Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Video Of Steam Rising From Woman’s Head Due To Menopause Sparks Empathy And Confusion
279

Video Of Steam Rising From Woman’s Head Due To Menopause Sparks Empathy And Confusion

Video Of Steam Rising From Woman's Head Due To Menopause Sparks Empathy And ConfusionViral Video Of Woman’s Head Fuming From A Menopausal Hot Flash Sparks Empathy And Confusion OnlineSteam Rises From Woman’s Head During Hot Flash In Stadium, Baffling Men But Resonating With WomenFootball Fan Goes Viral After Posting Footage Of Steam Coming From Her Head During Menopausal Moment“Every Man Needs To See This”: Video Of Woman’s Head Steaming Due To Menopause Goes Viral
ADVERTISEMENT

Footage of a woman with her head literally fuming went viral, with shocked netizens trying to figure out what caused her to expel steam while sitting in a football stadium.

The video was posted on TikTok by the steaming lady herself, Tracey Monique, last Wednesday (October 30). In it, she attributed the smoke coming from her head to a hot flash, a sudden increase in the body’s temperature caused by menopause.

Highlights
  • A woman's viral video showed steam from her head due to a menopause hot flash.
  • Men were puzzled, thinking the video was edited, while women related with empathy.
  • Hot flashes affect up to 8 in 10 menopausal women in the U.S., experts say
  • Monique's video raised menopause awareness, sparking discussions on its effects.

“Every menopausal woman is feeling you right now!” one user wrote, echoing the many reactions Monique’s video garnered from women who empathized with her condition. “That’s right, ma’am. We are literally furnaces!” another joked.

Men, on the other hand, were utterly baffled by the phenomenon, with some believing the footage was the result of video editing or filters, much to the amusement of Monique’s female viewership.

Footage of a woman emanating large amounts of smoke from her head went viral, leaving male netizens baffled

Image credits: toa555/stock.adobe.com

Monique’s female viewers immediately recognized the phenomenon, with many stating that they had experienced its symptoms firsthand.

Hot flashes, as they are commonly called, are frequent symptoms of menopause, the period in a woman’s life when her ovaries stop producing hormones and menstrual periods end—a byproduct of the hormonal fluctuations it causes.

ADVERTISEMENT

The sudden heat wave primarily affects the upper body, especially the face, neck, and chest. It’s accompanied by sweating, an increased heart rate, flushed skin, and, as Monique showcased, the release of steam in cold climates.

Image credits: pleezebfree

According to Dr. Cynthia Abraham, an Ob-Gyn at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, hot flashes affect as many as 8 in 10 menopausal women in the United States.

“Hot flashes usually happen at least daily. In fact, about a third of women have more than ten hot flashes per day,” she explained. “For some, hot flashes feel mild, but for others, they are more severe and may seriously disrupt day-to-day life.”

Gynecologists recommend a combination of lifestyle changes and hormonal intervention to manage the effects of menopause

Image credits: pleezebfree

For Abraham, it’s essential to make specific lifestyle changes to manage the effects of these sudden heat waves. “It’s important to wear layered clothing so women can easily take them off to cool down,” she stated.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Certain foods, such as those with spicy ingredients, and drinks with alcohol or caffeine are also best avoided,” Abraham pointed out. Conversely, she recommends eating tofu, soy, and certain herbs to help alleviate symptoms.

Image credits: Dragana Gordic/stock.adobe.com

If lifestyle and dietary changes prove ineffective, gynecologists recommend a hormonal replacement protocol. This protocol includes the intake of exogenous estrogen, which helps the body regulate its temperature more effectively by bringing hormone levels back to their pre-menopausal state.

Abraham also pointed to a more controversial solution: antidepressants, and antiseizure medications. “Some are effective for the treatment of hot flashes. These are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),” she added.

“Another prescription, an antiseizure medication called gabapentin, has helped my patients manage their hot flashes.”

