question about symptoms of menopause

[Bertha Venation]

Have others here been through menopause? Was it your experience that hot flashes occurred mostly in mornings and evenings? How weird. Also, did/do you sweat? A lot? In a house with the a/c on?

Make it stop...

[Suich]

1. I went off Hormone Replacement Therapy

4/12, and I have had hot flashes 24/7 ever since. For some reason, they stopped all of a sudden 4 days ago. No idea what's going on. I hope they stay gone forever.

If I sit outside and there is a breeze, no problem. July and August were the hottest on record here and that sure didn't help.

I've probably tried 20 different "natural" remedies and none of them worked at all.

All I can offer is sympathy...sorry!

[Bertha Venation]

18. thanks, Suich

[AuntPatsy]

2. I've had it off and on for 3 years but considering what I no longer have I don't let it bother me.

It can occur anytime, morning noon or night, inside outside, driving in the car, riding on the bike, sweating profusely at times.

It can be irritating in bed sleeping beside your partner and soaking them but nothing you can do but move away because it doesn't last long..

I'd say the worse this summer has been when we are riding the bike, riding in over 100 degree temps and dealing with that is one thing but when the heat rises inside it tends to increase it to such a degree that I've almost passed out a few times...

I sleep with the AC on 65, it can fell like I am in direct sunlight feeling that sun wilt me away but again, the episodes are not really long lasting...

My doctor told me to deal with it as it will end someday, so that's what I doing

[Suich]

4. I thought I'd be stuck with them til I died!

Had no idea they would stop...happy day!

[Bertha Venation]

19. Seeing my gyno on 9/16, and

I sure hope she doesn't say "deal with it." I'd have to say "I CAN'T." I'm a weenie.

[AuntPatsy]

45. We'll mine firmly believes the meds currently on the market can cause cancer, well these days

It seems anything can cause cancer but she's right I think, personally for me I can handle it and need nothing to stop what is actually simply nature once again tasking it's course to a new and in my opinion better level..

[Kath1]

3. Been there!

Drove me crazy. It finally came to an end as suddenly as it started. Good luck with it.

[Suich]

5. Had no idea they could just stop.

Oh, please...let it be!

[Bertha Venation]

20. Thank you, Kath1.

[blue neen]

6. Mostly at night time.

Some things can set them off though, like using a blow dryer on my hair. I actually have to go stand in front of the freezer to cool down from that.

[Bertha Venation]

21. I've done that.

I love having to get ice...

[beam me up scottie]

7. I have fantasies about swimming pools.

If we had one I'd fill it with ice and position it so I could fall into it from our back deck; I swear I'm going to do a face plant into the first batch of snow this coming winter...

The worst part is when you're out in public and people think you're having a medical crisis.

Remember if you've already gone through hell keep going.

[Bertha Venation]

22. Face plant into snow sounds

really good about now.

[beam me up scottie]

27. You would think that in the interest of saving the planet the scientists would find a cure.

The environmentalists should measure how much hot flashes contribute to global warming.

[Bertha Venation]

37. heh

[elleng]

8. I did HRT for a while,

quit, and had NO symptoms, so I guess that means there's hope, BV. Fingers crossed for you.

[Bertha Venation]

23. wow

If only this would just END of its own accord...

[elleng]

34. Yes, I was very fortunate.

Again, best wishes to you.

[peacebird]

9. Have had hot flashes for over almost 20yrs.Drinking sage tea helps me a lot. Take a couple leaves of

common garden sage and pour hot water over, cover and steep for 5 minutes of so, then drink. Not really "tasty" but it calms hot flashes for a day. Mine came any time of day, but simply throwing an arm over hubby in bed was pretty much guarenteed to bring one.... I no longer get the "volcanic" flashes, now simply the hot damp flashes. (Volcanic caused sweats that drenched through everything I was wearing, standard flashes just have beads of sweat rolling down my face etc)
Try sage tea, it did really help me when I had the volcanic flashes....
Oh, fwiw my doc says that after two decades, it ain't likely mine are ever going away. Started into menopause early (37), guess i'm an overacheiver.... LOL!

[Bertha Venation]

24. I'll try the sage tea

Thanks, peacebird.

[Laffy Kat]

10. Feel your pain. If I don't take HRT my hot flashes are non-stop.

And it's such an intense "heat"; seems to originate from the very core of the body. Even changing position causes them. I like a estrogen/testosterone combination cause it enhances sex (at least for me).

