Hot flashes (also known as hot flushes, or night sweats if they happen at night) are a symptom of the changing hormone levels that are considered to be characteristic of menopause.

Hot flashes, a common symptom of menopause and perimenopause, are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and may typically last from two to thirty minutes for each occurrence. The sensation of heat usually begins in the face or chest, although it may appear elsewhere such as the back of the neck, and it can spread throughout the whole body. Some women pass out if the effects are strong enough.^{[citation needed]} In addition to being an internal sensation, the surface of the skin, especially on the face, becomes hot to the touch. This is the origin of the alternative term "hot flush," since the sensation of heat is often accompanied by visible reddening of the face. Excessive flushing can lead to rosacea.

The hot-flash event may be repeated a few times each week or constantly throughout the day, with the frequency reducing over time.^{[citation needed]} Hot flashes may begin to appear several years before menopause starts and last for years afterwards. Some women undergoing menopause never have hot flashes. Others have mild or infrequent flashes. The worst sufferers experience dozens of hot flashes each day. In addition, hot flashes are often more frequent and more intense during hot weather or in an overheated room, the surrounding heat apparently making the hot flashes themselves both more probable and more severe.

Hot or HOT may refer to:

Flash may refer to:

Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle.

Brooke Shields was born in New York City to Frank and Teri Shields (née Schmon), who divorced several months after she was born.

Through her father's side, she has Italian, French, Irish, and English roots, along with high social position and relations to nobility. Her paternal grandmother was the Italian princess Donna Marina Torlonia. Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters.

When Shields was five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career."

For her confirmation at the age of 10, Shields adopted her middle name, "Camille". While attending high school, Shields resided in Haworth, New Jersey.

When she was 12 years old, Shields played a child prostitute her age in the 1978 film Pretty Baby. Eileen Ford, founder of the Ford Modeling Agency, said of Brooke Shields: "...She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."

Karen Gordon Mills is the 23rd administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), a federal agency which provides small businesses with access to capital and government contracts, counseling and training, and disaster relief. She was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama on December 19, 2008, confirmed unanimously by the Senate on April 2, 2009, and sworn in on April 6, 2009. She was elevated to the rank of Cabinet-level officer on January 13, 2012.

Mills is the daughter of Mr. Melvin and Ellen Gordon, the CEO and President of Tootsie Roll Industries, respectively. She is married to Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, and has three sons. She has a B.A. in economics from Harvard University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mills has extensive experience in managing and investing in small businesses. During the 1980s and 1990s, Mills worked with and managed several small manufacturing firms throughout the country, including producers of hardwood flooring, refrigerator motors, and plastic injection molding.