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.