[Bertha Venation]

25. Good for you!

... about that item.

[Granny M]

11. I have pretty much emerged to the other side

but the hot flashes were intense for a few years. Mine were mostly at night. What worked for me was just pushing off the covers and staying still until it passed. My sister gets out of bed and eats a popsicle. If I did that I'd never get back to sleep, so I just tossed off the covers and rode it out, then I'd drift off again. The flashes would sometimes come in the day or evening, and I'd drink ice water. I never took HRT. Tried black cohosh but it gave me headaches. I managed without much intervention, but do what you need to - everyone is different.

[Bertha Venation]

28. I'm glad you made it through

Sorry you had them so intensely, though. I'm there.

[cbayer]

12. 10 years so far, but getting a little better

Mostly at night, but sometimes during the day. Sweat profusely. It's just a PITA, but I'm not going to take replacements.

If it is really bad for you, hormone replacement can stop it.

[Bertha Venation]

29. Not sure I can do HRT

My sister was told earlier this year that she can't do HRT without serious risk, so we shall see.

[newfie11]

13. Ive heard others say the same thing

If your mom is still around I would ask her.
I had one hot flash and that was it (at age 45). My Mom and one of my daughters had similar early menopause symptoms.
We never used estrogen/progesterone.
I wonder how much hereditary has to do with it.

[Bertha Venation]

30. One hot flash?!

[newfie11]

46. Yes I was driving down a rural hiway

And all of a sudden started sweating like crazy, dripping in sweat.
I assumed it must have been the dreaded hot flash.
But it went away and never had another, that was well over 15 years ago.
I was hypothyroid and always freezing at the time and this warmed me up lol. Always hoping for a hot flash to finally be warm but no one mentioned the sweating.
That was aweful. I'm on thyroid meds now and never had another flash.

[Ilsa]

14. For me, the drenchings came at night, mostly.

Flashes were aggravated by caffeine. They got better with a low dose of an antidepressant. I guess that's why a very low dose of Paxil (less than a typical starting dose) is being marketed for hot flashes.

I think more soy in the diet helps, too. Good luck!

[Bertha Venation]

31. Soy. Hmm.

Thanks for the luck!

[Freddie]

15. This too will pass

I was lucky my hot flashes weren't that bad and went away after 4 years or so. A lot is hereditary as I went through it at the exact same age my Mom was, early 50's. I have a couple friends my age (mid 50s) who are still getting their periods. So delighted to be done all that messy crap not to mention the horrible menstrual migraines I would get. Only get a migraine once or twice a year now.

[Bertha Venation]

32. I'm glad it wasn't too bad for you

but hate to hear about the migraines.

[SheilaT]

16. I had hot flashes for around three years.

I really hated it when I'd get one when I was outside on a hot, humid summer day. I also went through a relatively short period of time, maybe a couple of months, where I'd wake up in the middle of the night with a hot flash, throw the covers off me, fall back asleep, wake up sometime later chilled, pull the covers back up, and repeat several times during the night.

Never did HRT myself. I think if my hot flashes lasted longer than two to four years, I'd check in with a doctor to see if something else is going on.

Oh, and a good friend of mine once described hot flashes as Personal Moments of Summer. Good description.

[Bertha Venation]

33. I'm getting that hot & cold crap, too.

I might be able to handle one or even two of these symptoms at a time. But all three -- flashes, sweats, and hot & cold -- is kicking my ass. Ugh!

Apt description.

[7wo7rees]

38. Something else can be going on.

I had blocked arteries. Sweats are a symptom.
I had no idea. Stents and uncomfortable symptoms I attributed to menopause went away.
Be careful.

What you believe to be menopause can be many other things possibly going wrong. See a doctor if you can, one you trust.

[SheilaT]

48. As with everything else, we are all different.

And our tolerance for various things, like hot flashes, will vary. Your point that what we think may be menopause symptoms may well be something else is spot on. I, myself, only had annoying symptoms for a few years. I think the most important thing is to pay attention to your own body, and if you for any reason whatsoever think what's happening isn't normal, seek out professional help.

And long term HRT is not a good idea at all. About a decade ago doctors finally realized that HRT does more harm than good other than in the short run.

