities of Veozah include:

• abdominal pain
• diarrhea
• insomnia
• back pain
• hot flashes

Of course, these are not all of the potential side effects.

Please notify your healthcare provider if you have any toxicity that bothers you or does not go away.

Who Should Not Use Veozah?

You should not use Veozah if:

• You have liver cirrhosis.

• You have severe kidney problems or kidney failure.
• You are taking certain medicines called CYP1A2 inhibitors. Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure.

Cost

One of my patients recently informed me that Veozah not all health insurers in the U.S. pay for the drug.

The drug may be and may be prohibitively expensive for many people, as it costs about $550 per month.

I think U.S. insurers will eventually pay for the drug.

Summary

As someone involved in the care of scores of women with cancer, I know that vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats are very significant for some.

I love that these women who can’t — my patients with hormone-driven breast cancer are an example — or won’t use hormone therapy (the most common and effective treatment) have a new option.

Do you suffer from vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats?

If yes, what strategies have been effective for you?

The post Hot Flash Hack: The Latest Breakthrough for Menopausal Relief appeared first on Medika Life.

Hot flashes are the most prevalent menopause symptom and are feelings of intense warmth plus sweating, flushing, and chills. Sweating is typically in the face, neck, and chest. Hot flashes typically last approximately one to five minutes, with some lasting as long as an hour.

Hot flashes are common — upwards of 80 percent of menopausal women in the United States experience them. The hot flashes typically begin shortly before menopause, although for some, they start after menopause. The flashes are usually due to menopause; less commonly, hot flashes occur because of a medical condition such as carcinoid syndrome.

Today, I would like to explore some information about hot flashes, including a 12-week clinical trial that examined a plant-rich diet’s effectiveness in fighting hot flashes.

Hot flash risk factors

Hot flashes (sometimes referred to as vasomotor symptoms) are the most common complaint during the menopausal transition. As many as four in five women experience them.

Many women volunteer that symptoms increase during the transition to menopause. Approximately 40 percent will experience hot flashes in the early transition, but up to 80 percent report having them by late menopausal transition and early postmenopause.

Frequency varies by culture and ethnicity. For example, African American women report more hot flashes than white women, and Japanese and Chinese women report fewer. While many describe the hot flash problem as severe, only about one in four see medical attention.

Here are some other risk factors for hot flashes:

• Obesity. Postmenopausal women who are obese have higher blood levels of estrogen (estrone) than thinner women. In women with a higher weight, fat cells have more conversion of testosterone (androstenedione). Paradoxically, this higher blood level of estrogen is associated with hot flashes. Weight loss can improve hot flashes.

An intensive behavioral weight loss intervention and hot flushes in women – PubMed

Among women who were overweight or obese and had bothersome hot flushes, an intensive behavioral weight loss…

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

• Cigarette smoking. There are numerous reasons why women who smoke should kick the habit, but here’s one more: Women who smoke have more hot flashes as they transition through menopause. This connection is especially true for women who carry certain gene variations linked to estrogen metabolism and susceptibility to environmental toxins.
• Reduced physical activity.
• Hormonal concentrations. The prevalence and frequency of hot flashes are associated with blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
• Socioeconomic factors. Those with less than a high school education and those with difficulty paying for basics have a higher frequency of hot flashes.

Hot flash duration

Many women assume that vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes will last only a year or two. Unfortunately, such problems tend to last longer. The best estimate of hot flash duration is from the Study of Women across the Nation (SWAN).

Here are the numbers:

• The median duration of vasomotor symptoms (such as hot flashes) was 7.4 years, lasting 4.5 years after the last menstrual period.
• Women who were premenopausal or early perimenopausal when they first experienced vasomotor symptoms (such as hot flashes) had the longest total duration (more than 11.8 years after the final menstrual period median duration of 9.4 years).
• African American women had the longest vasomotor symptom duration (10.1 years), while Chinese and Hispanic women had the shortest (five years).

