I listened to my dear Mother's strong advice too - she had tried the artificial hormonal therapy stuff herself and it worked a treat for 6 weeks but then 'nothing' she said was a waste of time and money she was a Regstd Nurse for years ......my Mum said there were too many side effects. I agree after having done my own research recently. I take vitamins including Primrose oil capsules, fish oil capsules and eat 3 (double layered tins) of sardines in olive oil a week for the omega's and Vitamin E -either on toast or with a light salad or on a bed of lettuce with a baked potato....*yummo. Having more soy products in one's diet is supposed to help too. Tofu is okay in stir fries with veg but you would have to starve me before I would take soy milk *bleeuwW-AhH!

I have various shirts/tops and footwear and socks distributed around the house on back of a chair here and under a stool there! The hot flushes when they hit are pretty fast and intense! Like the speed of water jets from a firemans hose I reckon. I strip off that woolly shirt down to a t-shirt or cami so fast when a flush hits that I could shame a professional stripper LOL! Once I cool down I just take a brisk stroll though a few rooms and find the required weight clothing a footwear to re-don. The most annoying thing is as someone else has already mentioned here, when parts of you get intensely hot and clammy while other parts icy cold but still clammy! If I get like this and am irritable from this physical stuff I just go take a lovely hot shower in winter and a tepid shower in summer, before I take it out on those around me and think joyful thoughts whilst showering.

We are all different and our experiences will be different. Research is being conducted all the time but hey! No graph and no focus study is going to stop the menopause from happening.It's okay in fact even though a few of these symptoms drive me nuts at times I see it as a blessing compared to all those years of having PMS and period cramps and having to stock up on napkins.

......now which chair did I leave my thick flannelette shirt hanging on...?