I'm not suffering from hot flushes

Quite. I too have no problems with heat as such during the day, cold is more of a problem. Chocolate, cream and more than one glass of red wine all ensure a night the devil would be proud to inflict. If nothing else I have got rid of my chocolate habit and saved myself a fortune. I am down to 4 squares a night now.

The state of our bed in the morning is something else. we have to have several thin layers of duvet because DBH is a chilly mortal. Even he however cannot always cope with all the layers I pile onto him as I sleep. Separate beds have been hinted at! The swedes use separate duvets on the same bed, I am thinking we may trial that for a while.

Oh the joy of gransnet! This thread rivals the one of vaginal atrophy in telling it like to really is. Many thanks MamaCaz 10.01.15 at 17.22 - I'm in total agreement with you in your irritation at those magazine articles that tell us how wonderful it'll be, how our sex lives will improve because we can no longer get pregnant.

I have been lucky and hardly had any hot sweaty moments other than at night. I'm almost 20 years from my last period but still find I begin to glow just as I'm dropping off to sleep. The duvet is on and off with boring frequency. If I've been eating chocolate, it's particularly bad. I confess, this hasn't deterred my evening chocolate habit one jot. there are limits aren't there!

Maybe. I started to get swollen ankles in the heat too, a couple of years ago. I have never had that before.

janerowena I am exactly like that as well, with the cardis (and ankle-warmers as well, for me!) yet I sailed through the menopause 12 years ago with the minimum of symptoms.

Perhaps the 'faulty temperature regulator' is just an age thing...?

I can relate to that, janerowena. Four or more layers one minute, one (or even none) the next! My evenings just fly by with the non-stop dressing and undressing

I find I leave cardigans all over the house, so that I can put one on top of another for cold moments, or lose the lot. I am wearing four layers right now and yes, this means that I shall probably be boiling by bed time. It did take me a while to realise that I had cold days as well as hot nights.

The faulty thermostat analogy is a very good one, for me.

I sometimes, not too often, feel cold, quite cold, about a couple of minutes before a hot flush. Apparently my mother used to as well.
So there I am merrily putting on layers. Only for me to have to shed all those clothes and more, a few minutes later.

But it doesnt happen often enough for me to know whether I am cold, just because I am cold. Or because there is a hot flush arriving shortly.

I have become very sensitive to temperature in general.
I need a spread of clothes for whatever degree temperature it is. Gaps in my wardrobe have taken on a whole new meaning.

Having had thermal 'ablation' (? think that is the right word ) due to very heavy periods when I was in my early 50s I have not had any since. I have not noticed any obvious signs of 'the change' and being sixty now I assume I have been through it. Lucky for me not having these problems but I have had other health related troubles.

I've noticed something rather strange over the last couple of years: about 10 seconds before a hot flush strikes, I often notice that I feel the perfect temperature - this is strange because under normal circumstances I would never give any thought to my temperature unless I was uncomfortably hot or cold!
I can't decide if thinking about my temperature is enough to bring on a hot flush, or if this strange sudden awareness is all part and parcel of it.

Is it just me?

The writers are probably all on HRT. I wasn't allowed to take it.

Natural fibres only, too. Put me within a yard of a piece of polyester and I break out in a sweat. I'm absolutely fine during the day as long as I wear wool, cotton or silk, I can see why so many women wear linen now.

My body thermostat has been faulty for about 5 years now. It's definitely worse in the evening and during the night (though severity, frequency and even the sensation of the flushes varies from time to time).
I'm another one who throws the duvet off regularly throughout the night. The other (physical) symptoms have almost put an end to what was previously a very healthy sex life, too, and to be honest, I don't think DH understands that it's outside my control.

Oh, and my 82-year-old mum tells me that she still gets hot flushes now and then, so any naïve thoughts I started out with of this just being a passing 'stage' in life have been well and truly scuppered.

