Hot flashes after menopause and what helps
· Pausive Team
Your periods stopped years ago. You thought the heat would stop with them. Then it creeps up your chest in the middle of dinner.
Hot flashes after menopause are more common than most women are told. They usually ease with time, and there's a lot you can do in the meantime.
Here's why they linger, how long they last and what helps. For more ways to cool down, see our guide to hot flash relief.
Why hot flashes happen after menopause
Your brain keeps your body temperature inside a comfort zone. When estrogen drops, that zone gets much narrower.
So a tiny rise in temperature, from a hot drink, a warm room or stress, tips you over the edge. Your body dumps heat fast: flushing, sweating, a racing heart, then a chill.
That's why the heat can outlast your periods. Estrogen stays low after menopause, and for many women the heat takes years to settle.
How long do hot flashes last after menopause?
Longer than many expect. In a large US study that followed women through menopause, frequent hot flashes lasted a median of 4.5 years after the last period, and 7.4 years in total.1
A second long-running study, in Philadelphia, found the same pattern: moderate to severe hot flashes lasted nearly five years after menopause, and a third of women still had them 10 years on.2
Our answer to how long after menopause do hot flashes continue covers who tends to have them longest.
Hot flashes after 60
They don't always stop at 60. In an Australian study of 1,548 women aged 65 to 79, about one in three still had hot flashes, night sweats or sweating.3
The good news: only 3.4% found them moderately or severely bothersome.3 For most women, they get milder and less frequent with the years.
Other causes of hot flashes in older women
If the heat is new, or suddenly worse, menopause isn't the only possible reason. A few common ones:
Medicines: some antidepressants, steroids and painkillers list sweating as a side effect, and so do hormone treatments for breast cancer.
Stopping hormone therapy: if you had hot flashes before HRT, they often come back after stopping it.
An overactive thyroid, an infection, low blood sugar or alcohol can cause sweats too. If the pattern changes, mention it to your doctor.
How to stop hot flashes fast
No single habit switches them off, but these six help most women, in the moment and day to day.
1. Cool down at the first sign
The moment you feel the heat rise, cool your skin from the outside. A fan, a cool shower or cold water on your wrists and neck all help.
Cooling works with your body's own reaction. A small handheld fan in your bag means you're never caught without one.
2. Dress in layers you can shed
Swap one thick sweater for two or three thin layers you can take off and put back on as the flash passes.
Cotton, linen and other breathable fabrics let heat escape. Synthetic fibers tend to trap it against your skin.
3. Keep your bedroom cool
Night sweats are hot flashes that wake you up. A cooler room, light sheets and a fan by the bed make each one easier to sleep through.
Keep a glass of cold water within reach. Our page on night sweat relief has more ways to stay cool at night.
4. Learn your hot flash triggers
The usual suspects are spicy food, caffeine, hot drinks, smoking and alcohol. Not everyone reacts to all of them.
Notice what came before your last few flashes. Here's a fuller list of the triggers for hot flashes.
5. Reach for a cold drink
A glass of cold water cools you from the inside, and it's the easiest swap for the hot coffee or tea that can set off a flash.
Wondering what you can drink to reduce hot flashes? Iced water, cold herbal tea and sparkling water are good places to start.
6. Give stress somewhere to go
Stress is a trigger in the moment, and women under more stress tend to have hot flashes for longer.1
Whatever settles you counts: a walk, time in the garden, yoga or a call with a friend. It takes one trigger off the list.
Natural supplements for hot flashes
Pausive is made for hot flashes and night sweats. It brings the best-researched plants below together in one daily habit: 2 capsules with a meal.
The plants with the most research for hot flashes are soy isoflavones, red clover, black cohosh and sage.
Soy isoflavones can make hot flashes less frequent and less intense. Red clover can lower the number of hot flashes you have each day.
Black cohosh can ease menopausal symptoms, and sage can make hot flashes less frequent within a few weeks. Our guide to natural estrogen supplements covers each one.
Treatment for hot flashes after menopause
Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes. Non-hormonal prescriptions exist too.
Whether either suits you depends on your age, health and how long it's been since menopause. If you'd rather avoid hormones, see our guide to natural alternatives to HRT.
How Pausive supports you
Hot flashes after menopause don't need to set the pace of your day. The habits above help in the moment, and daily support helps between them.
Pausive is daily support for cooler days and calmer nights, and it's made for the years after your last period, too.
It works alongside everything above: a fan in your bag, a cooler bedroom, a cold drink instead of a hot one. Small habits, kept every day, are what add up. More on post menopause supplements.
Hot flashes after menopause FAQs
What age do hot flashes stop?
There's no set age. For most women, they fade within about five years of the last period, so in the mid-50s. About a third still have them 10 years later.
Why am I having hot flashes in my 70s?
Some women simply keep having milder menopause hot flashes for decades. If they're new, or suddenly worse, ask your doctor to check medicines, thyroid and infections.
Can hot flashes be a sign of cancer?
Rarely. Hot flashes after menopause are almost always hormonal. See your doctor if night sweats soak your sheets, or come with a fever, a cough or weight loss you can't explain.
Do hot flashes go away?
For most women, yes. They usually become milder and less frequent over the years after menopause, even when they last a long time.
Are night sweats after menopause normal?
Yes. Night sweats are hot flashes that happen while you sleep, and they follow the same pattern. A cooler bedroom and light bedding help most.
Sources
- Avis NE et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015: in the SWAN study, frequent hot flashes lasted a median of 7.4 years, 4.5 of them after the last period, and longer in women with more stress.
- Freeman EW et al., Menopause, 2014: moderate to severe hot flashes lasted nearly five years after menopause, and a third of women still had them 10 years later.
- Zeleke BM et al., Fertility and Sterility, 2016: among 1,548 women aged 65 to 79, about one in three had hot flashes or sweats, and 3.4% found them moderately to severely bothersome.