Why are my hot flashes so bad?

Q:

Both of my sisters sailed through menopause, so I assumed I would too. But I’ve had terrible mood swings, and my hot flashes are the worst! What gives?

A:

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the family, symptoms of menopause are not likely to be genetically related. So your experience could be very different from your sisters’ and your mother’s.

We do know that women who have a history of PMS, mood disruptions with their periods or postpartum depression are somewhat more sensitive to hormonal changes and tend to find the menopause transition more challenging. Also, if you had complicated pregnancies, that might be a factor: A recent Mayo Clinic study found that women with a history of high blood pressure disorders— such as preeclampsia or gestational hypertension—during pregnancy are more likely to experience hot flashes and night sweats in menopause. As for hot flashes, you are sharing that experience with 70% to 80% of all women.

A supplement called Equelle, which contains S-equol (a type of isoflavone found in soy), has some good evidence for managing menopausal symptoms. In fact, a study in the Journal of Women’s Health revealed that taking 10 mg. of S-equol daily decreased the frequency of hot flashes among postmenopausal women by 50%, plus reduced hot flash severity. If you’re interested in trying it, you can find it at Amazon.com.

For mood issues, which are also common in menopause, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnosis may help, and there are randomized, controlled studies supporting their benefit. Also smart: taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D-3 daily since deficiencies are common at this time of year, and low levels raise the risk of blue moods by 35%.