I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and developed hot flashes at the same time. With the Synthroid (synthetic hormones that simulate what your thyroid should be putting out but isn't) the hot flashes have subsided some, but I still need to be in a room that is around 73 or less or I start sweating. I am 42 and have been on the Pill without taking the placebo for 10 years straight (no flaming, please, I was in an experiment for women with violently painful periods and this was to see how I would do without menstruating. FYI, it works EXTREMELY well and the several doctors who have done my checkups say that there have been no adverse side effects, keep on as long as I need to!) so I thought maybe it was menopause but it isn't, when they checked my thyroid levels they were extremely unbalanced and are getting back in check with the Synthroid. I still avoid humid places but it is better. Ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels, it is something that can go out of whack and you wouldn't realize it until your bloodwork is done. Keep us updated, I am very interested to see what happens in your case, and if anyone else can chime in on their experiences with hot flashes I would love to hear your stories.

I am one of those people that think that losing weight would solve half the Americans health problems... but usually, that doesn't include menopausal symptoms, due to the fact that estrogen is stored in fat, so it makes sense that the fatter one is, the less menopausal symptoms they have... but I dunno. Glad it worked for you! Stay thin! :o) You GO GIRL!

Don't hold your breath. :) It's been about 12 years since I hit menopause and they haven't stopped yet. I don't know what I would do without the phytoestrogen. It has eliminated the night sweats and most of the hot flashes. Additionally the hot flashes I do get are not so intense. I also keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator. When I feel a hot flash coming on (for some reason I get very thirsty right before I get one) I drink my fill of the cold water and it seems to cool me from the inside. One thing I have noticed from this board as well as friends is that symptoms, severity, and longevity of symptoms vary greatly from person to person.

If I remember correctly (that's a problem in itself!), the test for estrogen level was pretty definitive - I was below the level that I was supposed to be, and I think the doc tested me again in about 6 months without an improvement. By then, I knew without them telling me that the remaining ovary wasn't working and that I was going in to menopause. My mother also did not provide any info. She, in fact, said it wasn't that bad. For me, it's been 10 years of hell. I started with hot flashes about every 1/2 hour, and now I'm about every 1.5-2 hours. That's a lot (or not much) of disturbed sleep. I do remember something that my doc told me, but I haven't really researched it - women who have less body fat have more severe menopausal symptoms because they don't have any or have less stored estrogen. Not that that will make you feel any better! Still, my exercise kind of keeps me sane and out of the "poor me" mindframe. Hopefully, this isn't really menopause for you. I have seen some comments about hot flashes from women going off the pill - maybe doc can answer whether that's common.