Type of menopause, patterns of hormone therapy use, and hot flashes

Objective: To examine the associations between the type of menopause (natural, hysterectomy with ovarian conservation, and hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy) and the experiencing of hot flashes while accounting for different patterns of hormone therapy (HT) use among the menopausal groups. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Women who reported their history of hot flashes and HT use through a mailed survey. Patient(s): Postmenopausal women ages 40-60 years residing in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Intervention(s): No interventions were administered. Main Outcome Measure(s): Associations between type of menopause and the experiencing of hot flashes. Result(s): Among all participants, both types of surgical menopause were associated with a decreased risk of experiencing any, moderate or severe, and daily hot flashes. After taking into account HT use patterns, women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy were at increased risk of experiencing any, moderate or severe, and daily hot flashes compared with women with natural menopause, although only the results for moderate or severe hot flashes were statistically significant. Women who underwent hysterectomy with ovarian conservation remained at significantly lower odds of experiencing any hot flashes than women with natural menopause. Conclusion(s): Women who undergo bilateral oophorectomy and who are not given HT to prevent the onset of menopausal symptoms are at increased risk of experiencing hot flashes, especially those that are moderate to severe in nature, compared with women with natural menopause.