GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hot flashes are a gift.
—Wait— Hear us out!
Menopause comes for us all, but earlier— and more intensely— for some than others. FOX 17's Women's Health Expert, Dr. Diana Bitner says this can be an indicator of a deeper, more serious issue; heart disease.
While the change itself is an automatic indicator for heart disease, you can use hot flashes, night sweats, changes in your cycle, and other symptoms as a barometer for your risks.
If it comes on in your late-30s to mid-40s, start keeping track of when they happen and what possible triggers you have, then— and we can't stress this enough— get with your gynecologist or primary car physician.
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There's a lot that can be done to alleviate minor symptoms and get on top of the major ones.
Your doctor may want check your coronary artery calcification (CAC) score or check your lipids and blood sugars, but they need to know you're having early or intense symptoms in order to start the process.
Using these (and other) tests, you and your doctor can then team up to get a head of any brewing issues. Often times intervention is easy but the longer the symptoms unchecked, the harder getting back to normal will be.
