Background: To asses if the hot flushes during menopause are associated with an abnormal cardivascular reactivity to stress. We also aimed to evaluate the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on reactivity to stress in menopausal women.
Patients and method: Experimental study including 28 healthy menopausal women with hot flushes (12 on HRT) and 20 without flushes (6 on HRT). Parameters evaluated included determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of decrease of peripheral pulse volume, skin conductance level and frecuency of inespecific cutaneous responses. All studies were performed prior to and after 4-6 months under HRT therapy.
Results: Menopausal women reporting hot flashes showed the highest electrodermal activity in front of stress. HRT therapy led to a decreased physiological reactivity in menopausal women, especially reactivity to stressors.
Conclusions: Hot flushes during menopause indicate an increased level of cardiovascular reactivity to stress situations, hence a higher cardiovascular risk.