Any tips on how to manage hot flushes?

[GutsyMcMuffin]

I've recently been having hot flushes, they're not too bad I'm not soaked like some people I've read about but when I'm out and about they're quite distracting. I don't think they're bad enough to go on hrt, but wondered if anyone had any tips on how to deal with them when you're not at home. I'm learning to dress in layers, s there anything else that make might life a bit easier?

A hot flush fan! Cheap as chips, folds down v small, take one anywhere.

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I found sage tablets stopped them the first couple of years before I had to get HRT

I have found that reducing carbs in my diet seems to have a positive effect and my GP seems to think this is a fairly common experience although he didn't say why. Mine were barely noticeable while eating sensibly but when I pigged out over Christmas they came back with a vengeance

Avoid alcohol. I was very reluctant to try this but constant flushes were making my life miserable. Stopped drinking and they practically disappeared. Tested the theory over Christmas by having alcoholic drinks throughout and the flushes returned with a vengence ! Cut it out again & they have pretty much gone. Am on HRT which is amazing stuff and has the flushes under control most of the time. I was experiencing adrenaline surges, racing heart & anxiety along with the flushes, HRT has cured all that. Good luck.

Oh and eating late at night too. Sets me off.. I read somewhere that you should aim to stop eating by 7.30 pm. My DP work pattern is crazy hours & if I wait and have a late evening meal with him have found I suffer for it, continuous overnight flushes.

HRT, all that has worked for me.

I'm not eating carbs or drinking at the moment anyway. I've done a bit of research on hrt and I rea want to avoid it as i have a high risk of breast cancer. They are manageable when I'm at home it's more tricky if I go out. I recently went to the cinema and had four flushes during the film I just wondered if anyone has found anything that helps in a practical way.

I started the menopause last year after a hysterectomy and I have found starflower oil capsules extremely helpful. You need to get the 1000mg pure starflower ones, I get mine off ebay.

Natural supplements did nothing, diet/alcohol didn't seem to make a difference, HRT was the only thing that touched them.

Pop over to the Menopause forum - but my answer to you is HRT!
Some people find herbal stuff like sage and red clover works but the research shows it's mainly placebo effect. Other treatments like acupuncture and even yoga and daily exercise can help but it depends on how severe your symptoms are.

I hadn't read your later post Gutsy about your high risk of breast cancer. I'm sure you have done your research on it all, but the 'official' medical view (by a consultant on menopause) is that high risk is defined as 2 first degree relatives ( mother, sister, daughter) diagnosed with b cancer before age of 45.

Only saying this because some women think they have a high risk when in fact they haven't- only 5% of breast cancer cases are hereditary.

HRT was never an option for me as I've had ovarian cancer. I would recommend the starflower. Also citolopram can help.

HI Gutsy - I had breast cancer and following treatment had awful hot flushes. I now take Venlafaxine and they have almost completely gone. It is safe if you are at risk of BC and has been a life saver for me.

I quite like them as its so flipping freezing at the moment . I'm enjoying warming up. I won't be so happy if I'm still having them in the summer though.

Wear layers, so you can strip off.

Oh sorry op I see you do that already.

I don't have any other tips, but I am determined to get through the menopause naturally, so I'm just employing a positive mindset and trying to embrace it

I bought a water mist spray, the sort we all use to set our makeup . It works a treat.

What's the point in trying to get through it 'naturally' if you are suffering?
I've posted a youtube link on the Menopause forum here if anyone is interested- Professor of the International Menopause Society talking about latest findings and safest HRT. Worth a shuffty!

cardigans, lots of cardigans

I'm not suffering though, pinkfrocks, it's all going well so far.

That's good then!
I thought like you do but hourly hot flushes and lack of sleep made it impossible to do my job so I had to have a re-think. Hot flushes are fine if you maybe don't have contact with the public 1:1 professionally or are home -based, but if you are working they are not easy to live with.

Pinkfrocks I'm under a breast cancer prevention clinic and have been told I have a 1 in 4 chance rather than the 1 in 10 that the average woman has of getting breast cancer. I might give the clinic a call and see what they say about Hrt. So far I'm surving the flushes and although I'm waking at night with them, they only last a minute or two then I go back to sleep - no worse than what I'm used to with a snoring husband.

I didn't know there was a menopause topic, so will pop over and have a look.

I've heard that replacing dairy with soya products helps. Have you asked in your local health shop or your gp may have some recommendations

I found that taking starflower oil capsule 1000mg and Soya isoflavones 50mg helped mine only very very occasionally now.

Sweets there is a lot of debate about the safety of phytoestrogens for women who have had breast cancer because some experts believe that as the plant oestrogens are (still) a weak oestrogen they may constitute a risk.

OP I think you need the expert advice of an oncologist because the whole issue is very complicated. Oestrogen-only HRT in women who have had a hysterectomy does reduce breast cancer cases, but it's adding in the synthetic progestogens that cause the higher risk. It may well depend on what sort of breast cancer you had- hormonally linked, or not- and how your consultant feels over all of this.

Hot flushes ruined my Christmas. Waking up 3/4 times a night, xmas shopping was a nightmare as I'd be stripping off in shops (well almost) waking up bathed in a layer of sweat. I had a cooling towel and gel pillows which eased the heat but didn't stop them. Well no more! I've been taking Menocool black cohosh from Hollond and Barrett and A Vogel's Menopace and I'm back to normal. I don't know which one is working and I'd rather not stop the combination! You can get a sample pack of the menopace from their website.