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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffNot all women who go through menopause experience hot flashes. Although it's not clear why some women get hot flashes and others don't, the following factors increase your risk of hot flashes:
- Smoking. Women who smoke are more likely to get hot flashes.
- Obesity. A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher frequency of hot flashes.
- Physical inactivity. If you don't exercise, you're more likely to have hot flashes during menopause.
- Ethnicity. More African-American women report menopausal hot flashes than do women of European descent. Hot flashes are less common in women of Japanese and Chinese descent than in white European women.
References
- Grady D, et al. Menopausal symptoms. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed April 14, 2011.
- Midlife transitions. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab013.cfm. Accessed April 14, 2011.
- Casper RF, et al. Menopausal hot flashes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 14, 2011.
- Hot flashes. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed April 14, 2011.
- Loprinzi CL, et al. Hot flashes. In: Walsh D, et al. Palliative Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1146104700&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50177-8--cesec2&isbn=978-0-323-05674-8&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50177-8--cesec2&uniqId=239287562-5. Accessed April 14, 2011.
- Gaudet T. Menopause: Integrative therapy. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-2/0/1494/0.html. Accessed April 15, 2011.
- Menopausal symptoms and CAM: What the science says. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/menopause-science.htm. Accessed April 15, 2011.
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