The Penn Ovarian Aging Study showed an average moderate/severe hot flash duration of about five years. Still, one-third continued to have moderate or severe hot flashes for ten years after the final menstrual period.

You may be surprised that nine percent of women still have hot flashes at 72.

Hot flash physiology

Widening of blood vessels in the skin, or peripheral vasodilation, manifests as high blood flow and temperature during a hot flash. These skin temperature elevations occur in the face, arms, chest, abdomen, back, legs, and digits.

With a hot flash, core body temperature usually elevates before the event. Sweating and skin conductance rise, with measurable sweating associated with approximately nine out of ten hot flashes.

As metabolic rate occurs during a vasomotor event, there is a small rise in heart rate, about seven to 15 beats per minute.

Why do hot flashes occur? Did you name estrogen as the culprit? Perhaps you are aware that estrogen therapy virtually eliminates hot flashes. And that women who undergo menopause (when hormones such as estrogen decline significantly) usually experience hot flashes.

But estrogen drops alone don’t explain hot flashes, as we see no relationship between blood, urinary, or vaginal levels of the hormone and hot flashes. Moreover, there are no differences in plasma levels between women who experience hot flashes and those who do not.

We need to turn to the hypothalamus, our master gland, to understand the phenomenon of hot flashes better. The hypothalamus perches deep in your brain and is our smart control coordinating center. Its main job is to keep a body in a stable state, or homeostasis.

Your hypothalamus helps to regulate your:

• Temperature
• Thirst and hunger
• Blood pressure
• Mood
• Sense of fullness when eating
• Sex drive
• Sleep

How does the hypothalamus do its job? It directly influences our autonomic nervous system and regulates hormones.

Hot flashes are mediated by temperature regulation (thermoregulatory) dysfunction in the hypothalamus, a state induced by estrogen withdrawal. For women with hot flashes, the so-called thermoneutral zone is narrowed.

While premenopausal women initiate mechanisms to get rid of heat when the core body temperature rises by 0.4°C, this initiation occurs with a much lower increase in temperature in menopausal women.

The warmth sensation occurs because of the inappropriate widening of blood vessels close to the skin. With sweat comes rapid heat loss, and the body’s core temperature drops below normal. Many women then experience shivering as the body tries to restore its core temperature to normal.

Adult estrogen levels, followed by withdrawal, are required for hot flashes. Prepubertal girls have very low estrogen levels but don’t get hot flashes. Low estrogen alone is not sufficient to have hot flashes.

Hot flashes: Fighting back with a plant-rich diet

A recently reported study shows that diet changes can be remarkably powerful for treating hot flashes. Here are the key findings:

A plant-rich diet dropped moderate to severe hot flashes by 84 percent (from nearly five each day to fewer than one daily). The diet may have contributed to helping women lose eight pounds (on average) and improving their quality of life.

A remarkable three out of five women became free of moderate-to-severe hot flashes with a plant-rich diet. If one includes mild hot flashes, the hot flash frequency diminishes by 79 percent. The control group experienced no improvements.

Many subjects in the diet intervention group also reported improvements in mood, sexual symptoms, and overall energy.

The WAVS trial — the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms study–shows that diet has much greater efficacy in treating hot flashes and night sweats than scientists had previously thought.

Rather than using hormone medications, researchers tested a combination of a low-fat plant-based diet plus one-half cup of ordinary soybeans added to a salad or soup daily. Let’s get to the details.

Hot flash study details

Researchers randomly assigned postmenopausal women experiencing at least two hot flashes daily to one of two groups:

• Low-fat, vegan diet (including half a cup of cooked soybeans daily)
• Control group (no dietary changes for 12 weeks).

The women recorded the frequency and severity of their hot flashes using a mobile application. They also completed the Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) to evaluate physical, psychosocial, and sexual symptoms.

Participants also used a study-provided digital self-calibrating scale to track body weight during the day. The intervention group members also received an Instant Pot to prepare soybeans at home. Finally, the group gathered with the research team weekly via Zoom.

