Hot Flashes & Breast Cancer Risk

Hot flashes aren't something any woman looks forward to, but now there might be a little good news about them.

For the first time researchers looked at the connection between menopause and breast cancer risk and found one might actually help the other.

Hot flashes and night sweats are some of the symptoms of menopause familiar to most women and ones they would probably rather do without. But in a new study, researchers found that women who had the most hot flashes during menopause also had a lower risk of getting breast cancer. In fact, those with the most severe symptoms had a 50% lower chance of getting either of the two most common types of breast cancer----invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinoma.

Experts think part of the reason this is happening is because of the role the hormones estrogen and progesterone play in breast cancer. Reduction in these hormones, which can cause severe menopause symptoms, might also protect against breast cancer.

Although this connection is still being studied, experts say it's another good step in our understanding of breast cancer. In the meanwhile, it might also just put a little silver lining on those menopause symptoms most women would rather do without.