What does severe full-body sweating in women indicate?

If sweating in hot weather or during physical exertion is part of the thermoregulation process, and during stress it is a normal reaction of the sympathetic nervous system, then excessive sweating in women, not associated with the above factors, is a general symptom defined as hyperhidrosis (locally limited or general).

Why do women sweat excessively, and what makes sweat glands work in an enhanced mode?

Women face the problem of excessive sweating much more often than men. This is due to the peculiarities of a woman's hormonal background, as well as her anatomical and physiological characteristics (the peculiar structure of the skin, sweat and sebaceous glands, hyperproduction of fluid and sweat acids). Women are also more often exposed to overexertion than men.

To eliminate symptoms and temporarily reduce the manifestation of excessive sweating, you can use various antiperspirants. But the problem can only be completely eliminated after a comprehensive examination has been completed and the cause of the development of hypersweat production has been identified. Then the necessary treatment is prescribed to eliminate this cause.

Only by eliminating the cause of the pathology can you get rid of this uncomfortable condition once and for all. Usually, various medications are used for treatment, less often - physiotherapy procedures. Homeopathic and folk remedies have also proven themselves well. It is necessary to take into account that only a comprehensive approach to treatment can contribute to the fact that severe sweating will be completely eliminated, and not just masked.

Causes heavy sweating in women

First of all, symptoms of local sweating - face, palms, sweating of feet in women, as well as axillary hyperhidrosis - sweating of armpits in women - can be caused by congenital (hereditary) predisposition, typical for people with hypersthenic or vagotonic type of constitution. Doctors classify such sweating as primary idiopathic and, together with the features of the autonomic nervous system, consider it as risk factors.

Sweating after eating in women and men is also not considered a pathology, especially when the food is hot or spicy. This is how the sympathetic nervous system reacts to it, having received a signal from the corresponding gastrointestinal neurotransmitter on its m-cholinergic receptors.

But the most common causes of pathologically increased sweating include:

• lipid metabolism disorders and obesity, which are associated with sweating in the groin in women, on the inner thighs and in deep skin folds;
• an increase in the level of thyroid hormones that have a thermogenic effect is accompanied by insomnia and night sweats in women. This usually occurs with hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis), thyroiditis or diffuse toxic goiter, as well as in patients with follicular thyroid cancer;
• hyperglycemia and endogenous insulin deficiency in diabetes mellitus cause the pathogenesis of increased activity of sweat glands on the palms and chest, as well as sweating of the head in women;
• a hormonally active benign tumor – pituitary prolactinoma, provokes a condition of pathological sweating – daytime sweating in women – and can lead to the development of secondary hypercorticism.

In cases of leukemia, lymphogranulomatosis, tumors of the thymus gland (thymoma) or adrenal glands (pheochromocytoma), and neuroendocrine tumors (carcinoids) of the gastrointestinal tract, sweating of the body is observed in women.

Much more often than in men, morning sweating in women is caused by cardiovascular diseases, autonomic disorders or psychosomatics of various etiologies.

Night sweats during sleep in women - in addition to tuberculosis, endocarditis or hyperthyroidism - can be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Read more - Night sweats

But frequent sweating in women has its own specific causes associated with changes in the level of sex hormones. And although these hormonal fluctuations are, for the most part, due to physiological peculiarities, gynecologists and endocrinologists differentiate hyperhidrosis in young women during menstruation and pregnancy from hypothalamic syndrome, in which thermoregulation is disrupted and sweat secretion increases.

When pregnant women complain of sweating, they should understand that this is due to increased synthesis of hormones: estrogen, estradiol, progesterone and prolactin. For example, the level of progesterone produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands, which ensures reproductive function and the onset of pregnancy, increases many times due to the participation of the placenta in its production. And this potentiates the thermogenic effect that this hormone has.

Outside of pregnancy, the pathogenesis of general hyperhidrosis in women associated with excess prolactin is explained by the fact that this hormone has a wide range of physiological effects in the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems. Moreover, the synthesis of prolactin by the pituitary gland occurs when women sleep, and its production increases if the kidneys are not working well, there are endocrine pathologies (thyroid gland or pituitary gland). The level of prolactin increases with excessive physical exertion, under the influence of ionizing radiation on the body and even due to the use of contraceptives.

