Well, I'm 6 years past peri-menopause, but I still go through periods of night sweats and minor flashes. I did not take any hormones when my symptoms started. I actually started the peri-menopause symptoms in my early forties and did not stop my periods until I was 48. Sometimes I went 6-9 months without one and felt like I was going to explode. The first year after I stopped, I had no symptoms and then I went through 3-4 years of hot flashes that I think were mild to moderate compared to some.
I think it's OK to take the hormones for a very*short* period of time, given all of the negative stuff I've read about them. In the mean time, I would investigate alternatives. One thing that I know is being hot makes hot flashes worse. I lived in AZ for 16 years, and I can't imagine being there during the time I was having a lot of flashes. Keep a water bottle nearby and drink constantly. I often would keep a cool cloth on my desk and sneakily wipe down when my students weren't looking! I tried black cohash and it did nothing. You might want to try acupuncture. It has helped me with other medical things and has a good track record with some gynecological issues. Make sure you find a reputable practitioner who has experience with this, though. Learning some meditation techniques/breathing also helped me get through the flashes. It gave me something to focus on beside how hot I felt!
Good luck!