Hot flashes is the most widespread symptom faced by American women going through menopause - about 75% of such women suffer hot flashes.

Hot flashes makes a woman feel hot in the neck and the head. Heart palpitations, dizziness, headache, sweating, nausea and anxiety may accompany it. The face flushes so that it becomes red. When it is over, a feeling of chilliness comes. A mild attack may last only a few seconds, but a severe one can last as long as an hour. It starts just prior to menopause in most women; most of them are rid of it when they complete the process, but in some it continues well into old age.

With the onset of puberty, hormone production increases, which protects the women from many an illness. With menopause, these hormones decline. For some women the reduction is gradual, and their problem with hot flashes is mild or nil. With others, the hormonal levels fluctuate widely, and this causes most of the menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes. The processes that cause the hot flashes are well-recorded. The blood vessels on the neck and the head dilate and the blood flow increases. This gives the warm feeling and other symptoms. But why the blood vessels dilate is still a debatable point.

There is an interesting study done on menopausal women from Hong Kong, Pakistan, Mexico and Japan. Only 10% of them suffer from hot flashes. It has not been possible to pin down the factor that makes this difference.

The women getting mild hot flashes may be able to get on with their life, taking these incidences as some inconvenience. A moderate hot flash needs some management. Lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet and relaxation techniques can help. Over-the-counter medicines like Vitamin E and Vitamin B6, blood pressure medication like methyldopa and clonidine, and anti-depressants like epinephrine and serotonin reduce the severity of the problem.

But for women with severe attacks, medical intervention with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) seems to be the only solution. Though the effect of HRT is quite good, the side effects, particularly long-term, are very controversial.

Every women need to make a personal decision about what treatment to take, considering the pros and cons in consultation with her physician.