Really hot in 60s

It often appears suddenly. Hot flashes are commonly linked to women undergoing menopause. However, men can also experience this condition. Women experience hot flashes from a sudden fluctuation in hormones as they age. In fact, men experience a less than 2 percent drop in testosterone every year after This is a healthy and steady decline.

Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes may last for years after menopause begins. But there are treatments that can offer relief. I'm 62 years old, and my last menstrual period was at age My doctor told me that my hot flashes would end after "about three to five years," but I still have them. Am I unusual, and what can I do? I wish you were unusual, but unfortunately your experience with hot flashes is surprisingly common. I say "surprisingly" because I was taught in medical school and read in the textbooks that menopausal symptoms, when they occurred at all, lasted about three to five years.

Men who see their female companions flush and sweat when they reach a certain age are probably glad that they are not subject to postmenopausal hot flashes. But hot flashes are not just a "woman's problem. Doctors understand the who more than the why. In both men and women, hormones are to blame.

Hot flashes are sudden feelings of warmth, which are usually most intense over the face, neck and chest. Your skin might redden, as if you're blushing. Hot flashes can also cause sweating, and if you lose too much body heat, you might feel chilled afterward. Although other medical conditions can cause them, hot flashes most commonly are due to menopause — the time when menstrual periods become irregular and eventually stop.