Vasomotor symptoms and menopause: findings from the Study of Women's Health across the Nation

Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011 Sep;38(3):489-501. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2011.05.006.

Abstract

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), or hot flashes and night sweats, are often considered the cardinal symptoms of menopause. SWAN, one of the largest and most ethnically diverse longitudinal studies of the menopausal transition, has allowed unique insights into VMS. Specifically, SWAN has helped yield important information about the prevalence of, racial/ethnic differences in, risk factors for, and implications of VMS for midlife women's mental and physical health. We have reviewed the literature on VMS, emphasizing findings that have emerged from SWAN and new areas of inquiry in the area of VMS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Affective Symptoms / complications
  • Body Temperature Regulation
  • Bone Density
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Surveys*
  • Hot Flashes / ethnology
  • Hot Flashes / etiology*
  • Hot Flashes / physiopathology*
  • Hot Flashes / psychology
  • Humans
  • Menopause / physiology*
  • Obesity / complications
  • Quality of Life
  • United States
  • Women's Health