hot flashes at the age of 20

[shalise]

I am only 20 and i get these really bad hot flashes and i know i am too young to be going through menopause... Could this be a side effect of the depovera shot i am on... or could this be a sign of not getting enough activity or being over weight??? i just want to know what is causing these hot flashes

[dezzielou]

I get the same hot flashes Shalise explained. i get really hot all the sudden sometimes. I will be sitting at me desk and get really hot, or i'll walk to the bathroom and back and i feel like i'm about to sweat. i get them VERY often. I am not on any birth control method like she is. No shot or anything. and i am not overweight. i weigh about 103-105lbs. I dont know what it is, but i'd like some answers, i am WAAAY too young to be going through menopause, what can it be??

[Annie62]

Other things can cause hot flashes besides menopause including some drugs, spicy foods, cancer (not likely, especially if you are young), and hypERparathyroidism.  That is something you might want to ask your doctor about--to check your thyroid levels.  Just as people with hypoparathyroidism often feel cold, people with hyperparthryodism often feel warm/overheated.  

[Annie62]

The above post was meant for you too--I forgot to put your name in the To: section.  You might want to ask your doctor about hyperparathyroidism and also see if your Depot-Provera shots could be causing the hot flashes.  

[Annie62]

I did not mean to write hyperPARAthyroidism can cause hot flashes, I meant to write hyperthyroidism (totally different condition!).  I also did not mean to write hypoPARAthyroidism can cause a cold feeling but hypothyroidism instead (again, totally different).  Sorry, I was tired last night and had parathyroid disease on my brain for another reason.  I apparently spelled a lot of words wrong as well.  

So, again, hyperthyroidism can cause one to feel hot or to have hot flashes, and you might want to ask your doctor about have your thyroid levels checked being that you are both young.  

[Slickone]

I have been checked for Thyroid issues with normal results. My mother has Graves diesease, but my tests have come back normal. Yet, I am having severe hotflashes at age twenty-one. I was recently on birth control. I have since stopped, however my flashes continue with the slightest provocation. What could it be. My doctor treats it as if it were a small thing. It is not a small thing to me! At all!

[Slickone]

I forgot to mention that I am having regular peroids ( if that helps any).

[Annie62]

Lots of things can cause hot flashes including different foods (hot peppers, caffeine, alcohol) and food additives.  So can certain drugs.  I don't know if the BCP or hormones you were on can cause them or not (if they can, and you haven't been off them for long, then possibly that is the cause--that is something you should ask your doctor; I don't know the answer to that).  Are you on any other meds?  Some drugs for depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and probably others can sometimes cause hot flashes.  There are also some drugs used for depression that are known to *help* with hot flashes.

But being that your mother has Graves disease, and it can run in families, if I were you I would have your thyroid levels checked again.  I don't know much about Graves but I do know that thyroid levels as well as other hormone and antibody levels fluctuate from one blood test to the next--nothing is black and white--and it's possible you still might have Graves disease and that is the cause of your hot flashes.  If I were you I would try to get a question in on the Med Help thyroid forum.  Tell him about your hot flashes, that you are only 21 and having regular periods, that you were tested for hyperthyroidism but your thyroid levels came back normal, and be sure to mention that your mom has Graves disease---and ask if it is still possible that you have it in spite of the negative test results.    

[Slickone]

Thanks! I will do that. I don't really trust my doctor.

[SJ87]

So ok im 21 and im 108lbs im not on birth control i havent had my period since jr year in high school and i get realy realy bad hot flashes all the time like 10 times a day and they are getting worse i get realy hot start to sweat my heart beats realy fast and i get realy thirsty ive had my blood tested and they say its normal and im just irregular but im convinced there is more to it anyone got any ideas??

[net578]

I used to get hot flashes in my 20s.  I would literally sweat.  Especially if I was nervous.   I am convinced mine was "all" nerves.  Anyway, it got better as I got older!!  I am now 50 and going through menopause....  NO Night Time Sweats like everyone else!!!!  

