1. a state of misfortune or affliction. 2. something hard to endure. 3. something that causes or entails suffering. Familiarity information: HARDSHIP used as a noun is uncommon.
A single hot flash can last anywhere from one to five minutes and may occur a few times a week for some women or daily for others. When hot flashes are severe, they may strike four or five times an hour or 20 to 30 times a day, Omicioli says.
In some cases they can actually occur more than a decade before menopause even actually begins. Around 85% of women still experience the occasional hot flash a year after menopause ends, 50% still suffer from them after five years, and around 15% of women actually experience hot flashes for as long as 15 years after the end of menopause.