While most women experience hot flashes lasting two or three minutes, others last longer, even up to an hour. Roughly 80 percent of women going through menopause experience hot flashes, and for about 40 percent of those women the symptom is so distressing that they seek medical attention. Some women have noticed that drinking coffee or alcohol can at times bring on hot flashes. Some women find relief from certain symptoms with the help of hormonal replacement therapy, in which various regimens of estrogen, progesterone and androgens are taken. As with any health issue, menopause is yet another life experience that is eased with good self-care, exercise and a healthy diet.
Premature menopause can result from a variety of causes.
One of these is the surgical removal of both ovaries as part of a hysterectomy to treat ovarian cancer or other cancers of the reproductive system, severe endometriosis, life-threatening infections, or to protect women from perceived risk of future cancer. About 5 percent of all women inherit a tendency toward early menopause from their mothers and are born with thousands fewer eggs than most women. Others inherit an autoimmune disorder in which their own immune system destroys healthy ovarian cells for as yet unknown reasons. These women tend to experience an earlier onset of menopause and range of symptoms than seen in the majority of other women. The unpleasant side effects of going through menopause may be amplified by the meanings that menopause has for a woman.