I am going to be 50 this year and I am currently going through "Mental-pause".

For me it is bad. Hot Flashes up the yin yang, crazy moods and lots of fatigue.

Luckily it has not affected my riding. The only thing that bothers me is an occassional Hot Flash while I am out and geared up. Feeling my face flame up in my helmet and gear is crazy annoying. Honestly, I am steaming up the inside of my visor.

Anyone else have these, "issues" or is it just ME?

And why has no one created a little emotocon/smilies having a little hot flash?

_________________
A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge, long or short. However,
always it is great. ~ Shuo Wen (ca. 100)
Visit my new scooter blog at -
http://saltyscooterstories.blogspot.com/

no not just you, me too. I only fog up my visor when I'm just getting ready to ride. I honestly can't remember having a flash while riding. While I'm riding I seem to be stress free and care free.

Nope your not alone!!! My Dr. took my med. away from me a few years ago so I had to find something else. I have been taking I-Cool for a few months now and hot flashes and night sweats have subsided. If I miss a dose they start right back so I take one every 24 hours so I can get through the night with some sleep. Without the I-Cool I do the "cover on, cover off" thing all night long and wake up exhausted in the morning. I ride almost every day and need to be alert when I ride so a good nights sleep is important to me. Hot flashes in my helmet is just more than I can tolerate in Florida!

_________________
~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

HA! This is why I ALWAYS ride with my faceshield up!

Yeah, I have used every anti-fog product there is, but hot flashes are a bitch. They do get a little better as time goes by, though. Now that I am 54 (mine also started at 50), they still rear their ugly head occasionally, but they are not quite as intense - and I can't remember the last time I had one while riding. Sometimes you just need to pull over and sit it out....

Wow... is this what my mom has never told me about. I am a young lady that can hardly keep her body temp up, I usually welcome 100 degree weather. You all have me almost looking forward to getting older:)

Brownie your not going to like the type of hot flashes we are talking about. I, like you, have always had a low body temp and yes I too like very warm weather (that's why I live in FL). But, hot flashes are not quite like the warmth you get from the sun when your cold. These are very annoying and come from the inside out! One minute you are freezing and in just seconds you are burning up and sweating profusely! With a low body temp I rarely ever sweat and was thankful for that since it makes your skin feel really nasty. Nothing worse than to get out a nice shower feeling all refreshed and then go right into a menopausal sweat before you can even get dressed!!! Nope, your not going to enjoy this no matter how cold you stay! I used to think like you too, but now that I am here and in the middle of it my advice to you is to "NEVER EVER HAVE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!!!!!" Run and hide from them!

_________________
~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Yep - I have always been a "cold" person and I always had terrible periods. The hot flashes are really unpleasant and I also have pain and anxiety. Like I am going to jump outta my skin. Hate getting dressed in the morning and having about 3 of them in a row as I put on clothes and make up. Having one while "geared up for riding" and not moving is the worst. Everytime my boss comes into speak with me, I break out in a sweat and turn red. This makes me look like I am mentally losing it!

Don't know why women drew the short straw when it comes to crappy body issues.

I bought some of that Cool+1 stuff and I will let you know if it works.

_________________
A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge, long or short. However,
always it is great. ~ Shuo Wen (ca. 100)
Visit my new scooter blog at -
http://saltyscooterstories.blogspot.com/

i-cool supplement helps with the hot flashes and 5-HTP supplement helps your mental well being.

I'm almost all done with that. Full menopause is fine, it's the perio that makes you want to stab people.

Belkwinith the I-Cool took away the red face thing from me and hope it works for you too. It also helped a friend of mine and she had it real bad. I did notice that it only works for that 24 hr period, if you go just one hour past time taking it, your symptoms return. I take mine in the evening, usually around 9 pm. A hot flash will remind you it's time to take it!

_________________
~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

If they're that localized, maybe you should see your doctor.

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http://www.nationaldriverstest.com/

I could never tolerate hormonal replacements. Doctor said I was Estrogen sensitive so he took my supplements away from me cold turkey and warned me it wasn't going to be pretty for around 8 weeks. Boy was he right. 7.5 weeks of hell before I started feeling better but looking back it was for the best and I was pleased that I had endured the ordeal on my own.

Before then I relied on black cohash supplements along with replacement therapy. I used to take a jug of them to work with me and the nurse I was working with who was also menopausal and I used to pass them back and forth during the night just to survive. Funniest thing that happened was the day I was having a photo portrait done and the photographer caught me in a hot flash. He kept putting filters on his camera trying to get rid of my red face and couldn't. I took a proof to my doc to prove how bad the flashes were. He started taking me serious then.

Worst was the night sweats. My husband said it was like lying next to a blast furnace and I was that uncomfortable.

Best advice when riding is wear loose layers and maybe a 3/4s helmet to promote air circulation. The loose clothes are the best and you can always stop and peel off layers if you have to.

No easy way to get through this. I do not promote hormone replacement. The change is something we all go through and survive. Replacement has been linked to too many cancers in women for me to take the chance with them.

As for wishing for menopause, young girls.....don't. Once you get through it you realize just how much your body depends on those hormones for everyday life. Your skin tone, your mental sharpness, your energy levels, your libido, everything that makes you feel young is intertwined with your hormones and periods. Rejoice for what you have because you will miss it when it's gone.

_________________
There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.

Thanks for all the advise and now I feel like I am not going crazy over here!

Trying the suggested i-Cool and other stuff.

Bexx - hard to imagine you as anything but young at heart. You are the most liveliest of gals I know of on the internet. When ever I feel crappy, I think about you gals and all of the Divas out there and I just keep rolling.

_________________
A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge, long or short. However,
always it is great. ~ Shuo Wen (ca. 100)
Visit my new scooter blog at -
http://saltyscooterstories.blogspot.com/

Saw this today and just had to share

Hey, you are making me BLUSH.

I wish I FELT as young physically as I do mentally. Yesterday on our bike ride home we spotted a woman cycling about a mile ahead of us. Out comes the hound chasing the rabbit mentality and DH and I tore out after her on our road bikes. He passed her first, I passed her shortly after on an uphill climb. By the time we got home I was toast. Got up this morning for the ride in and moaned when I swung my leg over my bike. Man was I SORE! My usual 22 minuted ride to work took 27 and my cruise in a a regular 18 mph was down to 13. DH asked me what happened to my endurance and I told him I lost it on the great chase from yesterdays ride home. He just grinned and admitted that it hurt him, too.

I remember what our ministers wife told me one day. She was about 10 years older than myself at that time and said "What don't hurt, don't work!"

Man was she right.

Something else you might try is natural estrogen replacement. Do you like sweet potatoes? They are LOADED with naturally occurring estrogen but you have to eat the skin along with the potato. I bake them crisp, load them with margarine (make sure it's trans fatty acid free, gals to promote cardio health) and yummo!

Remember please with menopause comes some hard facts. The estrogen that protects your cardiovascular system is dropping dramatically at this time and with it your natural protection. Keep your heart healthy. Eat right, low fat, low cholesterol, low sugars, watch your salt intake and your blood pressure and try to keep your weight at a recommended level for your height and age. The latter is hard to do as your metabolism is also changing along with everything else.

And as much as we love our scooters and motorcycles. Park them one day and walk whenever possible. Exercise is vital with menopause and afterwards and will really help you through it. It will be hard as your energy levels are suffering at this time but it will help in the long run with the way you feel, sleep and with your mood swings.

You can get through this. Women have since the dawn of time.

_________________
There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.