Sweating It Out: What No One Told Me About Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, and Navigating Menopause
For the past four years, I’ve been navigating the unexpected twists and turns of perimenopause. Growing up, I thought menopause was something that just happened—you wake up one day, and suddenly, no more periods. Simple, right? Wrong. I had no idea it was a drawn-out process with stages that can last for years. And while I’ve dodged the infamous mood swings and physical changes women go through, I wasn’t ready for the relentless persistence of hot flashes and my body’s inability to regulate its temperature. I feel like a broken thermostat that is on “hot as hell” all the time.
Let me tell you, these hot flashes don’t play around. They hit me out of nowhere—mid-conversation, at work, running errands, laying on the couch watching TV—it doesn’t matter. One minute I’m fine, and the next, I’m drenched in sweat, feeling like I’m sitting next to a bonfire. And the nights are worse. The night sweats completely throw off my already erratic sleep schedule. Just when I manage to drift off, I wake up soaking wet, tossing the blankets off, and then scrambling to pull them back on as the chill sets in. It has gotten so bad that I have to run the central air in a room with a window air conditioning unit, two electric fans, and a one hand held fan to just feel normal.
A friend suggested hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a solution. She swore it could help ease the symptoms. But having had a pre-cancerous condition in my twenties—cervical dysplasia—I was nervous. The idea that HRT could increase my cancer risk has kept me from considering it seriously, even though the hot flashes are pushing me to explore all options. That said, I’ve finally made an appointment to talk to my doctor specifically about menopause.
And honestly, I think every woman should do this. For years, we see gynecologists, regularly, to maintain our reproductive health, so why do we stop at menopause just because our periods have? This is just as much a part of our health as menstruation ever was. Yet, many of us don’t think to get the same level of care or guidance during this time. We’re left to figure it out on our own, piecing together bits of advice from friends, articles, or random online searches. But I’m learning how important it is to have that conversation with a professional who can help us understand what’s going on and what options are available.
As I wait for my appointment, I’m trying to get a better handle on things with small changes, but this experience has been a real eye-opener. No one tells you how long this phase can last or how much it can affect your daily life. It’s time we start having these conversations more openly so women aren’t left in the dark like I was.
If you’re dealing with perimenopause, don’t just tough it out in silence. Reach out to your doctor. Ask questions. Get informed. We deserve the same level of care and understanding during this chapter of our lives as we’ve had during all the others.
