Hot flushes may be a 'blessing in disguise', scientists find

Hot flushes and night sweats may be a blessing in disguise for millions of women beginning the menopause, research suggests.

A new study shows women plagued by the nuisance symptoms at the start of "the change" have a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Scientists cannot yet explain the trend, identified from an analysis of data on 60,000 women taking part in a major US study.

But they say it is good news for women who are known to become more vulnerable to heart disease after the menopause.

Hot flushes - known as hot flashes in the US - are one of the most common menopausal symptoms. They occur suddenly, lasting about four minutes on average, and produce an uncomfortable feeling of intense heat.

Sufferers may break out in sweats and frequent hot flushes at night can severely disrupt sleep.
The symptoms are caused by the dilation of blood vessels in the skin and are linked to hormone imbalances, but still not fully understood.

Researchers discovered the positive news about hot flushes after studying women taking part in the Women's Health Initiative, a 10-year investigation of menopausal symptoms and heart and artery problems.

The findings will appear in the June issue of the journal Menopause and were published online.

Participants were grouped according to whether they experienced hot flushes and night sweats at the start of the menopause, later during the menopause, at both time periods, or not at all.

"We found that women who experienced symptoms when they began menopause had fewer cardiovascular events than those who experienced hot flashes late in menopause or not at all," said study leader Dr Emily Szmuilowicz, from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Earlier research had associated menopausal symptoms with heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Dr Szmuilowicz said: "While they are certainly bothersome, hot flashes may not be all bad. Our research found that despite previous reports suggesting that menopause symptoms were associated with increased levels of risk markers for heart disease.. the actual outcomes tell a different story.

"It is reassuring that these symptoms, which are experienced by so many women, do not seem to correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

"Hot flashes will never be enjoyable, but perhaps these findings will make them more tolerable."