No one knows exactly what causes nightsweats in menopause. Many factors vary, including the average age of menopause, the age at which nightsweats begin and the age at which they end.

The menopausal transition is typically broken down into four categories. They are pre-menopause, peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause. During pre-menopause, a woman may experience some symptoms associated with fluctuating hormonal levels, but her menstrual periods are regular. During peri-menopause, which literally means the time ?around? menopause, a woman?s menstrual periods have become irregular, possibly heavier, possibly lighter and she may begin to have some symptoms that are typically associated with menopause.

During menopause, a woman begins to miss periods, sometimes for several months in a row. A woman can still become pregnant during this time. Once she has not had a menstrual period for a full year, she can no longer become pregnant and is considered to be post-menopausal.

The average age of menopause is 51. The average age of menopause in women who smoke is about two years younger or around 49. Peri-menopause may begin three or four years before actual menopause. Although experts are not sure about what causes nightsweats in menopause, they know that about 50% of all women experience them. About 10% experience them during pre-menopause and the percentage increases during peri-menopause. Without treatment, about 50% of all post-menopausal women experience hot flashes and night sweats for three or more years.

Researchers investigating what causes nightsweats in menopause have clues, but no clear answers. They know that women who must have their ovaries surgically removed due to illness or injury typically have severe hot flashes and night sweats. Men who must take hormone suppressing drugs have similar symptoms. These facts indicate that night sweats are either directly or indirectly related to decreased levels of circulating hormones. In other words, low levels of estrogen or other hormones typically produced by the ovaries may cause night sweats. This theory is further supported by the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy in relieving these symptoms.

If a woman is among the 10% that begins to experience night sweats during pre-menopause, continues to have them during peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause, then she could suffer from them for seven or more years. Although they are not life-threatening, they can greatly affect the quality of a woman?s sleep and her overall quality of life. However, researchers know that the health risks associated with hormone replacement therapy greatly outweigh the benefits. It is also known that long-term use of hormone replacement therapy increases the health risks, which include blood clots and stroke. Thus, experts recommend that if a woman chooses to use HRT, she should use the lowest possible dosage for the shortest period of time.

Women who have nightsweats for many years need other solutions. Changes in lifestyle and diet often help relieve hot flashes during the day, but nightsweats do not respond as well to these types of therapies. However, it is always wise to lead a healthy lifestyle, get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. Improving one?s lifestyle typically improves one?s overall since of well-being.

Researchers investigating what relieves, rather than what causes nightsweats in menopause have come up with some alternatives. Certain anti-depressants relive symptoms in some women, but increase sweating in others and they have not been approved by the FDA for this purpose. Acupuncture may be helpful, but positive results have been inconsistent.

Black cohosh and a number of other herbs used in traditional medicine have been scientifically evaluated. Some manufacturers of dietary supplements have created their own proprietary blend for relieving numerous menopausal symptoms. There are a number of vitamins and plant components that may be helpful.

We may never know exactly what causes nightsweats in menopause, but we can get relief. It may require a little trial and error to find the most effective product, but it is advisable to make the effort, before resorting to hormone replacement therapy. To learn more about natural products that relieve menopausal symptoms, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.

Tags: Hot Flashes, Menopause and Sweating, Night Sweats

Menopause night sweats can be frustrating. According to surveys conducted by medical researchers, some women experience them for several years before the onset of menopause and about 50% will experience them during or after menopause. Doctors can perform tests to determine if menopause is causing a woman?s symptoms, but often it is diagnosed according to a woman?s symptoms.

There are several terms that doctors and researchers use to describe the years leading up to and following menopause. A woman is considered to be pre-menopausal if her periods are still regular; peri-menopausal if some periods have been missed or are becoming irregular; and post-menopausal when she has not had a period for more than one full year. There is no way to predict beforehand when the onset of menopause will begin. The average age for menopause or the year when 12 sequential periods are missed, is 51. Women who smoke typically experience menopause two years earlier than the average. Certain medical conditions and treatments may lead to an even earlier menopause.

There are a variety of different symptoms that may be caused by changing hormonal levels. One such symptom is menopause night sweats. At the onset of menopause, or when women begin to notice lighter or missing periods, is when most women report menopause night sweats and research following women going through ?natural menopause? indicates that about 50% continue to have them for two to three years following menopause. Natural menopause means to researchers that the women participating in the surveys are not using hormone replacement therapy.

Most women who experience menopause night sweats also experience hot flashes during the day. Both of these are called ?vasomotor symptoms?, because blood vessels and circulation are involved. No one knows why these symptoms occur. Low levels of estrogen or other hormones may cause them. Increases in follicle stimulating hormones or other compounds may cause them. It is known that in women who must have their ovaries removed due to illness or injury, which is referred to as surgical menopause, night sweats and hot flashes are experienced. Men taking medication to suppress hormone production also experience them. So, they are either directly or indirectly related to hormones levels.