One thing I do want to emphasize is that menopause is programmed in. If we live long enough, we reach menopause. It is NOT the point at which women are programmed to die, which I've occasionally heard. No. In our evolution, we were designed to start giving birth somewhere after reaching sexual maturity, and then have a baby ever four years or so, until menopause. Menopause gives us the time to raise that last child, and to be a grandmother to our daughters' first babies. In today's world childbearing generally works a little differently, but our biology is not fundamentally different.

It's not fun, but you'll get through it, especially if you seek professional advice and help as appropriate.

[Warpy]

17. I had a rough time, mine were every 41 minutes around the clock in the beginning.

My mother had developed breast cancer after being on HRT for 25 years, so I didn't think I was a candidate there. I did snag an extra premarin at work, thinking it might buy me a good night's sleep on one of my days off. All it bought me is a reminder of why I couldn't take BC pills, an intense migraine.

They've finally tapered off to 3 or 4 a day. One always happens when I first settle down to sleep. The years of the every 41 minute misery taught me how to roll over onto the cooler side and just go to sleep. Exhaustion from 12 hour night shifts helped.

If men got hot flashes, they'd know what kind of physiological cascade causes them and have cheap OTC medication to stop them completely. Unfortunately, they happen to old women and old women are considered utterly useless in medical science.

The best way to deal with a hot flash when you're awake is to get up and walk around, the buckets of sweat cooling you off quickly when you start to move around. In the winter, they're almost pleasant if you keep a very cool house like I do.

They also do taper off eventually. My mother said she still got one or two a month in her 90s.

[Bertha Venation]

35. Holy shit, Warpy.

Sorry to hear that it was so rough on you.

Re old women. They (we? I'm 51...) are the least valued part of our society, yet have the most to give, the most to teach.

[Skittles]

26. never had a single hot flash

I think the secret is to exercise hard daily, enough to make you sweat (I never took any medication)

[Bertha Venation]

36. Hi, Skittles

I do not exercise. Laziness and inertia. But one can change inertia -- I think...

[OregonBlue]

39. Mine only lasted a few years. Started off slow for about 6 months then many times a day

for the next 2-3 years and then tapered off to occasionally for a year or so. When they were finally done, I felt better than I had in a long time. No more worrying about birth control, no more periods. It has been great. The only things I found that worked were, I bought a small fan like this Honeywell Chillout-2-Speed-Personal-Fan. I could sit in any chair and turn it on myself. Make sure it is one of the ones that swivel up and down so you can aim it anywhere. I could take it to the kitchen when I was cooking. I could put it next to my bed and turn in on my face if I woke up with a hot flash, etc. The other thing I did was keep a spray bottle of water with a little rubbing alcohol added in the fridge. When I couldn't stand it, I would take it out and spray my feet. It really works, especially at night.

Good luck. It gets better and you actually feel better when it's all over!!

[nruthie]

40. No hot flashes for me....

I was one of the lucky ones apparently. My entire menopause was a breeze. I never had any problems and I consider myself very fortunate.

[dem in texas]

42. Less than 10 hot flashes during the change

Hot flashes were not a problem for me at all, less than 10 the entire time. Did have heavy bleeding for about 18 months and that gradually went away. My doctor wanted me to take the estrogen pills they were pushing back in the 80's as a cure all for everything. I told him, I was doing the same as my mother and she never took any medication and came through it all with no problems. My doctor called me Mother Nature when I refused the medicine. Needless to say, I changed doctors.

[MuseRider]

41. Went through it, no hormones and have survived!

Hot flashes for years, I have been known to walk outside in the middle of the snow with my jammies on. It is better now almost 6 years out. I do still get them but they never had a pattern they just hit me. My weight took a huge hit, everything I eat weighs twice as much once I eat it but am learning to do better. Yes, I sweat more than ever even now.

We are all different. I have very strong bones so I have not had any signs of osteoporosis and so far so good health wise. YMMV

[kaiden]

43. Sleep with a box fan at the foot of your bed blowing on your face.

Put your forearms on cold surfaces. These things alleviate the intense flashes.

[notadmblnd]

44. The first couple of years it felt at times as though I were going to burst into flames

But it's been about 5 years now, so rarely. Personally, I think menoppause has been the most liberating time of my life.

have you thought about getting one of those cool towels? They sell them at Lowes, they are supposed to keep people cool during work outs or working outside in the heat? They run about 15 dollars.

[womanofthehills]

47. check out bioidentical hormones

made from yams and soy. I get mine at a compounding pharmacy but you still need a prescription.