Earthwalker, you are so right. It seems the subject is TABOO. Young girls talk about everything while older girls do not want to talk about it all that much. I am thankful it is not worse than it is. I realized looking at some of these posts how scattered brain I am at times. And boy do I drop stuff. Thank you ladies for sharing. Now to check out that sight.

Yes, I just finished 18 days of my cycle after almost a year of not having it. the hot flashes came back to the point I was sick sometimes. I'm hoping this was the last one, like my mom did the same thing for her last one. I'll be 60 soon so it had better stop soon.

This is a very informative thread...and I truly appreciate all of the replies and comments.
I think I am going to bookmark this one because of the info contained.
Thanks,
Kirsten

There's a natural, plant based hormone replacement I'm told.
I never took one, unfortunately.
I did have a lump in one boob one year at about age 46 or so, and one doctor told me to start taking low doses of Vitamin E, the real one, and work up the dose over months. My starting hot flashes sorta diminished and went away, got into other things and forgot about it.
One daughter (52 this week) keeps her house so cold that I wear a heavy house coat all the time I'm visiting her.

At home I keep it about 67 or so now.

As the old fashioned saying goes everything bad for women startes with the word MEN,menastration, menopause. I was having a real bad hot flash one time in a resturant and my daughter at the time was around 7 y.o and she speaks right out in a load voice, "Oh moma's having another HOT Fudgie" that got everyone in the resturant roaring in laughter. My face was scarlet from the hot fudgie and embarassment.

I was experiencing perimenopause when I was 38.
My periods were so heavy and almost constant!
I was having fainting spells, and of course the HOT flashes!
Dr. tried EVERYTHING and nothing seemed to help...
at age 43 I had a complete hysterectomy.
I'm now 54 and on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).