Researchers explained how estrogen levels are critical in regulating the body’s temperature, with lower levels increasing the likelihood of overregulation

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: pleezebfree

Medical literature has discussed the importance of estrogen in regulating heat in humans. A 2021 study conducted by the University of California explained how, when hormonal levels drop, the hypothalamus—described as the body’s internal thermostat—becomes more sensitive to body temperature changes.

When the hypothalamus thinks the body is too warm, it signals the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system to cool down. Conversely, if it believes the body is too cold, it reacts by increasing heart palpitations, which usually leads to feelings of discomfort and anxiety in menopausal women.

@pleezebfreeHot and Hungry. Hot Flashes are annoying and rude.♬ original sound – Tracey Monique

The study also revealed the importance of estrogens for heat dissipation, which is directly related to the steam emanating from Tracey Monique’s head. “Estrogens affect heat dissipation by regulating cutaneous vasoconstriction and fluid vaporization,” the paper explains. 

“Estrogens also alter evaporative heat loss, which includes sweating in humans, panting in dogs, and salivation in rodents.”

Tracey Monique’s hot flash not only caused confusion, laughter, and surprise but also served as a way to increase awareness about the effects of menopause

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: yavdat/stock.adobe.com

As Monique’s video reached more and more people on social media, it had the unintentional effect of increasing awareness about menopause and its uncomfortable effects, such as hot flashes, on women.

“I gotta call my mom and apologize for making fun of her,” one viewer wrote, to which Monique responded: “Please do.”

“Wait, is this for real? I’ve never seen this before,” a female user said. “Oh, just you wait, my sweet summer child. It’ll happen to you, too,” another replied.

“I feel like I needed to see this to prepare,” said one viewer.

“This should be in the menopausal handbook, so they know what we’re going through!”

Bored Panda has contacted Tracey Monique for comment.

“Every man needs to see this,” wrote one user, as others joined in to raise awareness about the effects of menopause

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Abel Musa Miño

Abel Musa Miño

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

Read less »
Abel Musa Miño

Abel Musa Miño

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

Read less »

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
Arabiata Arabiata
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As I read the comments above, we, man, don't care about women, we have no simple idea what menopause is and how it affects women's health. We die of a simple flu and deliberately do not do medical research to alleviate the effects of menopause.

distant_echo
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep! I'm just sitting at my desk at work, minding my own business, then, whoosh! The heat washes over me from head to toe, sweat pouring out of every pore. Getting ready in the morning is a nightmare. And they come out of nowhere.

Surly Scot
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandmother's menopause lasted years, her mood swings were awful, she became short tempered, abusive, violent, and her emotional control/maturity degraded away to nothing. Everyone walked on eggshells around her, living with her was a nightmare as you never knew what was going to set her off. I've dreaded the assurity of the menopause my entire life, absolutely terrified i'll change personality like she did.

CanadianDimes
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HRT is your friend here! A lot of that can be mitigated today with medication. Also, it’s much more talked about now so there’s a lot more support

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
Arabiata Arabiata
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As I read the comments above, we, man, don't care about women, we have no simple idea what menopause is and how it affects women's health. We die of a simple flu and deliberately do not do medical research to alleviate the effects of menopause.

distant_echo
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep! I'm just sitting at my desk at work, minding my own business, then, whoosh! The heat washes over me from head to toe, sweat pouring out of every pore. Getting ready in the morning is a nightmare. And they come out of nowhere.

Surly Scot
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandmother's menopause lasted years, her mood swings were awful, she became short tempered, abusive, violent, and her emotional control/maturity degraded away to nothing. Everyone walked on eggshells around her, living with her was a nightmare as you never knew what was going to set her off. I've dreaded the assurity of the menopause my entire life, absolutely terrified i'll change personality like she did.

CanadianDimes
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HRT is your friend here! A lot of that can be mitigated today with medication. Also, it’s much more talked about now so there’s a lot more support

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda