Women who suffer from hot flashes and night sweats early in menopause may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and death, it was reported in the Pharmacy Times.

“Hot flashes and night sweats may mean different things about a woman’s risk for heart disease depending on their timing with menopause,” said Ellen Seely, MD, senior author of the paper. “When they occur early in menopause, they do not appear to be associated with increased risk for heart disease. However, this study suggests that women who have new onset of these symptoms many years after the start of menopause may have increased risk for heart disease. This latter group of women deserves further study to determine if an intervention in this population could lower their risk for heart disease.”