What does hot flash feel like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because i’m 45 and been having what feels like hot flashes for a couple weeks now.
Is it normal to have 5-6/day? I feel my heart rate start to rise, then get really warm and when it’s over my stomach feels a little queasy. Is this just my new normal?

Yes, OP, this is what it's like for a lot of us, so that's probably what it is. After the phase you're in now, I was having them almost every hour at times, sometimes preceded by a quick little headache and that feeling of doom. Then the burst of heat, then the cold sweat. Once every hour or two. Now, about 5 years in, at 56, I get these every few hours. As always, though, if it doesn't feel quite right, check with your doctor. But intuition says, yeah, that seems like the start of hot flashes.

Thank you, dealing with this for years sounds awful. I haven’t had an uninterrupted night of sleep in weeks ( fan on full blast, layers of blankets, etc).
Follow up question, my periods have been unpredictable for a couple years but my most recent one was september or october. If I’m understanding correctly, the periods are going to be even more unpredictable and I’m going to have these annoying hot flashes at the same time?
Yes, i am going to schedule a gyn appointment but I need a new one due to insurance changes and I don’t have older friends or family to ask these questions.

I am the PP. I am not an expert at all, unfortunately. My periods were actually somewhat predictable, but with much shorter cycles--that was my first symptom. They went from a pretty regular 27-28 day cycle to a 20-21 day cycle, starting at around age 45. That lasted for a few years. Then the hot flashes started around 51 and have been going ever since--over 5 years. It wasn't until the last year that my cycles became irregular, happening every 3 months or so. Then a period in August of 2022 and none since. So I figured I was officially post-menopause after that. I don't take HRT because of multiple blood-clotting disorders, an identical twin who died of cancer in her early 40s and and older sister who died of a brain bleed in early 50s. Just too many risk factors for me to make it worth it. I do wonder sometimes though, as I am very worried about the sleep disruptions. I never sleep more than 6 1/2 to 7 hours and it's often under 6. If you don't have risk factors, talk to you your doctor about HRT. It's not the no-brainer some people on here make it out to be though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because i’m 45 and been having what feels like hot flashes for a couple weeks now.
Is it normal to have 5-6/day? I feel my heart rate start to rise, then get really warm and when it’s over my stomach feels a little queasy. Is this just my new normal?

Yes, OP, this is what it's like for a lot of us, so that's probably what it is. After the phase you're in now, I was having them almost every hour at times, sometimes preceded by a quick little headache and that feeling of doom. Then the burst of heat, then the cold sweat. Once every hour or two. Now, about 5 years in, at 56, I get these every few hours. As always, though, if it doesn't feel quite right, check with your doctor. But intuition says, yeah, that seems like the start of hot flashes.

Thank you, dealing with this for years sounds awful. I haven’t had an uninterrupted night of sleep in weeks ( fan on full blast, layers of blankets, etc).
Follow up question, my periods have been unpredictable for a couple years but my most recent one was september or october. If I’m understanding correctly, the periods are going to be even more unpredictable and I’m going to have these annoying hot flashes at the same time?
Yes, i am going to schedule a gyn appointment but I need a new one due to insurance changes and I don’t have older friends or family to ask these questions.

Not PP, but my period was random for about 4 years -- they just had a lot more space between them, generally about 3-4 months. I've now been without one for 15 months, so I'm officially "menopausal." I have had the hot flashes off and on the whole time, although they did go away completely for about a year in the middle if it all. But they are here now -- I'm actually having one right now, ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can I ask—why don’t get on HRT? What an awful set of symptoms to deal with so regularly!

If you a family history of breast cancer, it is not advised. My mom had estrogen sensitive BC, so I couldn’t do HRT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can I ask—why don’t get on HRT? What an awful set of symptoms to deal with so regularly!

If you a family history of breast cancer, it is not advised. My mom had estrogen sensitive BC, so I couldn’t do HRT.

Actually not sure if this holds true anymore

[Anonymous]

I've only had a couple, but with one of them I was walking and all of a sudden I was just ridiculously hot and I started sweating through my sweater. I had been fine before. I imagine I was flushed. It passed quickly.

[Anonymous]

54 and never had one.

[Anonymous]

I have only ever had hot flashes when starting an SSRI. Not sure if they are the same as a hormonal hot flash. But they were MUCH different than just feeling overheated, which I do frequently (have always hated being hot esp at night).

The SSRI hot flash felt like my skin was literally burning, like in front of a fire. Nothing at all like what it feels, say, to have your core temp go up because of exercise or heat outside.