Hot flashes and diet — My take

Historically, nothing (other than estrogen) has done as much as this diet intervention for hot flash reduction. I hope we see larger trials to confirm the results and better understand soy’s contribution to reducing hot flashes.

The study has some limitations, including its cohort study design. I prefer to see a double-blind study to prove causality. The study’s small sample size indicates the possibility of a placebo effect. Still, a healthy diet generally helps us to feel better and reduce our risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Finally, several of the study’s authors got compensation from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for their contributions.

Diet — Getting started.

Do you want to improve your diet? Or knock down hot flashes? Here are three steps you can take:

1. Embrace a vegan diet. Incorporate whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas.
2. Limit high-fat foods. If you consume packaged foods, keep the fat to less than three grams per serving.
3. Consume one-half cup of cooked soybeans daily. You can prepare dry soybeans with a pressure cooker or on the stove. Or consider buying already cooked soybeans in a can. Prepare them in the pressure cooker and roast them, baking them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350 F for an hour or until dry and nicely browned. You now have a snack, salad topper, or soup additive.

For those opting for a vegan diet, please consider vitamin B12 supplements. And don’t forget to track your weight, hot flash frequency, and hot flash severity.

Thank you for joining me to look at hot flashes and diet.

The Vegan Diet – A Complete Guide for Beginners

The vegan diet has become very popular. More and more people have decided to go vegan for ethical, environmental, or…

www.healthline.com.

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Medika selectively features companies recruiting participants for clinical trials. We select these companies and do not receive any remuneration or payment for advertising individual trials or companies.

Study: Hot Flashes

Study Details

Hot flashes are overwhelming

Hot flashes often occur during menopause; they can leave you feeling unbearably warm and sweaty. Common symptoms associated with hot flashes include a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads throughout your face, chest, and neck leaving a flushed appearance, rapid heartbeat, and perspiration. Researchers at Cedar Health are seeking women who are experiencing hot flash symptoms to participate in upcoming research studies. Find out more!

Qualified participants include:

• Females who are experiencing symptoms of hot flashes

Additional criteria apply.

Qualified participants may see a physician or medical staff at no cost and receive reasonable compensation for study-related time and travel.

How to Apply

DFW-East Clinical Site & Corporate Headquarters

Three Forest Plaza
12221 Merit Drive
Suite 350
Dallas, TX 75251 Call: 214-253-8170

Participant Feedback

We encourage study participants to leave feedback on their experience with this trial. You can use the comments section below to rate your experience with Cedar Health Research. This helps others when choosing a trial to participate in.

The post Texas: Hot Flashes Clinical Study Participants – Women’s Health appeared first on Medika Life.

What is menopause?

We define menopause as when the menstrual cycle stops permanently. Ovulation has stopped and one can no longer get pregnant. You have reached menopause only after it has been a full year since your last period. This means you have not had any bleeding, including spotting, for 12 months.

After menopause, the ovaries make very low levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The low hormone levels trigger menopausal symptoms and can raise your risk for certain health problems. 

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause means “around menopause.” These years are the menopausal transition time leading up to your last period.

Perimenopause is a long transition to menopause. The ovaries begin working “part-time” before they retire. During this time, the ovarian hormonal production may fluctuate at random, causing menopause symptoms unexpectedly. 

The alterations in estrogen and progesterone disrupt ovulation and trigger irregular periods. Some have longer periods and others shorter. Some may skip a few months. When the cycle comes it may be lighter or heavier than before. Many women also have hot flashes and other menopause symptoms during this transition.

Hot flashes and night sweats are two of the most common and frustrating menopausal symptoms. A hot flash is a sudden sense of intense internal heat sometimes accompanied by sweating, a rapid heartbeat, and facial redness.

When does the transition to menopause usually start?

Perimenopause, the transition to menopause, usually starts in a woman’s mid- to late 40s. On average, women are in perimenopause for four years before their periods stop.

