Hot flashes!?

[annie]

Is there such a thing as mini-hot flashes? That last for less than a minute and are gone?

I thought maybe I was gonna escape the whole hot flash deal. I've had one period in the last 9 months, after going for 6 months without one. It's been 3 months again now, with no bleeding. So I'm thinking maybe I am very close to being through menopause. And I hadn't had any hot flashes. Whoo-woo, I thought! Nope - I guess not so lucky. Just the last few weeks, I notice brief times when I sweat more profusely (its hot and humid here - I sweat anyway) than usual. And then it's gone. Makes it tougher when it happens in the middle of climbing a hill. So do you ladies who've been through this think I'm having hot flashes? Is there any way to know if they'll get worse? Or how long they will last? If you had them, did they affect your riding? I'm 52, BTW.

Any dietary hints that might help? Things to add or to avoid?
THANKS!

Annie

[KnottedYet]

Gee, that sounds familiar....

Yup. Like a blush that's gone out of control.

What's really driving me up the wall are the night sweats. My mom and grandma had them, and I seem to be following family tradition.

I don't know anything that influences them.

Had a funny moment on the bus this morning. woman sitting next to me had a hot flash and needed the window open. I had to open it for her. Much sympathy!

[five one]

I'm 55 and have been post-menopausal for about two years. I was in the peri-menopausal stage for several years beginning around 50. I wanted to try to avoid HRT as long as possible, so my health care provider suggested black cohosh, which helped for quite awhile. I think most of my hot flashes were a minute or less, and were rarely apparent to those around me. It was like having on a wool turtleneck sweater on a 100 degree day. The tops of my hands would get clammy for some reason. Then it would be gone. Nights were worse than days and waking up several times a night made it hard to get a good night's sleep. That affected my riding more than anything.

When alternative methods began to fail and poor sleep became a real issue, I started HRT (2.5 mg Provera, .5 mg Estrace) with the idea that it would be short-term. It's been just over a year and I've been splitting the dosage in half for several weeks. Little hot flashes have returned and I'm having some trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. I'm waiting to see if this regulates itself on it's own.

Aside from be occasionally tired, the only other effect on my riding has been some vaginal dryness. There are plenty of products out there for that. Once I'm completely off HRT, I may try estring.

I eat a healthy diet anyway and didn't make any changes other than limiting caffeine to one cup of coffee in the morning. I ate a lot of edamame and grilled firm textured tofu which I cubed and tossed in my salads. It seemed to help in the beginning, but it could have been a placebo effect. Not sure.

I would suggest giving it some time to see how, or if, any menopausal symptoms affect your lifestyle. It's just another stage of life that we all will go through. Continuing to ride a lot has helped me manage menopause much better than my friends who get little or no exercise.

My .02. Or maybe that was about a nickel's worth.

[DarcyInOregon]

Annie, I am 53 and I think I am entering menopause. I need to go to the doctor for the blood test to make sure, because I didn't have any symptoms other than the loss of the menstrual cycle and hot flashes.

The hot flashes were mostly at night. Finally I stopped in at Walgreens and talked to a pharmacist. He sold me "Nature's Woman", under the Walgreen's brand, and it says right on the box it helps to reduce hot flashes and night sweats. It is a "soy menopause supplement." I take one a day. I haven't had hot flashes since taking this product. It has black cohosh in it, like someone else already mentioned, plus soy isoflavones.

Anyway, the product works for me. It might work for you too.

Darcy

[annie]

Yup. Like a blush that's gone out of control.

Yep, that's it exactly. I guess I'll hope it doesn't get worse. I may stop at Walgreens and get the "Nature's Woman" supplement. Thanks for the suggestions, Darcy.

Annie

[Tuckervill]

My Aunt Linda said it felt like you were burning up from the inside out.

I'm pretty sure now that I'm getting hot flashes, if they can be described to last less than a minute. I'm only 45. My parents and everyone all say I'm too young to be having symptoms of peri-menopause, but I've been sure of it for about 3 years now. I'm not too young. It's why I'm trying so hard to get this weight off, while I still have the hormones on my side.

