Pharmacist Agnė Mačiulskaitė explains that she receives similar questions at the pharmacy. They are especially often asked by women aged 40–50, who, having started to sweat more frequently or feel hot flashes, wonder if this could already be a sign of approaching menopause.
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“Hot flashes can be one of the symptoms of perimenopause, but it is important to also assess changes in menstruation and other symptoms. When a woman says she has started sweating a lot, although it was not like that before, it is important to find out when it started, evaluate physical activity, stress experienced, sleep quality, and medications used,” says A. Mačiulskaitė.
According to her, the tendency to feel cold or hot is not an unchanging human trait. The body produces heat itself and regulates its release to the environment so that body temperature remains fairly constant. This process is coordinated by the hypothalamus in the brain, which can be compared to the body’s “thermostat.”
“Over the years, not only the amount of hormones can change, but also the sensitivity of thermoregulatory mechanisms to hormonal signals. Therefore, a woman who used to often feel cold may at a certain stage of life actually start to tolerate heat less well,” emphasizes the pharmacist.
Hot or hit by a hot flash?
Clues about what is happening in the body can be provided by the nature of the heat itself. It is one thing to feel warmer due to high ambient temperature, physical activity, or clothing, and quite another to suddenly feel a rush of heat while at rest.
“A hot flash is a sudden, short-term episode of feeling heat. During it, the skin’s blood vessels dilate, blood flow in the skin increases, and sweating may begin. A woman suddenly feels heat, sometimes the face flushes, and the episode may be accompanied by intense sweating. Such symptoms can occur not only during the day but also while sleeping,” explains A. Mačiulskaitė.
A woman suddenly feels heat, sometimes the face flushes, and the episode may be accompanied by intense sweating. Such symptoms can occur not only during the day but also while sleeping.
If such episodes frequently recur at night and wake one from sleep, this may be characteristic of menopausal vasomotor symptoms. However, night sweating alone is not enough to determine its cause.
Feeling hot during pregnancy and menopause is not due to the same reason
The sensation of heat can also change during other stages of a woman’s life. Although during pregnancy, after childbirth, and approaching menopause a woman may notice a similar result – feeling hotter more often or sweating more – the processes occurring in the body at those times differ.
“During pregnancy, hormonal activity and metabolism change, blood volume increases, so some women may feel warmer and sweat more. After childbirth, the levels of hormones present during pregnancy and fluid balance change, so increased sweating may also be noticed during this period,” notes A. Mačiulskaitė.
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The situation is different during menopause – as reproductive hormones change, thermoregulation also changes. This is why hot flashes and night sweating are considered some of the most characteristic symptoms of this life stage.
“Vasomotor symptoms are a thermoregulation phenomenon reflecting the interaction of reproductive and thermoregulatory systems in the hypothalamus. During menopause, the hormonal environment changes, ovulatory menstrual cycles become less frequent, and later they stop,” explains the pharmacist.
It is worth looking for the cause in the medicine box too
Changed well-being should not always be associated solely with a life stage. If increased sweating or poorer heat tolerance started relatively recently, it is worth remembering whether a new medication was started at that time, its dose changed, or several drugs were started to be taken together.
“Medications can affect sweating, blood vessel dilation, blood pressure, or the body’s ability to release heat. Such changes may occur when taking some antidepressants, painkillers, or hormonal preparations, drugs for thyroid disorders, as well as some medications affecting blood pressure or heart function. It is also important not to forget to mention over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements used,” lists A. Mačiulskaitė.
Therefore, when investigating what could have caused newly appeared symptoms, it is important for the doctor or pharmacist to know about all medications taken.
When is it not worth attributing everything to hormones?
Accompanying symptoms can be a signal that it is worth looking more broadly for the cause of the heat sensation. It can be intensified by infections, some metabolic disorders, stress or anxiety, lack of sleep, alcohol, and caffeine.
“If weight changes, heart palpitations, tremors, weakness, sleep disturbances, or other new symptoms appear together, it is not worth attributing everything solely to menopause or hormones,” emphasizes A. Mačiulskaitė.
If the heat sensation is mild, short-term, clearly related to ambient temperature, physical exertion, or stress, and there are no other symptoms, the situation can be observed for a while. It is worth paying attention to when episodes occur, how long they last, and what happened before they appeared.
“If the heat sensation begins to interfere with daily life or other worrying symptoms appear together, it is necessary to consult a doctor and look for a specific cause,” says the pharmacist.
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