‘Ignoring hot flushes is wrong’: study challenges assumptions about perimenopause symptoms

The study found moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats to be the most defining symptom of perimenopause. Photograph: Anja Schaefer/Alamy

Almost 40% of women going through perimenopause experience moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats but have no treatment options, new research has found.

The study, published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, explored differences in symptom prevalence by menopausal stage among women aged 40-69 years.