LOS ANGELES — Hot flashes and night sweats at menopause are uncomfortable and annoying to many women. But they are also associated with a reduced risk of future heart attacks and strokes, researchers reported Thursday.

Hot flashes, which doctors call vasomotor symptoms, are a major issue in women’s health because there are so few effective remedies to relieve them. In recent years, however, some studies have suggested that hot flashes and night sweats may also be a sign of potential cardiovascular problems. The idea is that hot flashes may be a response to some type of dysfunction in blood vessels that could also raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

However, a new study, published in the journal Menopause, suggests that idea is an oversimplification. Researchers analyzed data from 60,000 post-menopausal women. They found that the timing of hot flashes appears to matter greatly. Women who had hot flashes or night sweats at the start of menopause were actually at a slightly lower risk for stroke, heart disease and death compared to women who never had hot flashes or night sweats. The risk reductions were 17 percent for stroke, 11 percent for heart disease and 11 percent death.

“It is reassuring that these symptoms, which are experienced by so many women, do not seem to correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Emily Szmuilowicz, a co-author of the study.

However, women in the study who did not have hot flashes or night sweats at the onset of menopause but developed them later in menopause had a 32 percent higher risk of heart attack and a 29 percent higher risk of stroke.

Women who developed hot flashes and night sweats at the onset and continued to have them into later menopause had no increased or decreased risk.