Gynecology And Obstetrics-

Hot flashes without menopause

Hot flashes are mostly known as a symptom of menopausal women. Brief and sudden bursts of heat are called hot flashes. You may experience sweating, palpitations or reddening of the skin. While menopause is often cited as a cause of hot flashes, there can be other causes as well. Hormonal disturbances or changes, stress, medication, allergies and other factors can cause hot flashes.

causes

During the menopause, women experience fluctuations in hormone levels. These are probably also responsible for the hot flashes that occur. But even without menopause, hot flashes can occur. On the one hand, internal processes in the body can be responsible for this. These include changes in the thyroid gland or hypoglycaemia. External influences can also cause hot flashes. These include hot food, medication, stress or alcohol.

Read more on the subject at: Causes of Hot Flashes

thyroid

The thyroid is responsible for the production of vital hormones. The thyroid hormone regulates many metabolic processes in the body. If you have an overactive thyroid, too much of the hormone is released into the body. People are often nervous, lose weight, and have a faster heartbeat.

But the thyroid hormone also has an important influence on temperature regulation. People with an overactive thyroid may be more sensitive to heat. In addition, hyperthyroidism can lead to increased sweating. Therefore, hot flashes can be caused by an overactive thyroid.

Find out more about the topic: Hot Flashes and Thyroid- What is the Link?

Anti-hormone therapy

The hot flashes of menopause are probably also caused by a change in hormone levels. Above all, the drop in female sex hormones seems to have an effect. Certain drugs have similar effects on the body. For example, some of these drugs are used to treat breast cancer. They inhibit the effect of estrogens and thus create an artificial estrogen deficiency. This can cause hot flashes.

But other medications can cause hot flashes or similar symptoms as well. These include above all drugs that have an influence on the regulation of the vessel size. Examples are nifedipine or nitroglycerine.

stress

Stress triggers a number of processes in the body. The body is put on a higher alert, hormone levels change. This can disturb the equilibrium of the body's heat regulation. Therefore, stress can also be responsible for hot flashes without menopause.
It doesn't always have to be negative stress. Happy or unforeseen events also put the body in a state of higher activation, which can lead to hot flashes.

Also read the article on the topic: Consequences of stress

allergy

An allergy leads to an immune reaction against a substance that is usually harmless. The immune system is activated, whereby a number of messenger substances are released. Some of these messenger substances can have an influence on vessel size or heat regulation. Therefore, sensations that are described as hot flashes can occur even during an allergy. Typically, allergic symptoms only occur after contact with the triggering substance. Since food allergies in particular can have very serious consequences, an allergy should be clarified by a doctor.

Hypoglycaemia

Hot flashes are also often described during hypoglycaemia. The amount of sugar circulating in the blood is called the blood sugar level. Since insulin lowers blood sugar, an overdose of insulin can also cause these symptoms. In a healthy person, various hormones regulate blood sugar levels. This rarely leads to derailments.

However, during long periods of fasting, the body may no longer be able to mobilize sufficient reserves to keep the blood sugar level constant. In this case a slight hypoglycaemia may occur. This is usually not dangerous in healthy people. However, hot flashes can occur during hypoglycaemia. The causal treatment is the ingestion of foods containing carbohydrates.

You might also be interested in this topic: Symptoms of hypoglycaemia

diagnosis

Diagnosing hot flashes without menopause is primarily a search for the cause of the hot flashes. Important information is primarily the duration, strength and trigger of the hot flashes. Certain causes such as allergies or hypoglycaemia only occur in certain situations.

If drugs are the cause of hot flashes, the occurrence of hot flashes in a temporal connection with the intake is diagnostically important. Other tests such as wiretapping, an EKG, or laboratory tests may be done. This is intended to rule out dangerous causes such as heart disease or hormone disorders.

Concomitant symptoms

Hot flashes don't have to be the only symptom. Other symptoms are often associated with the hot flashes. They can have the same cause as the hot flashes. It is also possible that they occur through the hot flashes or trigger them. Those affected often report simultaneous or staggered sweats. They are mostly a reaction of the body to the hot flashes. The body temperature is supposed to be lowered by increased sweating.

It can also lead to reddening of the skin. This can also occur as a reaction of the body to a body temperature that is supposedly or actually too high. Heart palpitations can also occur. Hot flashes can cause sleep disorders and restlessness. Some people report dizziness associated with hot flashes. Accompanying symptoms can provide important clues as to the cause of the hot flashes. If in doubt, a doctor should be consulted, especially in the case of pronounced accompanying symptoms such as weight loss or increased temperature.

You might also be interested in this article: The night hot flashes.

Treatment / therapy

Treatment for hot flashes depends mostly on the cause. Without causal treatment, the symptoms can often not be relieved permanently. A doctor should therefore be consulted if there are severe accompanying symptoms or no improvement.

Hot flashes can often be limited or reduced by various measures. These include losing weight if you are overweight and wearing correct clothing that is appropriate for the temperature and airy. By wearing several layers of clothing, it is easier to adapt the clothing to the current temperature sensitivity. It is often recommended to sleep in airy bed linen at night and at rather cool temperatures. Certain foods, such as coffee, alcohol, or spicy foods can make hot flashes worse or worse. Therefore it can be helpful to avoid them. Light exercise or endurance sports can also improve or reduce hot flashes.

Duration / forecast

The duration and prognosis of hot flashes without menopause also strongly depend on the cause. Most causes can usually be treated well. Hypoglycemia, allergies, or spicy foods are short-term triggers of hot flashes. If such situations are avoided, the hot flashes should also improve within a short time.

Especially hormonal causes often persist over a longer period of time, depending on the exact cause. They often have to be treated causally by a doctor before they get better. If medication triggers hot flashes, changing the intake or the active ingredient can bring about improvement within a shorter period of time. Stress can cause hot flashes in the short term, but also over a long period of time.

Read more on the topic: Duration of hot flashes