In plain words
Vasomotor symptoms are the sudden waves of heat, flushing, and that many mothers feel in the weeks after birth. Hot flashes are one example. Night sweats, when they soak the sheets, are another. They happen because the hormones of pregnancy drop quickly after birth, and the body also clears extra fluid. They usually ease over several weeks to months. They are common and not dangerous on their own. A fever, chills, or a racing heart with the sweats is a different picture and needs a call to your provider today.
The deeper version
Postpartum vasomotor symptoms reflect abrupt withdrawal of placental estrogen and progesterone, which narrows the thermoneutral zone in the hypothalamus, together with mobilization of pregnancy-associated extracellular fluid (postpartum diaphoresis). Prevalence in the first weeks is reported as high in cohort data, with most symptoms resolving within several months. Lactation may modify symptom pattern, and and infection must be considered when sweating is accompanied by fever or tachycardia. Evidence specific to postpartum hot flashes is limited, and most knowledge is extrapolated from perimenopausal research (Stearns et al., Lancet 2002).
Where it comes up
- Night sweats, chills, and the hormone dropPostpartum: Your Body
- Warming foods and why so many cultures insist on themNourishment and Traditions
- Postpartum thyroid problemsPostpartum: Your Body
- Sleep deprivation: what it does and how to survive itPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about vasomotor symptoms
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018
- Stearns V et al. — Hot flushes. Lancet 2002
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists — Green-top Guideline No. 37a: Good Practice in Postpartum Care, 2015