Perimenopause -- also called the menopausal transition -- is the time during which your body begins to shift from normal menstruation into menopause, or the absence of menstruation. Hot flashes -- sensations of intense heat, often accompanied by sweating -- are an unpleasant but common event at this time, which usually begins in your 40s. According to MayoClinic.com, up to 75 percent of women in perimenopause experience hot flashes, many to the extent that sleep is disrupted. Home remedies may help alleviate hot flashes. Consult your doctor before taking herbs or supplements.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, is sometimes recommended by herbalists and physicians to alleviate hot flashes. Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston writing for Everyday Health, says vitamin E may help ease hot flashes, especially if they are not too severe. BreastCancer.org concurs, saying the vitamin may offer some relief to women in perimenopause who suffer with hot flashes. There is some scientific research supporting the belief that vitamin E is helpful in reducing hot flash symptoms. In a clinical study conducted by S. Ziaei and colleagues and published in the July, 2007 issue of "Gynecological and Obstetric Investigation," researchers found that women taking 400 IU of vitamin E for four weeks experienced a significant lessening in hot flash symptoms.
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh, botanically known as Cimicifuga racemosa and sometimes called black snakeroot, is a member of the buttercup family. Both the roots and the rhizomes, or underground stems, are used in herbal medicine. Black cohosh, which contains triterpene glycosides, resins, and caffeic acid, has a long history of herbal use. The Office of Dietary Supplements notes that Native Americans used it to treat gynecological problems, as well as coughs and kidney disease. It is probably the number one recommendation of present-day herbalists and naturopaths to treat hot flashes from perimenopause. According to the ODS, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated in 2001 that black cohosh may help reduce the intensity and frequency of hot flashes. Clinical results have been mixed.
Lifestyle Remedies
BreastCancer.org notes that the normal heat-releasing mechanism in your body is stimulated by drops in estrogen due to perimenopause; instead of feeling the relief you would feel if you really were overheated, with a hot flash you will feel flushed, sweaty and uncomfortable. The website advises combating discomfort with anything that cools your body, and recommends lowering the thermostat in your home, using hand-held battery-operated fans to increase air circulation around your face, and briefly putting your face in the cold air of a freezer. You should also bypass wearing synthetic materials in favor of cotton and linen, avoid triggers like alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, smoking, and hot showers, and try to exercise frequently. The endorphins released by exercise can help you better tolerate the discomfort of hot flashes.
Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant compounds that mimic the biological effects of estrogen. Margo Woods, associate professor of community health at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, says that Japanese women -- who usually eat diets lower in fats and higher in soy products than their American counterparts -- rarely suffer menopausal symptoms. Woods, according to MotherNature.com, recommends eating two servings a day of tofu or soy milk to alleviate hot flashes.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Perimenopause--Symptoms
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Black Cohosh
- "Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation"; Vitamin E; S. Ziaei; July, 2007
- Breast Cancer.org: All About Hot Flashes
- Everyday Health: Can Flaxseed and Vitamin E Relieve Hot Flashes?
- MotherNature.com: Menopausal Problems
