Women Have Still One More Reason to Quit Smoking

Researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore have investigated the concept that smoking is a risk factor for hot flashes in women. They report their findings in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology this month.

Women with and without hot flashes were enrolled; they were between 45 and 54 years of age, and they were not post-menopausal. Women who were pregnant, taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or contraception meds were excluded. They completed a detailed questionnaire about their medical, gynecological, and lifestyle history. In the evaluation, they were classified as ever-smoker, current smoker, or never-smoker. Hot flashes were classified as mild (heat without sweating), moderate (heat and sweating), and severe (heat with sweating, disrupting activity); their frequency was recorded as a range from once an hour to less than 1 day a month. In addition, blood samples were taken for hormone measurements.

Current and former smokers were found to be more likely to have hot flashes in the previous 30 days, and to have moderate to severe flashes than never-smokers. The likelihood for hot flashes in women who ever smoked was 1.55-times that in never-smokers; looking at former- vs. current-smokers, the likelihood was higher for current smokers (2.4-times) vs. former smokers (1.4-times). The odds of hot flashes increased with the greater number of cigarettes smoked.

Former and current smokers had higher levels of androstenedione and lower levels of progesterone than never-smokers (androstenedione is a natural hormone which is a direct precursor to testosterone). The total androgen:total estrogen ratio was significantly higher in current smokers. However, further analysis suggested that these changes were not responsible for the occurrence of more hot flashes in the smokers.

Whether there’s a clear understanding of the mechanism or not, a connection between smoking and hot flashes is established. Quitting is never easy, but it’s well worth while – if not for yourself, for your spouse’s sake. And a recent report from Finland shows that non-smokers not only live longer, but also have a better quality-of-life than smokers.