Q I just turned 50, and even during meetings my face suddenly flushes and I break out in a sweat. Is this menopause?
A Yes. As ovarian function declines and the female hormone estrogen drops sharply, these changes appear. Hot flashes, cold sweats, insomnia, and mood changes are the main symptoms. It is a natural process everyone goes through, but how much discomfort it causes varies from person to person.
Detailed Answer
From the late 40s, ovarian function gradually declines and secretion of the female hormone estrogen drops sharply. Because this hormone is involved in temperature regulation, bones, blood vessels, and mood, when its secretion becomes unstable, symptoms such as facial flushing (hot flashes), sudden sweating, insomnia, and mood changes can appear all at once. It is a natural change everyone experiences, but the degree of discomfort varies greatly from person to person.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, menopausal heat is seen not as simple warmth but as a state of Yin Deficiency with Effulgent Fire (eumheo-hwawang), in which the Yin that moistens the body becomes deficient and relatively empty heat floats upward. Rather than looking only at hormone levels, we focus on restoring the balance of the whole body whose Kidney essence (sinjeong) has weakened, guiding it toward a comfortable state with less flushing and sweating.
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