While the menopause is different for everyone, I suspect that there is a silent majority who go through hell with it, and I am totally fed up of reading in magazines and newspapers about how this can be such a wonderful stage of life for (an implied majority of) women. Apparently, our sex lives can be better then ever, with the risk of pregnancy gone. Well speaking personally, all I can say is that it's a load of b***ocks! Grrr.

Thankfully I didn't have hot flushes although I had lots of night sweats. DH eventually got used to my early morning antics of jumping out of bed, top and tailing the duvet, discarding my nightie and running out to the back garden in an effort to cool down. The garden is very private so there was no fear of me frightening the natives and it was a blessed relief. Even one glass of wine made it worse.

I never wanted HRT due to family health issues. Just doing it the natural way. I find that if I eat Indian food with little meat and lots of lentils, that I have fewer flushes. I cannot get DH to agree to adopting an Indian diet all the time though.

I've been having hot flushes for ten years too mainly at night. They are much relieved by HRT and two trails without it (one for an operation) left me completely exhausted as I got hardly any sleep due to the flushes. I have noticed though that one too many glasses of wine can mean a very 'hot' night. I take Tibolone.

My periods stopped at 53. I've been having hot flushes for ten years now. Do they ever stop? I hate the feeling if sweating knees inside my trousers! The night sweats carry on too. DH says it's like sleeping next to an electric heater.

When I stopped HRT after 20 odd years (had hysterectomy at 33) I feared I'd get hot flushes with a vengeance. Oddly seemed to happen after eating and at night only. DH had to get used to me chucking off bedclothes and 10 minutes later grabbing them back again.
When happened at mealtimes I fervently hoped no one noticed I'd be glowing! Never ended up dripping with sweat like some people thankfully, and seem now to have virtually ended.
My mother said she had them into her 80's but never took HRT.

I was fine till I came off the HRT now I have to dress in multiple layers (I am normally someone who feels the cold) and as JessM says I just strip off layers till I start to cool down. I wake up several times at night and have to turn the fan on full blast. 9 years post hysterectomy I am having my first lot of hot flushes. It wasn't so bad at Christmas. Always a card at hand to grab and fan myself with

Gillybob, me too.

I just tell myself I have an overactive circulatory system. I regularly thank god that I'm not like one friend who looks like a beetroot if she has alcohol, and another who often looks as if she has just come out of the shower. I have dreams in which I am being burnt alive, I can see the flames all around me. There is a constant battle between me, dbh and the bedroom window.

Mine are worse in winter too JessM.
From about June to Nov I may only have about 3 in total.

I am on about year 5.
The first couple of years were the worst, plenty of night sweats.
Currently I have about 10 hot flushes per day.

I am interested about your post crun. I am not sure if that is a joke, or you go cold regularly?

I had to give up Christmas shopping and get the rest of my presents online. I went to Liverpool in November and was carrying a pile of parcels when I started with a bad hot flush. I just had to get my coat off and there wasn't anywhere to put my bag and parcels. I ended up in a bit of a panic and was just grateful it wasn't one of the ones where my bra has to come off too!

I have an appointment with my g.p. to discuss going back on hrt.

I'm having some horrendous hot flushes at the moment. They just rush over me all of a sudden. Night sweats are awful with DH huddled beneath the covers and me frantically kicking them off. I'm having normal periods though but at 53 I guess things are about to change.

They certainly need rebranding. Current pitch is that they are something that is associated with "going through the menopause". Completely misleading! Instead they can kick in when the ovaries sign out and go on for flipping years.
Anyone else find them more troublesome in winter? e.g
Arrive in Waitrose after brisk walk, wrapped up for the elements. Unzip layers, take off scarf, but still, by the time I get to checkout, there is steam coming out of my ears.
In summer you don't get that kind of problem.

How does he explain that the body temperature doesn't seem to rise when a hot flush is in progress though.

I had a hot flush in the middle of a blizzard. You should have seen the looks as I ripped off my scarf, gloves and coat.

I'm the same as roseq. Faulty body thermostat. Well, maybe not so much faulty as hypersensitive.