Hot Flushes
Hot flushes and night sweats – you may hear called ‘vasomotor symptoms’ – are some of the most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
A hot flush, also called a hot flash, is when a woman feels hot suddenly and quickly. Studies have found that a hot flush can last from 1 to 10 minutes.
A hot flush can be felt or experienced in different ways. You may experience a short warming feeling or sensation. On the other end of the spectrum, as some women describe, you may feel like you are on ‘fire from the inside out’.
During a hot flush, women experience increased skin blood flow, and a rise in the skin temperature of the face, arms, chest, fingers and back.
A rise in skin temperature leads to sweating, and often to a drop in core temperature, which may result in the chills and shivering.
As this happens women also experience being unable to focus and concentrate.
For many women experiencing hot flushes, these episodes can have an negative effect on sleep, exercise and overall quality of life.
Hot flushes can happen during the late perimenopause phase, and menopause. So, it is not only a menopause symptom as many women believe.
Vasomotor symptoms – hot flushes and night sweats – can last for more than 7 years. Some women may experience these symptoms for upwards of 10 years past their menopause date (their final menstrual period). If untreated, hot flushes should typically resolve or clear up after 7 years.
Our reproductive hormones, particularly low or rapidly declining oestrogen levels play a significant role in causing hot flushes. The sudden withdrawal of oestrogen to the hypothalamus, which is the part of the brain responsible for controlling or managing body temperature, contributes to a hot flush. That being said, the mechanism of hot flushes is more complex than just a decline of oestrogen.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), specifically oestrogen therapies, are one of the most effective treatments for hot flushes.
However, for some women HRT is not suitable. This includes some women with a history of particular types of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, blood clots or with untreated high blood pressure (hypertension). There are now alternative treatment options for women who cannot take HRT, and who are struggling with hot flushes.
My Menopause SA
Evidence-based menopause information for South African women.
Page last reviewed: 1 March 2026
Next review due: 1 March 2027