Women who have hot flashes generally weigh less than women who don't. Women should start learning and reading about menopause long before it happens, because there are very dangerous health risks that can be avoided. One of the causes is loss of estrogen after menopause. After menopause, women lose between 2-5 percent of bone mass per year for five years. This puts women with thin bones at high risk.
Bones become more brittle and more likely to break as they become less dense.
Complications can be fatal. Osteoporosis has no symptoms in the early stages. It causes back and abdominal pain in the late stages. Estrogen replacement can help stop osteoporosis, so can newer, non-hormonal medications. On the other hand, about one-third lose some of their sex drive.