Women who have hot flashes when they begin menopause may be at a lower risk for heart problems.

New data from a long-running study in the U.S. suggests these women seemed to have a lower risk for heart attack and death than women who never had hot flashes or who developed them late.

Dr. Emily Szmuilowicz, the lead author of the study, said that while previous reports suggested menopause symptoms were associated with higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, "the actual outcomes tell a different story …there may be a positive side" to having the annoying symptoms. She noted that the study results should reassure millions of women who experience hot flashes or night sweats.

The research involved more than 60,000 women followed for an average of almost 10 years. It's the first to examine timing of menopausal symptoms and risks for heart problems and deaths and was funded by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S..

Women were grouped into four categories; women who experienced hot flashes and night sweats at the onset of menopause, later in menopause, during both time periods, and not at all.

The study was released online this week and will be published in the journal Menopause in June.

With files from The Associated Press