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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
- Casper RF, et al. Menopausal hot flashes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Schorge JO, et al. The mature woman. In: Schorge JO, et al. Williams Gynecology. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3158924. Accessed April 21, 2009.
- Menopause: Medicines to help you. U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Office of Women's Health. http://www.fda.gov/womens/medicinecharts/menopause.html. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Nathan L, et al. Menopause and postmenopause. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2002. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2393309. Accessed April 21, 2007.
- Manson JE, et al. Estrogen therapy and coronary-artery calcification. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:2591.
- Herbal products for menopause. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp158.cfm. Accessed April 22, 2009.
