DEFINING DEMOCRACY Government of the People. Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused in a time when totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships alike have attempted to claim popular support by pinning democratic labels upon themselves.
In most women who undergo natural menopause, hot flashes subside within 2 to 5 years after the last menstrual period. In a small number of women, however, hot flashes can continue for 8 to 15 years after the last menstrual period. There is some evidence that women who go through menopause due to surgery may have more severe hot flashes for more years than women who go through natural menopause.
Hot flashes are a condition that a vast number of people worldwide deal with -- an estimated 50 million women in the United States alone. But what group does it affect the most, anyway? What can be done to minimize, or even prevent, hot flashes? And perhaps most importantly, what causes hot flashes? Read the next page to find out.