Ok you all I'm just starting mine. I can't remember anything, I have hot flashes a couple times a month, very few night sweats, the creepy crawlies and some times one or more cycles a month and terrible mood swings. Oh but I sleep better than I ever have. Is there anything I should know about?

Boy is good to know that you are not alone in this torment. I just want it to end!!! Been going thru it for at least 7 years, still get that monthly visit :( Not much for hot flashes, sleep all night, but wake up soaking wet alots of mornings (sleep right thru the night sweats). Maybe one of these days things will all dissappear, at least the worry about running to the ladies room thing has passed, that was worse than all other symptoms combined!

I too wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. I have to get up sometimes and go in the living room and turn on the TV for a while or get out my Kindle and read some of a book I've started until I get sleepy again. We run the ceiling fan year round too. I get real moody, which I hate, and say things I don't mean in the heat of the moment. I am supposed to be on the other side of this women's wonder, but have noticed that I still every now and again have a hot flash so I guess I am not quite finished. Praying for you and that your symptoms won't last long. It is a tough thing though~ Blessings abundant!

Oh man....I hate it! I don't even want to figure up how long it has been lasting....I've got all the rough symptoms and have definetly lost brain power. The worst part??? I am now mean! I don't like it, but I just can't help it. I really don't know how my poor DH stands to live with me.. :oops: :oops:

There are three of us around the same age in our dept at work and we have a sign posted at our dept:

WOMEN DON'T HAVE HOT FLASHES, WE HAVE POWER SURGES!"

I'm with those with the hot flashes and especially the night sweats. They even seem to change all the time. And aren't even every day anymore.
Had a total H 15 yrs. ago, was on meds for 10 years and then went off them cold turkey.
I tend to have the flashes and sweats when my bladder needs to empty.
Sleep - I'm a night owl who likes to get up early, but do get 5 - 7 hours a night. Would love to be able to sleep less and get more done in a day! LOL

I'm glad I found this thread! I'm 48 and have had "hard" symptoms for about 5 years now, still cycle every month like clock work but twice last year I cycled twice, was just in denial b/c everyone thinks I'm in my mid-30s :lol: Plus, my mother is Japanese and in Japan there isn't even a word for "hot flash" or "menapause" it's just called, (loosely translated) "the enlightening of life" ... well, I thought "IF" I got symptoms I'd only have them 1/2 as bad .... NOT! I started feeling like I was getting smaller, sure enough I've shrunk almost 1/2 an inch! I started putting on weight that won't go away, the night sweats were the worst or maybe it was the hot flashes or maybe it's been then physical weakness? I've been a jock all my life, everyone in my family is a jock so being unable to do anything physical w/out thinking about it is SO miserable and the pain, I just don't get that part?!

Then there's my brain ... my best friend, the one I've always depended upon, the one that's NEVER let me down, I was a MASTER Multi-tasker!, has abandonded me :cry: ... it's common for me to stick the milk in the pantry and the cereal in the fridge?! :lol:

Sleep? Well, I have a chronic bladder infection, wake during the night always around 3a to to empty and then can't get back to sleep!

See why I call this "mental-pause"?! It's like I went somewhere and am watching myself, laffin my head off!

I found Amberen (not ambien the sleep aid) it's natural and (no, this is not a sales pitch! :lol: ) has worked like a dream come true for me!

I get sleep, at least 7 hours which is fine, I don't wake in the middle of the night for ANYTHING, no more night sweats, no more creepy-crawly skin, no more hurry and empty the bladder, and I'm not, only ONE day every month, a raging lunatic (my poor family :oops: ) I remember things, I no longer have chronic bladder infections, the physical pain of doing things and feeling like I'm draaaging all the time is gone, I can SORT OF multi-task. My favourite part of Amberen is that I don't have to take it forEVER, just 3 months at a time then a break for 3 months and if symptoms return, back on for 3 months. I'm not a very good pill taker so this works for me.

Yah, I'm still about 110lbs. over weight (have lost almost 30 lbs.) and work on it, but it's WAY easier now, so odd?!

I like the fact that some of you have just accpted the way your body just doesn't sleep and use the time for yourself. That was a wonderful lesson for me and I'll start implementing that one! So, if I'm wide awake at 3am I'll just be wide awake and if I want to take a nap later in the day, I will!

I can't say enough about how much I love this board and all of you here ... so warm and comforting.

Mahalo (thank you) for sharing and letting me go on ... I didn't say that my new found discovery has cured my "talkaholic" issues! :lol:

*HUGS* and Alohas!

Ok so where can I find this amberen? Is it an over the counter thing? Sounds like something I might be willing to try.

Hi CJ, you can google it and their website will come up. I liked that I could demo it b/4 purchasing it, I think it was like a 30 day monkey back guarantee?

Try amberen.com and see if that works.

Everyone is different and out of like 40+ of my friends only 2 have not had results. I got results by the 3rd day, no nightsweats or food cravings! Some friends took a week or 2 to see results.

Po'maiki'i (good luck)!

Thank you for the info. I can handle everything but the mood swings, somedays I could kill and it wouldn't bother one lil bit. Instead of putting weight on I have actually lost 12 pounds. Thank you again. Carrie

I had a complete hysterectomy before menopause so I have to take estrogen, no ovaries at all to produce the bare min. needed after menopause.