In women who experience them, the severity of menopause night sweats varies. Some women awaken to find the bed linens wet with sweat. Others say that they feel too hot and kick the blankets off, only to become chilled in a short time, waking up again to search for them. They sometimes lead to difficulty sleeping and insomnia, which can lead to fatigue, irritability and moodiness.

There are many effective treatment options. Hormone replacement therapy was often prescribed at the onset of menopause to relieve menopause night sweats and other symptoms. But, recent research indicates that the health risks outweigh the benefits. To learn about safe and natural treatment options, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.

Tags: Menopause and Sweating, Night Sweats

Get Relief for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats related to Menopause

It seems like the late 30's or early 40's should be when women can have the time of her lives. The kids are probably gone, or at least a little grown up, and the career choices have been made. Unfortunately, your hormones will soon begin changing and you may soon start gong into menopause. While menopause should be a reason to celebrate (no more monthly cycles), many women experience irritating side effects when there is less of the hormone estrogen in the system. The most common side effect is hot flashes (or hot flushes, as some call them when they cause flushing or redness of the skin).

Only 15% of women do not suffer from hot flashes, for the rest of us, the flashes can last from five to fifteen minutes at a time. Medical professionals have not determined how to tell how long (in months) they will continue. Because the body is trying to compensate to the lower estrogen levels, as soon as it figures out the proper adjustment, the hot flashes will stop.

One way medical science has decided to compensate is with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which calls for a prescription of Estrogen pills, or a skin patch, to help estrogen levels go back to where they once were. Unfortunately, once you stop taking the pills, your body has to try to compensate again, and the hot flashes will reoccur. However, it is sometimes possible to decrease the dose of estrogen gradually, allowing the body to adjust more slowly.

But there are there natural alternatives for chemical HRT. And it's sad that less than two percent of doctors even mention alternative therapies (maybe because the pharmaceuticals make more money on the Estrogen Replacement Therapy). Thousands of women have tested natural therapies and agree that they work! There are a few natural things you should consider if you're not ready to put another chemical into your body.

Natural Care for Hot Flashes or Night Sweats

When hot flashes occur at night, you will experience night sweats (or worse yet, cold sweats). In the worst cases, sweating can get excessive and soak bedding and nightgowns. Here are a few things that you can do stay as comfortable as possible. During the day, dress in layers so you can remove items, and put them back on when the hot flash is finished. At night, wear cotton underwear and gowns that will absorb perspiration. These keep you cooler than synthetic garments.

Most importantly, start keeping a record of your daily routine and try to determine when you are most likely to get a hot flash. Certain foods or drinks can cause an increase in the amount and severity of the hot flash. Watch out for alcohol (especially red wine), caffeine, sugar, fatty dairy products, salt, spicy foods, saturated oils and monosodium glutamate (added to prepared foods to enhance flavor).

Last but not least, there are some herbs that contain healthy compounds that have proven to be affective. One of the main herbs is Black Cohosh, which is a thoroughly researched herb containing phytoestrogens and is approved by the German 'Kommission E" - a body similar to the FDA. You can find Black Cohosh in the appropriate portions in MellowPause.

In the case of severe menopausal symptoms, it is recommend that MellowPause be taken together with Dong Quai, which has been used for many centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. In time this too shall pass. Menopause usually ends by the age of 51; but hot flashes may, if you're lucky, end much sooner than that.

About The Author Evelyn Grazini is a Health and Wellness Researcher, and the Editor at ?911 Menopause,? the site for Free reports on Natural relief methods for menopause symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats. http://www.911menopause.com.

Tags: Hot Flashes, Menopause and Sweating, Night Sweats, Sweating

It seems like the late 30's or early 40's should be when women can have the time of her lives. The kids are probably gone, or at least a little grown up, and the career choices have been made.

Unfortunately, your hormones will soon begin changing and you may soon start gong into menopause. While menopause should be a reason to celebrate (no more monthly cycles), many women experience irritating side effects when there is less of the hormone estrogen in the system. The most common side effect is hot flashes (or hot flushes, as some call them when they cause flushing or redness of the skin).

Only 15% of women do not suffer from hot flashes, for the rest of us, the flashes can last from five to fifteen minutes at a time. Medical professionals have not determined how to tell how long (in months) they will continue. Because the body is trying to compensate to the lower estrogen levels, as soon as it figures out the proper adjustment, the hot flashes will stop.

One way medical science has decided to compensate is with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which calls for a prescription of Estrogen pills, or a skin patch, to help estrogen levels go back to where they once were. Unfortunately, once you stop taking the pills, your body has to try to compensate again, and the hot flashes will reoccur. However, it is sometimes possible to decrease the dose of estrogen gradually, allowing the body to adjust more slowly.

But there are there natural alternatives for chemical HRT. And it's sad that less than two percent of doctors even mention alternative therapies (maybe because the pharmaceuticals make more money on the Estrogen Replacement Therapy). Thousands of women have tested natural therapies and agree that they work! There are a few natural things you should consider if you're not ready to put another chemical into your body.

