It's no secret, smoking is dangerous to one's health as it causes severe or frequent hot flashes in women during menopause, a new study suggests.
Menopause marks an extremely important transition in a woman's life. It is the beginning of a life without menstruation and the inability to conceive a child naturally.
Hot flashes, besides several other symptoms make the transition extremely challenging for many women. Hot flash basically refers to an abrupt sensation of heat in the body. Areas of the body such as the face and neck may turn red. To add to the difficulty, women may also start sweating uncontrollably, according to report on YouthHealthMag.
That said, women who no longer smoke may have fewer and less severe hot flashes as opposed to women who continue to smoke during menopause, a new study suggests.
Contrary to women who still smoke, women who had not smoked for at least five years were 45 percent less vulnerable in terms of having frequent or severe hot flashes, according to researchers. However, women who have quit smoking were still more prone to have symptoms as opposed to women who never smoked.
A researcher in epidemiology at the University of Illinois, lead author Rebecca Smith pointed out in the report, "While the effect was strongest if women quit at least five years before the onset of menopause, even women quitting later did have a better outcome than women who continued to smoke."
"I hope that this encourages women to quit smoking, the earlier the better," Smith said.
Menopause typically occurs in women between 45 and 55 years of age. According to reports in the journal Maturitas, researchers studied 761 women in the age group of 45 to 54 and followed them for seven years. 347 women were experiencing hot flashes at the time the study kicked off.
Out of women who never smoked, only 39 percent experienced hot flashes, 52 percent of ex-smokers and 62 percent of current smokers on the other hand had hot flashes.
Among those women who still smoke, nearly 47 percent had moderate or even severe hot flashes, and this group was most vulnerable to having symptoms daily or weekly.
In terms of comparison, 22 percent of never-smokers and 36 percent of ex-smokers had moderate or severe hot flashes, while only 10 percent of these women suffered hot flashes either daily or weekly basis. As compared to women who still smoke, ex-smokers were 37 percent less prone to have hot flashes and 22 less likely to have severe or daily symptoms.
When compared to women who never smoked, women who still smoke were four times more vulnerable to having hot flashes. However, the authors noted that the study does not imply that smoking actually results in or worsens hot flashes for that matter.
Researchers noted that their results are in line with past studies. Plus, they speculate that smoking may get in the way of neurotransmitters, hormones along with other mechanisms that are also associated with hot flashes.
In women who quit at least five year before menopause, a 14 percent reduction in the severity of hot flashes was found and 19 percent reduction in the frequency of hot flashes was noted as compared to quitting more recently.
According to Ellen Freeman, "It is never too late to quit, and quitting may reduce other health risks that are even more serious than the hot flashes." Freeman, who said this by email, is a researcher in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
When a female smoker quit smoking, risks for cardiovascular disease and cancers also lowers, Freeman said.
