Always, thank you for bringing to attention some very interesting topics.
As someone with a long history (from teens) of symptoms of endometriosis and auto-immune disorders, including, more recently, coeliac, I am at greater risk for some cancers and heart disease, hence my deep interest in nutrition.
I'll take the endometriosis dietary advice, posted on some sites, as simplistic and in places harmful, if not dangerous, as it recommends to avoid saturated fat but eat walnut oil (high in omega 6!); it advices to avoid wheat (good!) because of high phytic acid but encourages legumes (as hormone balancing??) which are also high in phytic acid, as well as exerting an estrogenic effect; it also suggests to avoid red meat which is high in bioavailable iron (unlike supplements), essential in a condition with bleeding at times tantamount to hemorrhaging.
Endometriosis is oestrogen-dependent and in some cases it's genetic -Oxford found 9 variants, whereas in Paris there are even studies suggesting that RH negative carries twice the likelyhood of developing endo.
When going primal resolved my asthma, ulcer, anemia and eczema, dd and I tried to remove dairy to see whether it would resolve or alleviate symptoms of endo, which it didn't -then again we respond negatively to therapeutic hormonal treatments. Surgery, on the other hand, was effective for my mum but it's too early to see whether it'll get me through the menopause (so far so good -I now have a normal life).
I'm pleased to hear that eliminating dairy, freed you from residual hot flashes.
I share your concern on the effects of exogenous hormones but I doubt that dairy contains 80% oestrogen: measurements are seen in nanograms (compared to therapeutic use in micrograms and sometimes in milligrams).
There are population studies suggesting that 60-70% of exogenous oestrogen in the western world comes from dairy consuption, mostly milk; and of that oestrogen as much as 90% could be conjugated, which bypasses first pass metamobolism, hence potentially bioavailable.
More studies are needed on estrogenic effect of dairy (maybe oestrogen contributes to some positive cardiovascular effects seen in some studies?).
I did find this study on low fat dairy delaying menopause interesting.
It is difficult to attribute the lack of menopausal symptoms to a dairy-free diet in a society that is highly intolerant to dairy (intolerance might have a positive genetic impact) and that eats a diet rich in phyto-estrogens.
A similar argument could be made for ostoporosis... This subject is enormous: from wheat consuption all the way through magnesium and vitD.