What Could be Causing Hot Flashes?

What Causes Hot Flashes?

Hot flashes can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'very serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!

check your overall health status
let The Analyst™ find what's wrong
have a doctor review your case (optional)

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose hot flashes, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "hot flashes" as a symptom. Here are six possibilities:

Adrenal Fatigue
Hyperthyroidism
Low Estrogens
Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia
Low Progesterone
Perimenopause

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

pear-shaped body when overweight

chronic thyroiditis

mild morning stiffness

short-term cortisol use

sexual abuse during childhood

muscle pains in family members

irritated eyes

minor health decline

fatigue for over 3 months

craving for salt

darker/redder skin color

possibly jaundiced skin

... and more than 130 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of hot flashes:

Cause	Probability	Status
Perimenopause	92%	Confirm
Hyperthyroidism	53%	Possible
Low Estrogens	20%	Unlikely
Adrenal Fatigue	4%	Ruled out
Low Progesterone	2%	Ruled out
Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia	1%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate being premenopausal or being perimenopausal, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you experience hot flashes and, if so, when do they occur?

Possible responses:

→ Not applicable / don't know
→ No, I do not experience hot flashes
→ Yes, during or around time of period only
→ Yes, between periods only
→ Yes, both during and between periods

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate absence of hot flashes, hot flashes during period, hot flashes between period or hot flashes during & after period, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Estrogens Low

Hyperthyroidism

Low Adrenal Function / Adrenal Insufficiency

Adrenal estrogen seems to be necessary to avoid hot flashes during normal menses when the ovarian production of estrogen drops. Hot flashes during menses may be a symptom of mild adrenal cortex deficiency.

Perimenopausal Issues

Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™