<p>^^^
Right. It isn’t until recently that women would even survive long enough to have hot flashes. I guess we should be grateful for that! lol.</p>
<p>I’ve had occasional hot flashes, though that was mostly when peri-menopause first began for me ten years ago, and I do still get night sweats, though that’s as much to do with the fact that I keep my house very cold and therefore go to sleep with a lot of layers as anything else, but my favorite is “cold flashes.” They’re not nearly as common, but interesting–feels like someone has suddenly dumped you in a bucket of ice water and you’ll never get warm again. Fun.</p>
<p>19 years and counting. at least 8-10 per day, year in and year out. sadness.</p>
<p>I never had them and I was told that it is because I exercise. I do not know one way or another, just sharing here. Anyway, that period of my life was such a relief. Got rid of horrific monthly pain that lasted for several days, just like knife cutting my insides. Maybe my thankful attitude is a reason for not having hot flashes? And again, maybe I have them, how I can tell? If I am too warm, I just take one layer off and I am OK. I wonder if you have a flash, stripping yourself down to nothing would help or not? Well, whatever i had, it has been 10 years of the same very positive experience, great relief!</p>
<p>I guess I’m in the lucky minority here–had my last period over 10 years ago and never had a hot flash or night sweat. But during the transition I did have intense, scary “flooding” that made me fear I was bleeding out. The first time it happened I thought I was dying and a friend brought a panicked me directly to my obgyn. It didn’t happen very often, thank goodness.</p>
<p>MyLB -
If you have been in menopause a while, then check with your doctor about this. I suddenly had one after more several years without and called my doc just to make sure it was not an issue, not really thinking it would be to be honest. She was concerned as it can be a sign of a problem. I was leaving for England in a couple of days and she was concerned enough to have me come into the office before I left and do a “cone” biopsy. Everything was ok, but check to be safe.</p>
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Oh, you would be able to tell. Believe me.</p>
<p>I used to think it sounded like the silliest thing and couldn’t imagine that it would be a big deal. Until I got them :rolleyes:.</p>
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<p>The medical community does know now that SSRIs are effective in relieving acute symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, and many doctors do prescribe them for that purpose. I learned this from my oncologist! HRTs are still not recommended because of the breast cancer connection, but natural methods of estrogen supplementation like soy in the diet (as food, not pills) are considered ok, and can be helpful for mild symptoms.
From my doc’s website:
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<p>I’m reading this thread with interest, quite the hot topic for me at the moment ;). At 53 I just started getting night ‘heat waves’, no sweat, just feel really warm. Periods still coming (I think, this one seems to be on a very delayed path). I do find that a heavier workout during the day helps with the night time heat issues. I’m telling myself I have a certain amount of joules I need to disperse during a 24 hour time frame and am trying to get many of them out on the treadmill.</p>
<p>"Decreases in estrogen level affect the area of the brain that controls blood vessel diameter and lead to sensations of being too hot or too cold. "
-Well, then exercising makes sense. Just start exercising and it should get better. Blood vessels are in better shape when person exercises. For once, swimming decreases my (I do not know about others) BP by about 20 points. BP is a fuction of blood vessel’s condition. I am not an MD, I speaking strictly about my own experience. But what one looses if they start exercising? I do not mean 15 min. I mean couple hours every day, it puts you into much better mood anyway. That plus couple of pieces of chocolate, and any woman will be happy, I cannot see otherwise.</p>
<p>Well, well, I guess I have plenty of company! :)</p>
<p>I’ve heard that tender breasts are caused by estrogen spikes while low estrogen leads to hot flashes and night sweats. I have hot flashes and, when they occur in the night, they’re followed by chills. Covers off, hold fan up to naked body, back in bed, covers on, turn up heat, shiver, bury head under blankets, wake up sweating, covers off…repeat as needed. If I were to film it without sound, It would look like like a Charlie Chaplin movie without clothes.</p>
<p>"I’ve heard that tender breasts are caused by estrogen "
-Not in my case. Big reason for not having mammograms as even a hug might not be possible sometime, and doc’s examination last time was a torture.<br>
I heard that this condition is causedby coffein. I will not give up my coffee and chocolate. However, my tenderness has never caused any flashes, unless as I said, I do not know what flashes are and I am experiencing them without noticing. You know, discomfort level tolerance is different from person to person. Maybe I am just tolerant? I know that I was so thankful for debilitaiting monthly pain to go away, that anything else just does not bother me. But I have no tolerance for pain, none.</p>
<p>I received my membership card to this club! Hot flashes started out horrible - I was at an outdoor concert shortly after they started. It was a cool evening. About 1/2 hour into the show I looked down to notice rivulets of sweat dripping off my fingers - it was that bad. The TV ad lady stripping in the elevator has nothing on me! </p>
<p>Doctor is not recommending HRT. I have been upping my exercise in an effort to use up excess metabolic heat. Sounds like I am not the only one. I don’t sweat anymore (5 months later) but the nightly overheating comes in clusters. I guess living through Wisconsin winters won’t seem so bad now - at least 1/2 the year the room temp should cool me off in a hurry!</p>
<p>^how about sitting in a tub with cooler water? Or go to your club and dunk into the pool. I have set temperature at my house at 63F. it saves energy too!. Maybe I would also have flashes if it was 70F? I cannot wear long sleaves. Short sleaves all winter long, otherwise I will fry in the office. But some men also wear short sleeves, so I am not so weird.
BTW, when I walk, I notice that many are wearing much warmer clothes going fo a walk. They might think about getting hot in all these clothes as an indication of a hot flashes? I cannot feel hot at all, it makes me very physically drained. I avoid sun as much as possible. I sit in shades during my vacations in Mexico, I would have “hot flash” on a sun or whatever it is, I do not like sun.</p>
<p>As far as old age, if you look at records, many, many women in the past did live long past menopause. The average is different mostly for public health reasons (vaccines, antibiotics, safer childbirth, etc.) But old age hasn’t changed its timing in a comparatively short amount of time; it’s just that disease, accident, and inffection meant not everyone got to it. Many did, though.</p>
<p>The best thing about my car is that I can open all 4 windows at once with the touch of a button. H and the kids can always tell when there is a hot flash in progress - all windows go down regardless of the outside temp. When I want cold air, I want it NOW!</p>
<p>Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sop14! I thought I was the only one who got cold flashes. I’ve even looked it up on the internet and all you find is hot flashes, nothing about the cold. And the chills.</p>
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<p>Why is there not a LIKE button on CC?</p>
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It is sooo annoyng. I look like such a cheap date with a flushed, sweaty face. Not remotely attractive.</p>
<p>I keep the house so cold that my daughter wears a fleece jacket in the house when she is home visiting.</p>
<p>My flashes were worse at in the evening. I would pour myself a large glass of ice water and keep it next to me at all times. As soon as I felt that agitation that told me I was about to roasted from the inside out, I took a big sip of it. It really did help to put the fire out. The key was timing the gulp right before the flash.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who experienced that agitation/irritation/murderous rage prelude to the hot flash?</p>
<p>No period for over 2 years now, glory hallelujah! And no hot flashes, either. When I told that to my OB/GYN (who is the same age as me), she refused to believe I was in menopause and had to have the blood test to prove it.</p>
<p>At the beginning, I did have warm spells, so I started taking iodine supplements (Iodoral), which helps regulate body temperature. Nipped it in the bud for me.</p>
<p>Alas, very sadly, red wine does trigger the red, flushed face for me. Oddly, white wine does not.</p>