Are you tired of dealing with hot flashes and not knowing where to turn for help? Look no further! Our video, Hot Flashes and Hormone Replacement Therapy: Separating Fact from Fiction, delves into the latest scientific and medical developments to give you a comprehensive understanding of hot flashes and how to manage them.

Vasomotor Syndrome (VMS)

Vasomotor instability, also referred to as hot flashing or hot flushing, is a subjective sensation of heat associated with vasodilation of blood vessels in the skin and a compensatory decrease in core body temperature that lasts about 4 minutes. Associated symptoms often include heart palpitations, obvious perspiration, and heightened anxiety. 

Hot flashes are the most commonly reported symptom of menopause, experienced by more than 75% of women in the menopausal transition. Symptoms of vasomotor instability are most frequent in the year of the final menstrual period and then subside in most women, although symptoms persist for several years in 17% of postmenopausal women. For most women, especially those experiencing a natural menopause, vasomotor symptoms cause marked distress in the woman for less than 1 year.

The mechanism of hot flashes involves a change in the thermoregulatory set point in the hypothalamus. The role of estrogen is not clear in this process, although it appears to be due to abrupt drops in estrogen levels rather than absolute circulating levels of this hormone. Although hormone replacement therapy with estrogen has been observed to alleviate symptoms, there is no correlation between serum levels of estradiol and symptom severity. 

@thedrdavefm will explore the causes of hot flashes, including the role of hormones, and separate fact from fiction when it comes to hormone replacement therapy. You’ll learn about other potential causes of hot flashes, such as pelvic congestion, fibroids, polyps, and endometriosis, and how they can be treated.

Don’t let hot flashes control your life any longer. Watch our video to gain the knowledge and tools you need to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. Don’t miss out on this informative and empowering video, available now!

Symptoms of Vasomotor Instability

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Heart palpitations
• Changes in blood pressure
• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety 

Vasomotor instability refers to a condition where the movement of blood from the abdominal compartment to the movement compartments and back is impaired. This is not necessarily a hormone problem. Hormones circulate in the blood. Thus, hormones are dependent upon control of the blood flow for normal hormone control.

Control of the Blood Flow

The Abdominal Brain is wrapped around every major artery in the chest and abdominal compartment. Serotonin and GABA are released to dilate the abdominal arteries bringing blood to the abdominal compartment to support digestion and absorption of food. Dopamine, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine is released to constrict the abdominal arteries to force blood from the abdominal compartment to the movement compartment (brain and muscles); delivering oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles, which makes a person feel better. Thus, Dopamine is the “feel good” neurotransmitter.

How Hormones Work

Hormones circulate in the blood, but they don’t act on all cells. For good reason, bio-available hormones should not be floating around the body in high quantities. A hormone can target only cells that have a receptor that “fits” that particular hormone. This is often compared to a lock-and-key system: the receptor is the lock, and the hormone is the key. Some hormones have target receptors on most cells, while others act far more selectively. Once a hormone binds to its receptor, the targeted cell responds by taking action, making some change in function initiated by the hormone.

Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. There are three major estrogens in women and one in the developing fetus that have different and specific hormonal activities in the body: estrone (E₁), estradiol (E₂), estriol (E₃) and estetrol (E₄). Estradiol (E₂) is the most potent and prevalent in child bearing aged women. During the onset of menses and the duration of menopause, Estrone (E₁) is the predominant estrogen. Estriol (E₃) is the predominant estrogen during pregnancy. Estetrol (E₄) is a hormone synthesized exclusively by the fetal liver during pregnancy and reaching the maternal circulation through the placenta.^,,,