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Reason hot flashes continue long after menopause?

Page last modified on: August 28, 2008

Question from BevP: I have been having severe hot flashes since menopause (age 55). Now I'm 72. Effexor doesn't help. Why do some women have never-ending hot flashes for the rest of their lives? I thought they were supposed to only happen during the few years around menopause.: Answers —Charles Loprinzi, M.D.: Dr. Goldman knows the answer!; Mindy Goldman, M.D.: Although it is true that most women's hot flashes resolve by about 3-5 years after menopause, about 15% of women persist in having hot flashes throughout their menopausal years. For many of these women, the severity of hot flashes may not be as great as when they first went into menopause.; Charles Loprinzi, M.D.: It's unknown as to why these women continue to have persistent hot flashes. Some women who are overweight or particularly underweight may have more trouble with hot flashes than others.; Mindy Goldman, M.D.: We think that hot flashes are due to loss of estrogen and its effect on certain parts of the brain that have temperature control mechanisms, but the reality is even in 2008, we're not 100% sure what causes a hot flash. Because of this, it's harder to predict who will be in that 15% of women who do continue to have hot flashes throughout the remainder of their lives.

On Wednesday, August 20, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Managing Menopausal Symptoms. Charles Loprinzi, M.D. and Mindy Goldman, M.D. answered your questions about how you can manage menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and more.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Charles Loprinzi, M.D. is an emeritus chairman of the division of medical oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Along with hot flash management, his research focuses on ways to reduce pain as well as appetite changes caused by breast cancer treatment.

Mindy Goldman, M.D. is an OB/GYN physician specializing in the gynecology of breast cancer patients.