Natural Care for Hot Flashes or Night Sweats

When hot flashes occur at night, you will experience night sweats (or worse yet, cold sweats). In the worst cases, sweating can get excessive and soak bedding and nightgowns. Here are a few things that you can do stay as comfortable as possible.

During the day, dress in layers so you can remove items, and put them back on when the hot flash is finished.

At night, wear cotton underwear and gowns that will absorb perspiration. These keep you cooler than synthetic garments.

Most importantly, start keeping a record of your daily routine and try to determine when you are most likely to get a hot flash. Certain foods or drinks can cause an increase in the amount and severity of the hot flash. Watch out for alcohol (especially red wine), caffeine, sugar, fatty dairy products, salt, spicy foods, saturated oils and monosodium glutamate (added to prepared foods to enhance flavor).

Last but not least, there are some herbs that contain healthy compounds that have proven to be affective. One of the main herbs is Black Cohosh, which is a thoroughly researched herb containing phytoestrogens and is approved by the German 'Kommission E" - a body similar to the FDA. You can find Black Cohosh in the appropriate portions in MellowPause.

In the case of severe menopausal symptoms, it is recommend that MellowPause be taken together with Dong Quai, which has been used for many centuries in traditional Chinese medicine.

In time this too shall pass. Menopause usually ends by the age of 51; but hot flashes may, if you're lucky, end much sooner than that.

 

About the Author:

Evelyn Grazini is a Health and Wellness Researcher, and the Editor at "911 Menopause," the site for Free reports on Natural relief methods for menopause symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats. http://www.911menopause.com

 

Tags: Hot Flashes, Menopause and Sweating, Night Sweats

The use of botanicals and herbs for hot flashes and night sweats, as well as other symptoms related to menopause, has become increasingly popular. Due mostly to the studies completed by the Women?s Health Initiative relating to the health risks associated with long term use of hormone replacement therapy or HRT.

The Women?s Health Initiative (WHI) began in 1991 and many of the health issues related to older women are still being studied. The study concerning hormone replacement therapy ended in 2002, because of the large number of reported adverse events. The study concluded that HRT increased a woman?s risk of developing blot clots and stroke. Estrogen only therapy increases a woman?s risk of endometrial cancer, if she still has her uterus. Estrogen-progesterone combination therapies increase a woman?s risk of heart disease and breast cancer, as well as blood clots and stroke. Other side effects of HRT include leg pain and breast tenderness.

Before the WHI reported their findings, HRT was believed to reduce a woman?s risk of developing heart disease. Now, the only health benefit it is believed to provide is a reduction in osteoporosis, which can be accomplished with dietary supplementation of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D, as well as cutting out caramel colored soft drinks. While some researchers consider ?low-dose? HRT safer, mostly because women experience less leg pain and breast tenderness, it does not reduce hot flashes and night sweats as effectively as herbs and other botanicals. And, there is no evidence supporting its use to prevent osteoporosis.

Research conducted in France in 2006 reported a 60-70% reduction in hot flashes and night sweats in women using low-dose HRT. Research has shown that certain plant components and herbs for hot flashes are more effective. Soy isoflavones have been shown to reduce hot flashes and night sweats by nearly 90%. Black cohosh, one of the most frequently recommended herbs for hot flashes, is even more effective. Although the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology renounced the use of herbs for hot flashes at one time, they have since changed their viewpoint slightly. Possibly, because numerous researchers had expressed the opinion that doctors should discuss these options with their patients.

Scientists in laboratory settings have demonstrated the safety of black cohosh, since its effectiveness brought up questions of safety. It does not increase growth of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cell lines and does not thicken the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Estrogen causes the endometrium to thicken, leading to endometrial cancer if progesterone is not used to cause the lining to be shed. There could be other health benefits associated with black cohosh, although modern research has not been conducted concerning them.

The WHI reported that 38% of the women studied suffered from high blood pressure. Black cohosh was used historically by Native Americans to treat high blood pressure. It is a natural diuretic. The drugs commonly used to control blood pressure are diuretics. Other historical uses included the treatment of rheumatism and as a mild sedative.

Other herbs for hot flashes and night sweats include red clover and sarsaparilla. These were both used historically by native healers for symptoms relating to hormonal imbalances. Red clover contains isoflavones similar to those found in soy and may be an option for women who are allergic to soy. Researchers are currently studying sarsaparilla for many health benefits including cancer prevention. Neither of these may be as effective as black cohosh when used alone (studies indicate that of all the herbs for hot flashes and night sweats, black cohosh is the most effective), but because of the numerous health benefits associated with their use and because they may relieve some of the other symptoms associated with menopause, they are sometimes added to black cohosh in dietary supplements specifically designed for menopausal women.

For more information about plants and herbs for hot flashes and night sweats, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.

Tags: Hot Flashes, Menopause and Sweating, Night Sweats