How will I know if I am starting the transition to menopause?

Sometimes it can be hard for you and your doctor to tell whether you are in perimenopause, the transition to menopause:

• Symptoms: Tell your doctor or nurse about any menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes or trouble sleeping.
• Irregular periods: Track your periods. Irregular periods may be your first sign of menopause.
• Hormone levels: One hormone called FSH may be tested to help determine menopausal status. Your doctor may test other hormones levels if your periods stopped at an early age. Most doctors do not routinely check estrogen and progesterone levels without a medical reason because the hormones fluctuate unpredictably making interpretation of the results challenging.

How will menopause affect me?

Each woman experiences menopause differently. Menopausal symptoms may begin suddenly and be very noticeable, or they may be very mild at first. Symptoms may happen most of the time or sporadically. Some women notice changes in many areas. Some menopausal symptoms, such as moodiness, are similar to symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Others may be new to you. For example:

• Your menstrual periods may not come as regularly as before. They also might last longer or be shorter. You might skip some months. Periods might stop for a few months and then start up again.
• Your periods might be heavier or lighter than before.
• You might have hot flashes and problems sleeping.
• You might experience mood swings or be irritable.
• You might experience vaginal dryness causing pain or discomfort during sex.
• You may have less interest in sex. It may take longer for you to get aroused.

Other possible changes are not as noticeable. For example, low estrogen levels cause a reduction in bone density. This can lead to osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and break easily. Decreasing estrogen levels can also raise cholesterol levels increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Many women choose to fight through menopausal symptoms while others choose hormonal supplementation to alleviate bothersome symptoms.

How long does the transition to menopause last?

Perimenopause can last between two and eight years before your menstrual cycles stop completely. For most women, this transition to menopause lasts about four years. Menopause has officially started when it has been twelve months from the last period.

Should I continue using birth control during the transition to menopause?

Yes. You can still get pregnant during perimenopause. While the ovaries are no longer working full-time ovulation can still occur. If the ovaries release an egg then pregnancy may be possible.

It is impossible to know for sure when you will ovulate during this transition. If you don’t want to get pregnant, you should continue to use birth control until one full year after your last period. Talk to your doctor about your contraceptive needs.

You can’t get pregnant after menopause, but anyone who has sex is at potential risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you are not in a monogamous relationship in which you and your partner have sex with each other and no one else, protect yourself by using a male condom or dental dam correctly every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. After menopause, you may be more likely to get an STI from sex without a condom. Vaginal dryness can cause small cuts or tears during sex, exposing you to STIs.

When does menopause usually happen?

The average age of menopause in the United States is 52. The range for women is usually between 45 and 58. 

Menopause may happen earlier if you:

• Never had children. Pregnancy, especially more than one pregnancy, may delay menopause.
• Smoke. Studies show smoking can cause you to start menopause up to two years earlier than women who don’t smoke.

Certain health problems can also cause you to start menopause earlier.

Menopause usually happens on its own. However, you may enter menopause earlier than you normally would if you have had chemotherapy or surgery to remove both ovaries. Learn more about early menopause on our early or premature menopause page. 

What happens after menopause?

After menopause, you will no longer be able to get pregnant and you will no longer get a period. If you have any type of vaginal bleeding after menopause, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Vaginal bleeding after menopause is not normal and can indicate a serious health problem.  

You may experience any of the following after menopause:

• Low hormone levels. With menopause, your ovaries make very little of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Because of changing hormone levels, you may develop certain health risks, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and stroke.
• Menopausal symptoms instead of period problems. During menopause, most women trade period problems for menopause symptoms. As one passes through menopause, occasional hot flashes and sleep disturbances may persist.
• Vaginal dryness. Our bodies change as we grow older, but we do not have to age without a fight. Vaginal dryness is a common condition affecting 50–70% of women after menopause. A lack of lubrication is the most common cause of dyspareunia (dis-puh-ROO-nee-uh) or painful intercourse.

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