Dear Amy: I am a high school math teacher. I am having frequent and intense hot flashes in class while standing in front of a group of juniors and seniors.
How do I address with my students the fact that I am suddenly bright red and soaking wet? I do not think it is appropriate to explain that I am having menopausal hot flashes. — The Teach
Dear Teach: You know your students and their capabilities and maturity level, so if you don't think it's appropriate to disclose the very commonplace and factual reason for your sudden and obvious physical manifestations, then I suggest you keep a fan handy and simply deal with your symptoms with no explanation. Just say "Excuse me a minute" and peel off your sweater, take a drink of cool water and fan yourself until it passes.
However, I think you run the risk of creating confusion (or rumors because of misinformation) when it could be dispatched and dealt with fairly quickly. Let's say you have a sudden hot flash in fifth-period calculus. You can say, "Sorry, class, I'm having a hot flash. Let me fan myself and take a drink of water and it should go away in a minute. Whew!"
Any students who are sufficiently fascinated can very easily do an Internet search to discover what's going on and the reason behind it. Soon enough this will become just another aspect of the natural and quirky progression of your day.
When I ran your question past a high schooler in my life, she said, "Nobody really notices what's going on with the teachers anyway." This is a reminder that what happens to you in the moment might not have a proportional impact on your students.