And excess progesterone in non-pregnant women who suffer from attacks of hyperhidrosis is most often the result of dysfunction of the ovaries - when they are inflamed or have a cyst.

Excessive sweating after childbirth

In the postpartum period, sweating increases significantly, which is a consequence of ongoing recovery processes. Since natural childbirth stimulates the start of cell renewal, it helps to normalize the biochemical cycle. The body is renewed at the cellular, tissue, and organism levels.

The process is accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy, intensive heat generation. Under the influence of hormones that control recovery processes, sweat glands are activated. They provide intensive removal of excess fluid, cell fragments, metabolites that are formed during life. As a result, sweat secretion increases. Usually, nothing needs to be done, the body will recover on its own within 2-3 months. Accordingly, sweating will also disappear.

The situation is different if a cesarean section was performed. This is a surgical intervention that significantly disrupts the entire biochemical cycle in the body, disrupts metabolic processes. Accordingly, various pathological processes are triggered. Recovery is slow and long. At the same time, many inflammatory and infectious processes occur, internal latent infections are often activated, the immune system is reduced. All this is accompanied by chills and increased sweating occurs. Then an examination and restorative treatment are required.

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Excessive sweating in women after 50 years

Sweating in women after 40, 50, 60 years of age during menopause is caused by a reduction in the production of sex hormones and their disproportion. Also, attacks of heat and sweating in women during the onset of menopause are associated with age-related hormonal changes and the reaction of the autonomic nervous system to it.

Women over 50 years of age most often experience menopause, which causes increased sweating. In general, during this period, all the main functions change, the body is rebuilt. First of all, the hormonal state of the body changes dramatically, and this also leads to disruption of the nervous system. As a result, excessive sweat production develops.

Also, at this age, the activity of all the main systems of the body changes in women. Inflammatory and infectious diseases develop more often. The activity of the immune system is disrupted. Autoimmune diseases occur more often. The glands, including sweat glands, begin to function as hyperproduction, that is, they produce an excessive amount of secretion. The same applies to sweat glands: they begin to produce an excessive amount of sweat.

Read about other causes of excessive sweating in this article.

Pathogenesis

Sweat production and sweat gland activity are very sensitive to hormones, particularly estrogen. Estrogen levels directly affect sweat gland activity. A pattern has been established: the higher the amount of estrogen, the higher the sweating and the more active the sweat glands.

Women with various metabolic disorders also deserve special attention: obesity, dystrophy, diabetes. The risk increases when taking a drug such as tamoxifen, which acts against breast cancer. But a polyp in the uterus may develop as a side effect. The risk of developing increased sweating in women with high blood pressure and reduced immune status, with various acute and chronic infections also increases significantly.

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Epidemiology

Statistics provided by experts from the International Hyperhidrosis Society indicate that idiopathic hyperhidrosis occurs in up to 3-5% of the population. Its first signs – in the form of spontaneous increase in the activity of sweat glands – appear in youth and represent an individual variant of the functioning of the endocrine system.

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Diagnostics heavy sweating in women

In cases not related to pregnancy and menopause, the diagnosis of sweating in women is aimed at establishing its cause.

For this purpose, after examining the patient and collecting anamnesis - to confirm or refute preliminary versions of the origin of hyperhidrosis - blood tests are prescribed: general, biochemical, for sugar levels, for the content of thyroid hormones, ACTH, catecholamines, etc.

Regardless of who the patient consults (a gynecologist, a therapist or an endocrinologist), the examination will include instrumental diagnostics using ECG, fluoroscopy, ultrasound or CT of the relevant organs.

To determine areas of maximum sweating, dermatologists use the iodine-starch test (Minor's test).

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Differential diagnosis

The examination is completed by differential diagnostics, which allows for the prescription of etiological treatment (if possible) or local treatment.

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Treatment heavy sweating in women

It is clear that the treatment of sweating in women with hyperthyroidism, diabetes, tuberculosis or pathological processes in the endocrine glands is aimed at a specific disease, and doctors prescribe appropriate medications.

