Hi Cattknap,
You could look up some of the past posts here. There have been alot of discussion on the advantages/disavantages of HRT. If I were you, I probably wouldn't start it.....but I would be very careful to get plenty of calcium and exercise and eat well. Also.....if you're not going to take HRT, you should have a baseline bone densitometry, to determine if you are losing bone. If you are, there are drugs you can take to stop it.
Good luck!

Cattknap - I wouldn't. I took the mini-pill for 6-7 months, just to try to alleviate some of what was happening. Some it helped, some not - but I feel better since I quit taking it. I kind of resent that there is an entire supplement/medical industry built around a perfectly natural occurence, and I'm not going to buy into it unless therte is some actual health issue that I need to address.

I've had a couple of hot flashes, but I eat (and always have, before it became trendy) a high fruit/veg/soy diet. Along with plenty of chocolate. :) Known to reduce hot flashes, sweats etc. stay active & healthy as you already are, do basic common sense health screenings (like Catherine suggests) and don't worry!

BTW (DH is a radiologist) a certain amount of bone loss and degeneration is absolutely normal. Most people over age 30 have some, normal, normal, normal!

And I hate that your hair is still thick! Jeez. Mine's thinned quite a bit in the last couple of years...I think it's migrating to my chin.

You are funny Carina - loved the chin hair remark - unfortunately, I can identify with what you are saying. (I just pluck when no one is looking). I agree with what you are telling me - I feel that if my symptoms should ever really negatively impact my life, I would consider other medical possibilities. I tend to me on the allergic/sensitive side, so the thought of experimenting with hormones doesn't thrill me. I realize things could change for me, but for now I am not considering HRT as an option. Thanks for the help.

Sounds like we have a pretty similar philosophy...I think it's OK not to micro-manage every little physical thing. If there were one product that was known for a fact to be free of negative side effects, and would fix things like insomnia, mood swings and chin hairs, I'd take it in a heartbeat. But I am willing to deal with little stuff unless my life becomes really unpleasant - I'm pretty stoic anyhow.

You pluck? hell, I'm considering shaving, haha. Well OK - it's not really that bad, I hope!

I have a 48 year old friend who has to shave her arms when she has to wear formal, sleeveless dresses......all my on-top-of-the-arms hair has disappeared - probably just migrated to my chin. Actually plucking can be very therapeutic - sometimes I actually love mindless activity - probably because my mind is also disappearing.

Hello,
Hell, I wish my hair would go to my chin, I have to shave the mustache every few weeks! I've been in menopause for 13 years (Yeah, no periods) and am not on HRT. My doc wants to start it, but I have fought it off so far. Had bone density, results said I have the bones of a 20 year old (so turn me inside out!). Don't know what happened to the outside, but apparently the inside is AOK. Menopause is a narural thing and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I suppose if you can't stand the symptoms, then you would take drugs for it.
Good luck, Kathy G in MI

Carina,
Are you serious? chocolate for hot flashes? My diet is very high chocolate! my night sweats have gotten worse, so I guess I need to increase my chocolate intake? (oh, I hope so!!). Puhleezzeeee say it's true!

Darn - I wasn't serious about the chocolate! Try quitting it for a week & see what happens, but don't you DARE come back & say it made your nights sweats go away.

I don't ever want to have to justify my Ben & Jerry's intake (or chocolate Easter eggs.)