I've been doing a LOT of research about this - I've been having some awful symptoms for the past 2 years (since turning 40) -- some of which are typical menopause related stuff and some are not, but I suspect all are related to hormonal decline. I've been getting bloodwork and basically, my estrogen and thyroid are both circling the drain --- my last bloodwork showed the estrogen level of a 60 year old (I'm 42! WTH!) I am pursuing bioidentical hormone replacement via cream. I don't have it all figured out yet (I get the feeling that there's a lot of experimenting on yourself til you find the right combo) but from the reading I did, I am pretty confident that this is what I need. Those of you saying you can't take HRT because of pre-existing tendency to blood clots or migraines or whatever might want to investigate the bioidentical stuff via transdermal cream. Blood clots are only an issue when estrogen is taken orally and passes through the liver -- if you are delivering it via skin or patch, there is no increased risk of blood clots (and in fact, your risk of other heart issues goes way down). Migraines are also one of the things that estrogen can help. And even the connection between estrogen and breast cancer is not as cut and dried as I thought -- I feel safe taking the bioidentical estrogen. I have read probably 20 books on the subject of menopause and HRT and the one I found most clear ad helpful is called Screaming to Be Heard by Elizabeth Vliet. I would recommend reading it - it pretty much debunks a lot of the things that I had heard about HRT including the results of that women's health study that caused everyone to abandon HRT -- did you know that whole study was done with synthetic hormones, not bioidentical? And that none of the horrible side effects found in that study have been found in studies that use bioidentical hormones? They are all related to the synthetic stuff like norethidrone and premarin. Because the pharmaceutical companies can't patent a naturally occuring substance and therefore can't make big bucks of bioidentical, there have been few efforts to educate doctors or do controlled studies on bioidentical hormones, but the studies that have been done show amazing benefits without the scary side effects. (Of course, the pharma companies don't want you to know that, because they want you to keep taking your premarin....)

I've been buying it at my local health food store, but I'm sure I can get the same thing online for less $. I intend to do a search today (when I have a bit more time) to see who's got the best price. Oh, and this was certainly no comfort to me -- my mom, who will be 70 years old next month -- says she still has a flash from time to time. :-/

The only thing I have found so far is to soak my hair and head down with the garden hose. I have long hair so the back of my t shirt stays wet. I have MS as well and heat makes me weak as a kitten. There are times that I have all I can do to get back into the house. I found some cooling products through the MS Society that I think might help in both counts. I am looking at the neck wraps that go down your spine a bit and the wrist wraps. I found at night that if I keep a gel pack on a towel on my bed that it helps just to put my hand and wrist on it. Also a wet face cloth. So who knows may be it would help outside too. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/OKE/programs--services/DirectAssistance/cooling-product-information-and-assistance/index.aspx

God love ya! I've had all kinds of hot flashes the past ten years and they continue but have lessened. I've had the ones that make my face flush terribly and then I break out in a sweat. I've had the one that feel like I'm a thermometer and the heat rises somewhere from my abdomen and up thru the top of my head. They can last a minute or several minutes. The ones I get the most of now are at night. I can go to bed so tired and cold and just when I get comfortable and ready to doze off, I'm sweatin' like I'm in a steam bath. My mother was 85 when she passed and she continued to have hot flashes till then. Yes, everyone is different. I think of it as "surging" now! But, I never get use to them. Hang in there!