Hot flashes & going out

[TallulahDoris]

I’ve just started to experience hot flushes and I’m finding them quite difficult to manage. I suffer with anxiety anyway so managing them together is a minefield. Any tips please as to how to manage them especially when out and about socialising?

I had horrible hot flushes for years. I always wore layers, and the top layer had to be easy and quick to come off. So lots of cardigans and more casually a zip vest (I think you call them gillets).

I have a fold up Spanish style fan in my bag at all times for such a moment!

Since I started on HRT patches, my hot flushes have stopped. Before that, I was wearing cami tops with a loose shirt over when going out.

Thank you, I’ve not started HRT yet, did you find any particular type helped with the flushes? There just seems so much choice! My poor face is resembling a beetroot at the moment x

I was suffering so badly 20+ in the daytime and nights, it was months of hell and almost folded my business of 25 years as I couldn't work or focus or cope.

I went privately and tried HRT again.

I'm on HRT it's an old brand of progesterone I take one every night called Norsthisterinre it's the equivalent of having the coil but I can't have that.

Then I put a small patch on twice a week, Sunday & Wednesday that's the oestrogen, I couldn't tolerate the gel

Within 3 days the hot flushes stopped totally, I've not had one since. Overall the HRT has improved my life, it took 3 attempts at 3 different does and GPs to get the right fit for me, so it's a trial and error approach.

Good luck I feel your pain.

Oestrogel and Utrogestan are what I settled on after endless reading. You can vary the number of pumps of oestrogel to find your sweet spot. It's also nature-identical, and available on the NHS.

Or you can go for patches. Have a look on Menopause Matters.