One friend of mine notices hot flashes precede her "skip" cycles. Another friend with hot flashes hasn't noticed a pattern. I haven't noticed any hot flashes (just a few sweaty nights, but that's happened my entire life on and off). We are all in our early 50s.
According to a study/anthropology I read, hot flashes are a human experience: any gender, any age. It's only in certain parts of the world that hot flashes are correlated to perimenopause - so is it a genetic or cultural phenomenon? I expect that some perimenopausal women notice that hot flashes come and go based on internal (e.g. hormonal) and environmental factors - and the dynamic between the two. Hormones can definitely ebb and flow during perimenopause that can last up to 10 years(!), although 52 is the average age for menopause (US).
My cousin says menopause has been wonderful. I've read that it is for many women. I look forward to the mood stabilizer factor, although I wonder if I will miss the "social highs" I get around ovulation time. I certainly won't miss PMS or managing (not well) the logistics of the flow.
27 Mar 2023, 2:23 am
