Factors That May Influence the Experience of Hot Flushes by Healthy Middle-Aged Women

Abstract

Background: Interest in menopausal symptoms in general and hot flushes (HFs) in particular has grown in recent years. This is mostly due to increased awareness and the vast impact these symptoms have on women's lives. Despite the high prevalence of women who experience HFs, a definitive etiology for HFs is yet to be found. Our objective was to review the current literature dealing with associated factors for experiencing HFs and to provide a synthesized overview on this common and often debilitating condition. Methods: We systematically searched the English-language literature in the PubMed database using relevant key words and included only those articles that contained information on associated factors for HFs in generally healthy midlife women. Results: Both conflicting scientific results between studies documenting factors that influence HFs and the lack of validated measuring tools make it difficult to truly pinpoint associated factors for HFs. Nonetheless, we identified the following clusters of associated factors: the menopausal stages, sex steroid hormones, other endocrine agents, genetic polymorphisms, race=ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) and obesity, mood disorders, smoking, soy isoflavones and phytoestrogens, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Conclusions: No single associated factor was consistently identified as having a major role in experiencing HFs. More resources should be directed to develop a unified study system along with multivariable analyses to get a better understanding of this condition, which often imposes a tremendous social and personal toll on the women who experience it.

Risk factors for hot flashes among women undergoing the menopausal transition

“…Findings in the published literature in regards to hot flashes and both physical activity and reproductive history have been inconsistent 13, 16, 34-42 and, therefore, have not contributed to the identification of risk factors that could help provide clues to the etiology of hot flashes or measures to prevent the onset of hot flashes.…”

“…Several characteristics and health behaviors have more often than not been reported to be significantly associated with an increased risk of hot flashes during midlife, including cigarette smoking 7-9 , obesity 7, 10-12 , and lower levels of education 9, 12-14 ; however, these associations have not been observed in all studies examining these relationships. 15 Other factors such as physical activity, alcohol intake, and reproductive history have also been examined in association with hot flashes; however, results pertaining to these risk factors have been less consistent than those reported for smoking, body mass index (BMI), and education (reviewed in: Ziv-Gal & Flaws 16 ). There are a number of possible reasons why the results of studies examining the associations between risk factors and hot flashes have been inconsistent, including that the populations under study were composed of women of different race and ethnic backgrounds and that the measurement of hot flashes varied from a single question to a more detailed hot flashes history.…”

Hot flushes and night sweats symptom profiles over a 17-year period in mid-aged women: The role of hysterectomy with ovarian conservation

“…Higher BMI, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity have also been associated with vasomotor symptoms, but less consistently [10,12]. We were also interested in exploring whether any of these factors may moderate the relationships between symptom patterns and hysterectomy status.…”

A potentially functional variant in the serotonin transporter gene is associated with premenopausal and perimenopausal hot flashes

“…Confirmed environmental risk factors for HF include smoking, late menopausal stages, low levels of estrogen and inhibin A and B, high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), African American race, and high body mass index (BMI). 4-5 Inconsistent or weak evidence also exists for other risk factors such as: alcohol use, physical inactivity, mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, life events such as childhood abuse and mental workload, and past hormone therapy. 4,5 …”