Reply #20: A nurse once told me hot flashes could last for the rest of my life.

[classof56]

That was a few years past menopause, and I was on HRT (Premarin), intended to keep taking the pills forever. Then I had serious medical complicatons because of the HRT, so had to give them up. So--here I am, a few weeks shy of 71, and still experiencing hot flashes mainly in the middle of the night. We live with what we have to, I guess, and the issues I dealt with caused by the Premarin make the hot flashes tolerable by comparison. I tried an herbal alternative, it didn't work. I'm sure Premarin works fine for most post-menopausal women, as it did for me for many years, and I do recommend it if your medical provider prescribes it or another HRT. My hot flashes started when I was 48, working a very high-stress job, dealing with teenage kids and aging parents--I needed all the help I could get and my gynecologist okayed the HRT (after me assuring him I wasn't pregnant--kinda funny when you think about it!). So here I am, in my 8th decade of life, loving being a grandmother, pursuing my lifelong dream (writing), active and generally in good health. While the hot flashes continue, I remind myself that things could be much, much worse!

This is probably more than you wanted to hear! You have my best wishes for a long and healthy life, even if beset with those annoying, maddening power surges (as I've heard them called). Not one of the better joys of womanhood, but a reminder, perhaps, of how special we are!

Classof56