The Fact
In the same national SWAN study, how long hot flashes and night sweats lasted differed by race and ethnicity. African American women had the longest median duration at 10.1 years, followed by Hispanic women at 8.9 years, non-Hispanic white women at 6.5 years, Chinese women at 5.4 years, and Japanese women at 4.8 years.
What This Means
There is no single “normal” length for menopause symptoms. A timeline built on one group of women can badly underestimate what another group goes through.
Sources
- Avis, Nancy E., et al. “Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms over the menopause transition.” JAMA Internal Medicine 175, no. 4 (2015): 531–539. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8063