[mtoth89]

Hi, my name is Melanie. I just recently turned 20 years old. I've had an issue with heat for about a year now. Last year around this time I went on a cruise in the Southern Caribbean and passed out (probably from a combination of heat and dehydration). Ever since, I have had these feelings similar to hot flashes. It's a heat that is unbearable and absolutely unexplainable. I have been to over 10 doctors and have had every blood test possible. I just recently found out I have low blood pressure, in which I have to be on two different medications. The doctors said the heat could have something to do with that but today I once again got a "hot flash". My hot flashes do not go away either. I feel like this for usually the whole day and it's almost like a dry sweat. I feel as if I am sweating consistently but I'm not. I try so hard to explain this feeling but it's something that words cannot describe. Before this all happened I worked out every single day and ate healthy. I still like to consider myself a healthy person but it's tough when I feel sick all the time. I am slightly skinny and try to stay active. I do not know what to do anymore. Any ideas?

[SarahC39]

I have been getting hot flashes for about 10 years, I'm 29. I was on deporava for years but have been off it for 7 years. Lately I get them so bad that it causes a panic, I have to leave the room, or take offf my sweater, or run to the bathroom because I feel sick. Both my sister and my mom have an under active thyroid. I'm worried about the cancer comment thouggh, I have also been constantly sick for the last 4 months, and I suffer from insomnia.

S

[swimgym13]

I am 19 and i have hotflashes too . i literally starrt to sweat and my face gets all red and usually i get a sick feeling like my body feels weak. i have also had blood tests that all came out normal. i have along with hotflashes been having problems with dizziness for which i have just gotten a brain mri done. i have not gotten the results back. this all recently started about 3 months ago out of the blue. i think it might be alot to do with stress

[Cindy0226]

I know it's been a few years since you last posted this. But this is exactly what I feel! What happened?! Did they ever diagnose you ?

[baby3333]

I get hot flashes started around 30 years old. I get dizzy, sweaty and feel horrible.I recently did some lab work and it revealed hyperthyroidism. Also it is possible to have perimenopause symptoms as early as your 20's.

[katbean]

Hey Everyone,
    I related most with the first poster who initiated this conversation, dezzielou. I am 22, I have Fibromyalgia which goes "hand in hand" with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. The only medication I am on is Birth Control, Alesse brand, because without it I do not get a regular period. However, I am beginning to think I should go off it...wondering if it's linked to these hot flashes. I also have painful mesturation, but I am pretty much always uncomfortable down in that area, my ovaries are always bothering me, tight, stabbing feelings, random severe and sharp stabbing pains when I stand up or cough while laying down in bed...yeah, definetely not fun. When it comes to hot flashes, all I can say is there has been a few times when I actually got the chance to take a cool shower, and the water literally lands on my body cool and comes off of it warm! I also have taken my temperature many times during a hot flash and it's still normal. I used to only get them once in a while, then they slowly became more frequent over the recent months, even during the winter to which I would just step outside for relief...but within the last two-three months its become rediculous. I definetely choose my clothes wisely, removable items are an asset - and now that it's summer, you'll often find me with my head in the freezer!
          Anyway, I don't know what is causing my hot flashes. I am overweight, partially due to PCOS, partially due to heredity and mostly due to lifestyle...which isn't exactly sedentary, but not exactly active...I don't exactly eat unhealthy, but I don't just eat healthy either. I have gotten blood tests for thyroid problems and they have never found anything, although my grandma does have thyroid issues. The tricky thing is that doctors often turn their shoulder to people with Fibromyalgia because it really is a mysterious and annoying conditon to treat as a doctor and cope with as a patient. It is known to cause "temperature sensitivity" which I suppose could be considered hot flashes...but I don't typically get chilled. The painful mestration and all around discomfort could be related to the fact that Fibromylagia is a chronic pain condition, which means a hightened senstivity to pain/sensations...and because I have PCOS, I do still have cysts on my ovaries even if they aren't increasing in number...so maybe, just maybe, these are the cause for my hot flashes. What explains the random increase in frequency and intensity of them? I don't know, nothing else has changed. *sigh* It's like, do I go to the doctor only to be told "theres nothing wrong with you, this is just the Fibro, as is everything else...blabla" or could it be something I should probably be paying attention to....I never know anymore.

