Have you ever had a hot flash so intense you sweated through your jeans?

What if I told you it wasn’t your Levis that are in question; it’s your other genes.

You probably have friends who have worse hot flashes than you, and some who you feel have it easy. Have you ever wondered why? Why are aren’t hot flashes the same in every woman?

A new study in the journal Menopause has an interesting and really, logical answer…it’s in your genes.  We know that black women have more hot flashes than white women, and Chinese and Japanese women have fewer hot flashes than white women.

And then there is the question, Why do some women start having them so young, while others only have a few power surges later in life? and Why do hot flashes last for more than a decade in other women?

This study involved over 1,200 women from different ethnic groups. The researchers found that the same genetic factors that predict the age of menopause also play a role in how long and how bad a woman will experience her hot flashes. And even though in general black women have more hot flashes than white women who have more hot flashes than Chinese and Japanese women, in each of those groups, the ones with a certain type of gene had the worst hot flashes, no matter what ethnic group they were from.

Other things also play a role:

• Age of first period
• Age of menopause
• Body Mass Index – a measure that uses height and weight to determine if a person’s weight is healthy

What makes this report interesting is that if there are certain genes that affect hot flashes, that may be a clue to a better way to treat hot flashes.