The Merits of Menopause Hot flashes can be torture, but they may help protect the heart

摘要

For most women, the "change of life" is not an easy one. the symptoms of menopause-mood swings, hot flashes and night sweats-can be intense, not to mention embarrassing, and in many cases they can interfere with daily life. But there may be a healthy upside to those hot flashes, according to the latest research. It turns out that women who have these episodes in their 50s or 60s, the typical age range for menopausal symptoms, also have an 11% lower risk of heart disease over the next 10 years, compared with women who don't suffer the same symptoms. And because heart-disease risk increases in women's postmenopausal years as levels of the heart-protective hormone estrogen decline, this risk reduction is potentially lifesaving.