How common is the symptom Hot flashes among people with endometriosis?
69,12% of people with endometriosis reported Hot flashes as a symptom of endometriosis in our survey.
How common is the symptom Hot flashes among people with endometriosis compared to the non-affected group?
11,65% of people with endometriosis suffer from the symptom Hot flashes very strong compared to a prevalence of 5,03% among non-affected individuals.
The following table shows the symptom Hot flashes in people with endometriosis compared to non-affected individuals. The scale ranges from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very strong).
| Symptom severity | Endometriosis | Non-affected | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| not at all | 30,88% | 49,69% | -18,80% |
| slightly | 15,59% | 23,90% | -8,31% |
| moderate | 23,41% | 16,35% | 7,05% |
| strong | 18,48% | 5,03% | 13,45% |
| very strong | 11,65% | 5,03% | 6,61% |
Based on the datasets, we calculated the Kendall correlation. The following symptoms could be related to Hot flashes.
| Symptom name | Correlation |
|---|---|
| Joint pain | weak correlation (24,00%) |
| Chills | weak correlation (23,00%) |
| Dizziness | weak correlation (23,00%) |
| Limb pain | weak correlation (23,00%) |
| Taste changes (e.g. iron taste) | weak correlation (21,00%) |
| Exhaustion / Fatigue | weak correlation (21,00%) |
| Shortness of breath | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Back pain | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Nausea | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Food cravings | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Numbness in legs | weak correlation (20,00%) |
Hot flashes involve a usually sudden feeling of overheating and often occur together with episodes of sweating. They arise when your blood vessels dilate, allowing more blood to flow from deeper in the body into the vessels in the upper layers of the skin. Triggers for this vasodilation can include stress, thyroid disorders, hormonal fluctuations, and medications. Women in the menopausal transition, that is, at the end of the reproductive phase, are particularly often affected. However, many women living with endometriosis also report hot flashes.
Endometriosis is a gynecological condition in which growths of uterus-like tissue also occur outside the uterus. These growths are regulated by the hormonal cycle. They grow, similar to the endometrium, and then bleed. Because the blood in most cases cannot be drained out of the body, it remains in the abdominal cavity or in the tissues of the affected organs. There, it can trigger inflammation, lead to adhesions and scarring, and cause cysts. In addition, if you have endometriosis, hormonal fluctuations are common. These hormonal fluctuations could be responsible for hot flashes.
Another possible trigger for hot flashes is medications used to treat endometriosis, particularly GnRH agonists. These agents prevent the brain from sending signals to the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone. This means these medications induce a kind of medically induced menopause. Accordingly, hot flashes are among the side effects. The same applies if you have endometriotic lesions on both ovaries and both ovaries are removed. In that case, you are in an artificially induced menopause, and hot flashes often occur.
Hot flashes are uncomfortable but harmless. You should wear breathable clothing and use a layering strategy: for example, a T-shirt with a cardigan over it. That way, when a hot flash occurs, you can simply remove the top layer and put it back on later. Herbal remedies can also provide relief. However, you should coordinate their use with your treating physician. Even herbal products can counteract endometriosis treatment.