And as medications that help reduce sweat secretion in idiopathic hyperhidrosis, m-anticholinergics (anticholinergic drugs) are used, for example, Platyphylline, Prifinium bromide (Riabal), Propantheline hydrochloride, Oxybutynin or Glycopyrrolate (Glycopyrrolаt, Cuvposa, Glycate, Robinul). Their direct purpose is the treatment of gastric ulcer and duodenal reflux, atony of the biliary tract, spasms of cerebral vessels, airway obstruction in asthma, etc.

All drugs of this pharmacological group are contraindicated in case of increased intraocular pressure, tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, problems with the urinary system, intestinal obstruction, myasthenia gravis. And their side effects are manifested by dry mouth, increased heart rate, hypotension, shortness of breath, decreased gastrointestinal motility.

In some cases, they resort to prescribing sedatives, but their effect is general (reducing the excitability of the central nervous system), therefore, due to their side effects and high risk of addiction, preference is now given to sedatives of plant origin (alcohol tinctures of valerian or motherwort).

It is also useful to take vitamins B3, B5, B9, B12 and C.

More information about topical products (including antiperspirants) in the article - Effective remedies for excessive sweating of the palms, armpits and face

Is furacilin used for sweaty feet and how to overcome plantar hyperhidrosis, see the publication - Effective remedies for sweaty feet

And how to combat sweating in women at the onset of menopause, in detail in the article - Remedies for hot flashes during menopause

It is possible to “turn off” sweat glands for up to three to four months by using point injections of peripherally acting muscle relaxants (Botox).

Physiotherapy treatment

For sweating in women, physiotherapy treatment is also used:

• electrical procedures (electrophoresis and iontophoresis on problem areas);
• therapeutic baths and foot baths with pine extract, oak bark decoction, sea salt.

Folk remedies

In many cases, folk remedies help reduce the intensity of sweating:

• treatment of the feet, armpits, or groin area with powdered aluminum potassium salt of sulfuric acid, known as burnt alum:
• For hyperhidrosis of the feet, it is recommended to wash them daily with regular laundry soap and every other day to take baths with a decoction of oak bark or baking soda;
• Wipe heavily sweating areas of the skin with an aqueous solution of apple cider vinegar (1:1) or lemon juice (two tablespoons per glass of water).

Herbal treatment is no less effective: soothing decoctions and infusions of peppermint leaves, hop cones, St. John's wort, motherwort, oregano, thyme, and sweet clover. You can use pharmacy soothing mixtures.

A decoction of medicinal sage taken internally helps reduce sweating. And a strong decoction of hyssop, which contains tannins, is recommended for treating sweaty areas of the body.

You can get rid of sweating by using deodorant and antiperspirants. But most of them do not solve the problem, but only mask it. Therefore, it is better to consider excessive sweating as a medical problem and use modern therapeutic approaches to eliminate it, using effective remedies for excessive sweating. However, traditional medicine can also be effective in combating this problem.

• Recipe #1

It has long been known that radish roots are an excellent means of combating excessive sweating. Radish juice is especially useful for women, as it normalizes the hormonal state of the body. The product has antiseptic properties, so it can also be used to wipe those areas that are prone to excessive sweating. You can add alcohol to the juice and let it brew for 24 hours. Use as a lotion.

• Recipe #2

Wine is used to reduce sweating. Due to the high content of tartaric acids and phytoncides, it normalizes the condition of pores and skin. A restorative tincture prepared on the basis of Cahors wine helps well. To prepare such an infusion, take one bottle of red wine (Cahors). Add about 50 ml of rosehip or hawthorn syrup to it. Heat until warm. Then add a few spoons of honey, stir thoroughly until the honey dissolves completely.

It is recommended to leave the remedy for at least 12 hours. After that, you can drink it. It is better to drink it at night. So, take a glass of tincture, heat it over a fire. During the heating process, you can add a pinch of ground cinnamon and ginger. After drinking the remedy, you need to go to bed immediately. You need to cover yourself as warmly as possible, sweat. After this, sweating usually decreases sharply. The course of treatment is 7 days.

