What is "hot flash"

n. A sudden, but brief, sensation of heat over the entire body; a common symptom of the menopause.

n. sudden brief sensation of heat (associated with menopause and some mental disorders) [syn: flush]

Hot flashes (also known as hot flushes) are a form of flushing due to reduced levels of estradiol. Hot flashes are a symptom which may have several other causes, but which is often caused by the changing hormone levels that are characteristic of menopause. They are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and may typically last from two to thirty minutes for each occurrence.