A new study appears to confirm that a woman's memory can be affected by menopause-related hot flushes.

Menopause refers to the end of menstruation. The average age for the menopause in Irish women is between 48 and 55 with hot flushes being one of the most common symptoms, along with night sweats and mood swings.

Until now, studies attempting to determine whether hot flushes adversely affect memory have provided mixed results, therefore US scientists decided to investigate this further.

They carried out a wide range of tests on 68 women aged between 44 and 62 who were going through the menopause and who were experiencing at least 35 hot flushes every week. The tests were designed to examine attention and recall. The women also filled out extensive questionnaires about their symptoms and memory.

The scientists from Chicago found that those who believed they had memory problems actually did. Furthermore, those who suffered the most from hot flushes did the worst on the recall and attention tests.

The study also found that those with more hot flushes tended to struggle longer with memory problems compared to women who were not as affected by hot flushes.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Menopause.