I have very few symptons.
I make my own 100% cotton nightgowns because I get night sweats.
I keep the reusable blue ice packs in the freezer and put those on the back of my neck in the middle of the night if I wake up.
I take extra iron for restless leg syndrome (prescribed by the Dr.)
I gave up caffeine.

You are supposed to be helpful and tell me that this s..t will go away! At almost 54 the hot flashes and night sweats are more than just a bother.

OMG dont tell me I have to give up sugar and coffee,I would go off the deep end then.

I was lucky and know it...few flashes, stopped sugar and doubled the vitamins and "go away!" was my mantra while exercising. Don't believe in taking hormones. Unless you have some kind of abnormal hormone problem (according to my doc) hot flashes go away within two years once M is over. For me it all started about 51 and was done by 54. Truly that was my experience. Now my sister has been on hormones forever and still having hot flashes (she says) 15 years after M. But then I have a better attitude than she does..lol.

I couldn't take RX since the breast cancer was estrogen dependent! At age 43, cancer surgery, chemo, radiation, full blown menopause. I just practiced being a nice person. The night sweats and lack of sleep were the biggest pain. I learned to sleep on a beach towel which absorbed the moisture. Then I could sleep longer and didn't have to get up to wring out my night gown. Finally it is all over. Whew! Due to Tamoxifen I had the night sweats and daily hot flashes so intensely.....for get this 11 years!!! Yes, T is usually only for 5 yrs. since cancer was so aggresive & in my lymph nodes dr. didn't want to take me off the T. Migraines began due to the T and after many years of that he agreed. No RX now and cancer free at age 61. Night sweats are a pain but it can be done naturally.

Wanting to avoid HRT, I first tried Black Cohosh (a supplement carried at Walmart). The hot flashes did subside but not nearly enough to suit me. So I switched to Phytoestrogen,
http://www.amazon.com/Solaray-Phytoe...uckduckgo-d-20 .
It did the trick; I went from having hot flashes every few minutes to just an occasional one. I had a very pleasant passage. You can read the pros and cons on the net, and no doubt read that there's no proof it even works, but it worked for me bigtime. PS my doctor did not object.

In a visit to my doctor he found a cancerous lump in my boob, so told me to start taking Vitamin E, the real one without the L in it. He said to start with a bottle of very low Vitamin E and after that bottle was empty, get the next strongest, etc. I think the idea was that suddenly taking so much would raise my blood pressure.
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Okay, I've been grocery shopping and came back to RE READ this, and it should have said ......He found a NON cancerous lump in my right boob.

About 25 or so years later a really cancerous lump was found in my LEFT one and I had a mastectomy. No chemo or radiation.
I'm still trucking along, well since the 1999 surgery.

I count myself so very lucky. At 43 yrs old I just stopped having periods and nothing. No hot flashes or anything. The same for my mom and 2 of 3 sisters. I feel for all of you.

My menopause was surgical and it was like hitting a brick wall. A few hours after surgery, I woke up soaked and had no idea what it was. When I asked the nurse what was wrong with me she just smiled and said she'd send the doctor in. He explained that since my body had no time to gradually/naturally adjust to decreasing estrogen levels that I could safely equate my menopausal experience as driving off a cliff...how soothing is that bedside manner!? Although, I guess the major problem was that he was a guy and had no idea what I was going through. I was 26 so I spent these last 3 year on PremPro (estrogen plus an extra hormone to prevent the further endometrial bleeding which led to the surgery) and he just switched me to Premarin.

I also take a Flaxseed Oil to strengthen my heart after hitting menopause so young, and Vitamin D AND a Caltrate for stronger bones, a Women's One A Day and a Vitamin C since I'm always getting sick now. I decreased my sugar, started working out more to counter the slower metabolism and started drinking lots of water. Certain foods can trigger hot flashes so be careful of the hot stuff.

I use Soy to help with the symptoms, the beans have a natural hormone.
I strongly urge that you discuss any supplemental product with your doctor and pharmacist. Some do not work well with certain other prescriptions/over the counter items. There are also some that are not good to take with certain medical conditions or illnesses :D:D:D