Abstract: Objective：The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and severity of hot flashes in women during menopausal transitional period or postmenopause and examine the possible risk factors in Gansu Province. Methods：The study was a cross-sectional survey in Gansu Province. It was conducted by a quantitative survey method according to the approach of multi-stage cluster random samples. It was carried out in 13 cities/states-54 districts/counties-162 townships/towns in Gansu. A self-administered questionnaire was used to ascertain some information of the women aged 40-55. Results：A total of 2 807 valid questionnaires were obtained, including 1 393 women in menopausal transition and 1 414 women in postmenopause. There were 1 758 (62.6%) cases of hot flashes, of which 880 (50.1%) were mild degree, 624 (35.5%) were moderate degree, and 254 (14.4%) were severe ones. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that the increasing age (OR=1.070, P=0.000), hypertension (OR=1.547, P=0.000), and dysmenorrhea (OR=1.422, P=0.000) are the risk factors for hot flashes. Compared with women of normal weight, women who were overweight (OR=1.293, P=0.001) and obese (OR=2.056, P=0.000) were more prone to hot flashes. In addition, Hui women are more sensitive to hot flashes than Han women (OR=1.802, P=0.000); manual labors are more likely to develop into hot flashes than intelligent labors (OR=1.392, P=0.013). Conclusions：In this study, 62.6% of women in menopausal transitional periods or postmenopause were plagued by hot flashes, in Gansu province. Meanwhile, the elevating age, higher BMI, hypertension and dysmenorrhea are the risk factors to hot flashes. In addition, the prevalence of hot flashes is related to ethnic differences. What′s more, the incidence of hot flashes among manual workers is higher than mental workers.

Key words: Menopause, Postmenopause, Hot flashes, Vasomotor system, Syndrome