Karen

[ridebikeme]

Well, I have to agree with everyone that mentioned Black Cohosh, it has definitely helped me! I do know that caffiene seems to make things a bit worse, but not exactly sure why. I have also used the over the counter medication"Estroven" and that has definitely helped as well. I have a couple of friends that actually use that and black cohosh.

As for being too young, I definitely do NOT believe that. I started having symptons right before I turned 40. No one in my family had gone through menopause that early, but nonetheless I was... quess that's why we are all different. Currently, I am 49, and still having hot flashes, but the above has definitely helped me.

Good luck!

[Crankin]

I started having hot flashes at around age 49, but I had been in peri meno. since my early forties. I would go 8-9 months without a period and then have one on and off for years. I have been in menopause for five years, started really having the flashes after the first year of no periods. Black Cohash did nothing. I just kept a water bottle nearby and took a long drink. I find if I am in a warm room, it brings one on. I don't have too many now, but have one every morning when I wake up. I don't know, I just dealt with it.

[annie]

I started having hot flashes at around age 49, but I had been in peri meno. since my early forties. I would go 8-9 months without a period and then have one on and off for years. I have been in menopause for five years, started really having the flashes after the first year of no periods. Black Cohash did nothing. I just kept a water bottle nearby and took a long drink. I find if I am in a warm room, it brings one on. I don't have too many now, but have one every morning when I wake up. I don't know, I just dealt with it.

Thanks, Robin. That's about where I feel I am now. I know we're all different, but it helps to hear from someone who's gone through a similar experience.

Annie

[surgtech1956]

annie - your story sounds familar. I started around 47, I'm now 51. I didn't have a period for a few months, then I had 2 in one month, then they just stopped. After this I had some hot flashes they weren't that bad. THEN I started the real hot flashes and the night sweats - not sleeping well. I didn't want HRT, I tried some of the herbal - over the counter stuff --- nothing really worked for me. About a year ago I started sleeping again and no more night sweats. And the hot flashes are just little warm surges. One thing I did do is reduce my caffeine - especially coffee intake and this really helped with the hot flashes. After all this, now comes the dryness. I still trying to adapt.

[mimitabby]

I'm 55 and have been having hot flashes for at least 10 years.

They're not as bad as menstruation, cramps, and mess.

It used to strike me as kinda funny; now it's just part of what I am.

[Zen]

My Aunt Linda said it felt like you were burning up from the inside out.

I had one hot flash and it was exactly like that.
I thought someone had a voodoo doll of me and set it on fire.

[margo49]

I've had "heat waves" a lot; some medially "inspired" and some natural.
Like Robin I just got on with it and thanked Who-ever/ What-ever that I was still alive to *have* them.
That said every now and again it would drive me nuts . But I go nuts about something every couple of months anyway.
Solutions - there are lots around but the problem is finding what works for you. I never tried anything too technical anyway (history of estrogen-related breast cancer)
Basically, I think the struggle to fix, avoid, treat and control is sometimes more than trouble than its worth; especially with something that is going to sort itself out eventually (unless you get run over by a bus first )

[DDH]

I am only 43 and still have regular periods but I woudl swear I am having hot flashes. I will be sitting here and just out of no where my back and shoulders and the back of my neck will feel like I am about to internally combust.

My DH is always complaining because I am so hot all the time, but if I don't have cool air blowing on my, I will start having these incidents. We go back and forth with the air conditioner. Mine may be because of my weight and I am sure that doesn't help, but that heat wave that hits me on my back is not just weight. That flows through me, my mood changes quickly, and I feel like if I don't get cooled off, I will explode. Makes a person very iritable, or at least it does me.

My doctor tells me, I am too young and since I am still having regular periods that I am not going into menopause, but I would swear I am, periods or not.

I just wish if that is what it is I could get rid of the periods. I'm ready for those to go away.

[KnottedYet]

DDH - sounds like hot flashes to me. I've got 'em in just the same patterns as my mom and her mom, but I'm still having periods. From what my ancestresses say, it goes on for about 10 years.... (oh, crud!)

BTW: I'm younger than you, but older than my ancestresses when they started this stuff.