[gymnast_101]

I've been getting hot flashes for about two years now. I am 19 years old. It happened twice when I was seventeen and then went away all together. I live in LA and it was about 95 degrees outside today. I experienced three different hot flashes today. I literally sweat profusely and it doesn't stop for about thirty minutes. I feel weak the entire time. I am not on my period, or even close to it, I just had it a week and a half ago. My cycle has been a little messed up considering that I just started college in August. I don't know if this is anything serious, or even related to the two hot flashes years ago. All I know is that it worries me and I want it to stop. Should I go see a doctor and get tested? Or should I wait a few more days and see if it keeps happening? It has just been really annoying today and this has never happened to me like this before. If anyone has any ideas that could help me I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!!

[ColeyA]

Everything I read explain that hot flashes by themselves do not necisarily mean that you are going through menopause. It's the combination of hot flashes and irregular periods; irregular periods being the largest indicator. And menopause is defined by the lack of a period for 12 months. That's what I've read. So if you are having hot flashes and regular periods, you might want to look into other things as well. I myself, have started hot flashes a few months ago and have not had a cycle in 4 months. I'm only 28 so I'm hoping it's not menopause. But considering my tender breast and extreem mood swings, it probably is. Everyone, Keep us posted on what you find out.

[holliman2010]

I am 20 and i have a 15 month old baby and i am having severe hot flashes i have hypothyroidism and they are trying to regulate my thyroid level it is 16 and its not suppose to be over 4.0 could that be the cause on my hot flashes?

[tabitha583]

Sounds similar hon im 38 and had it over a year, when it first started i feinted and got tendonitus - like tightening through hands and back was awful, was very dizzy and sometimes came over really week and disorientated and couldnt get my words out - I scared myself stupid looking at causes on the internet, i was very emotional. Now i just suffer tiredness, Waking up cos of flushes and generally have a flush an hour or two hourly x I can have three months of periods then none for four with the flashes, if im flashin i know i wont come on that month x I am diagnosed pre menopause. I tried HRT but it sent me crazy so came off dont think my levels are low enough yet xx Does it sound familiar xx

[strawberryjelly]

I am just about to turn twenty and I haven't had a period for 9 months. I was on birth control for 2 years then stopped and just never got it again. They have given me blood tests and thyroid tests but don't see any thing wrong. I get hot flashes and I can hardly sleep or eat. I am not over weight and actually just gained a few pounds. It worries me horribly and just found out that early menopause is a real thing that happens to more people than we think. Does anyone have any other opinions BC I am to be married in July and I really don't know how to tell my fiance that I am only twenty going through menopause.

[granth181]

hot flashes like crazy and taking thyroid medication ( my thyroid has been checked and its normal with all other labs) sugar medicaation and have been taking clomid but i also get so nervous im cold along wiht my hotflashes and losing sleep too! i need help!

[fitgirl150]

I am 30 and have been having hot flashes for about two weeks now. I have not been sleeping, I feel weak, I am tired all the time...just plain miserable. All my female freinds and female co-workers think I'm nuts. I have also been having sever migraine headaches, but the doctor gave me meds to stop that. I am making an appointment with my GYN for next month. I can't keep being miserable. I am glad I found this blog because I now know that I am not crazy and am not the only one going through this. I can say that my stress level has increased drastically and I am wondering if it is a contributor. I originally thought I was having panic attacks. I wish everyone luck in finding answers.

[autumneyes314]

i'm 20 and have always had some issues with my period. ie. unberable cramps. also, i've had some issues with hair (facial and chest mostly). i used to be on BC but stopped becuase i felt like it was making me emotional. but recently in the past 6 months or so i've become extremely irregular and experiencing hot flashes and night sweats. i wake up in the middle of the night soaked...and in the middle of the day my heart starts racing, my face turns red and im over taken by the heat. i haven't had my period in a little over two months (im almost positive im not pregnant but i havent taken a test yet) im baffled as to what this could be considering im only 20! i guess i should go to the doctors but does anyone have an idea what is going on with me?

[autumneyes314]

also, i've had a migrane or headache every day for amost a month now...usually when im the most tired during the day...i've only been sleeping 4 to 5 hours a night and can't ever fall asleep. i always feel tired and week. i have no energy anymore.