• Recipe #3

It is known that aloe dramatically reduces sweating. It goes well with honey. Aloe not only reduces excessive sensitivity of the glands, but also helps disinfect, as it has antiseptic properties. Honey also helps reduce sweating, and also eliminates fever, relieves inflammation. A remedy prepared on the basis of honey and aloe is recommended to be taken internally.

The healing effect is achieved due to the tonic effect, which helps reduce hyperproduction of sweat glands and reduce the sensitivity of the skin and glands. This remedy also helps normalize metabolic processes in the body.

First of all, you need to prepare the aloe leaves. They are carefully cut off, having previously selected the thickest, juiciest and most saturated leaf. Then the leaves are crushed in a mortar until a puree-like mass is formed. When choosing a plant, you should focus on plants that have reached three years of age, since they have a powerful therapeutic effect and contain a large amount of juice. The juice is heated over low heat or in a water bath.

After the product has been heated, honey must be added.

• Recipe #4

Chokeberry with cocoa butter has proven itself quite well. The product acts as a good antiseptic, reduces sweating, normalizes the activity of sweat and sebaceous glands. To prepare the mixture, grind about 500 grams of chokeberry, add a few tablespoons of cocoa butter to it. Heat the mixture over low heat until the cocoa butter is completely dissolved. It is recommended to add a little water if the chokeberry has released little juice and the butter does not melt, or burns.

As a result of heating, you should get a syrup. It is recommended to drink the resulting syrup 50 grams before meals. The product has antibacterial properties, and is also able to warm up the internal organs, as a result, profuse sweating occurs for several days. All toxins and slags are intensively removed. Then, within three to four days, the work of the sweat glands is normalized.

• Recipe #5

Milk is an excellent detoxifier that quickly removes toxins from the body, thereby reducing sweat production and normalizing the activity of sweat glands. You can enhance the effect of milk by adding a few tablespoons of ground ginger and nutmeg to it.

It is quite easy to prepare such a remedy: add a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger and nutmeg to a glass of hot milk, mix thoroughly. In some cases, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of honey, which will achieve an antibacterial effect and reduce the inflammatory process in the body. Instead of ground, you can take whole ginger root, pre-grated on a fine grater. For a glass of milk, 1-2 teaspoons of ginger puree is enough.

It is recommended to drink in small sips, a third of a glass approximately 2-3 times a day.

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Surgical treatment

In particularly severe cases (if the drug therapy is ineffective), sweating of the armpits or palms is eliminated in a radical way and surgical treatment is performed:

• by cutting the nerve trunk that innervates the sweat glands by sympathectomy or by applying a clamp (clip) to it;
• removal of axillary sweat glands by scraping them out (curettage).

However, after such an intervention, the skin in the armpit area loses sensitivity; in more than half of the patients, after about six months, sweat secretion in the armpits is restored, while in the rest, sweating increases in other areas.

Complications and consequences

Among the consequences of excessive sweating, experts note a feeling of discomfort and psychological problems associated with the appearance of wet spots on clothing and osmidosis (unpleasant sweat odor).

There are also more serious consequences to consider: excessive sweating can lead to electrolyte imbalance, which negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

With sweating in the armpits or groin area, sweat glands may become inflamed with the development of hidradenitis. And dermatologists point to such complications of hyperhidrosis as prickly heat and diaper rash, and with sweating of the feet - the appearance of fungal infections of the feet in the form of mycoses.

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Prevention

What can be done to prevent excessive sweating?

It is recommended to take a shower regularly, not to wear clothes and shoes made of synthetic fabrics and change them more often; sleep in a cool room on cotton or linen underwear. Do not eat before bed; do not eat fatty, fried and spicy foods; give up smoking and alcohol.

Try not to gain excess weight and avoid stress. In general, lead a healthy lifestyle. Although, given the numerous causes of sweating and the presence of primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis, such preventive measures can only reduce the intensity of this symptom.

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Forecast

The prognosis depends on the cause of hyperhidrosis. Sweating is most predictable during pregnancy and menopause: naturally, with their end, sweating in women ceases to be a problem. And in other cases, doctors do not give prognosis.