Peripheral vasomotor control and menopausal flushing--a preliminary report

Menopausal flushing can be considered as an intermittent loss of peripheral vasomotor control. Thermal entrainment testing has been used to assess the degree of peripheral vasomotor control in a preliminary study of seven women receiving oestrogen replacement therapy in the form of percutaneous cream. Significant improvement was demonstrated in the degree of control over a 3-month period in those patients who were symptomatically improved. We suggest that oestrogen exerts an influence on peripheral vasomotor control and flushes and sweats occur when this influence is removed.