hot take on hot flashes

I have been saying for a while now that the list of ailments the medical establishment has yet to help me with is more than I can count on my two hands. 

What they don't know about me is that I'm a scientist. And I keep the receipts. I keep notes like a lab notebook with dates. 

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/06/hello-june.html

It's not like I haven't been asking for help. I went to my doctor right after my first LA Marathon finish, calm and confident. I said, "I'm an athlete. I've been training. I know my body. Something is wrong."

The first symptoms I cited were uncontrollable itching. Itchy skin. Not because I'm sunburnt, or allergic, or haven't showered. Just EVERY DAY. The palms of my hands and my feet and legs itch so much I want to scratch until they bleed. A cream compounded with steriods did absolutely nothing, if anything, it got worse.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/12/christmas-eve.html

Insomnia, night sweats, anxiety, rage. They didn't come out of the blue. They have been there for some time. Initially, I treated myself with Benadryl because it was already in my medicine cabinet; it stopped the itching, and it helped me sleep through the night.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/01/mom-rage.html

It really gets me mad to look back on these old posts and see how long I was having symptoms before I even asked my doctor about it. Spoiler alert, she didn't offer any solutions. Feeling like an insane person, with this rage that can't be calmed no matter how much I try to meditate. No strategy that has worked in the past is working now. I think that's a really common thread.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2023/11/rundisney.html

The musculoskeletal symptoms are pervasive, and I wrote about that. Also, the terrible PMS has been going on for years. I don't think people in menopause are weak or can't stick to a training schedule; I think we're genuinely in pain. And doctors either don't know how to help or won't help for some reason.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/11/moving-on.html

The weight gain is unreal. Honestly, I've had times in my life where I dropped a lot of weight. In my 20s, I did Weight Watchers and successfully lost 60 pounds. In my early 30s, I ran and cycled and probably dropped 30-35 pounds. In my late 30s, I counted macros, did HIIT, and lost ~35 pounds. It's not like I don't know what to do or how to do it. It's just not working now.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/04/5-days-until-rose-bowl-half.html

Mood swings that make your head spin. I've been on hormones for about two-and-a-half weeks. I feel this is the first time I'm clear-headed enough to write this post. It really was like Oprah says, with the first hit of estrogen, the sky is blue again. For me, it was immediate return of sex drive. I hadn't wanted or felt the desire to have sex with my partner for years. Every time I go near my labia, I end up with a yeast infection.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/09/perimenopause-or-not.html

Let's talk numbers. Blood pressure. High cholesterol. 

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2022/11/how-is-weaning-going-update.html

Heavy periods. Unpredictable cycle length. Passing clots.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/07/perimenopause.html

Anovulatory cycles. Painful ovulation. Needing bifocals. I understand; perimenopause is confounded with aging, so it's hard to tell which is causing the symptoms. Hair loss.

http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2011/10/formula.html
http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2019/12/pregnancy-part-18.html
https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2020/05/postpartum-part-10-beauty.html
https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2023/02/beauty-regimen-for-toddler-mom.html
https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/07/perimenopause-beauty-routine.html

Dry skin. Flushing. Rosacea.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2019/06/fertility-part-14.html

At least it seems like my monthly migraines have gone away.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2013/09/impatient-scientist.html

It seems like the last time I felt grateful to be a woman was in 2023.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2023/07/i-am-creator.html

Meno belly. The shift from fat storage in the hips and butt to the belly. I have had an hourglass figure for most of my life, I've never been an apple or pear shape. Now I have these huge tender breasts, and I'm no longer breastfeeding. I've discussed breast reduction surgery with my chiropractor, asking if he can write me a letter of support to have the insurance company pay for it. He's not a fan.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2012/03/between-sheets.html

Brain fog. Forgetting words. Feeling stupid. Like being educated and feeling like, oh I used to be so smart. Now I can't speak or spell.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/07/we-do-not-accept-skinny-bitch-season.html

Flat feet. Big feet. Collapsed arches. Feet that are 1.5 sizes larger than they have been your entire adult life. No wonder we don't recognize ourselves.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2026/04/gingerbread-in-july.html

Crunchy joints. A general lack of lubrication throughout the body. Pain everywhere: shoulders, back, hands, feet.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2026/08/marathon-shoes.html

And it feels like I'm a broken record. Nobody wants to hear about it (again). I'm screaming into the void.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/11/mental-load-of-motherhood.html

Fuming. Unreasonable. Not wanting to take care of other people anymore. I'm starting to think the patriarchy should love birth control because it regulates unruly women. You'd think they would want to hand out hormones like candy to keep us all copacetic.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/04/priorities.html

Luteal misery. Completely lacking the capacity to regulate body temperature. Imagine being trapped in a closet with a radiator that you can't shut off.

DO YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW THAT ALL THIS SHIT WAS REAL?

Because in less than a month, some of the symptoms have been fixed.

After 3 days "And you didn't yell at me. I didn't know you were on a new medication. You should get more of that medication. Because it's really helping you." ~ my son

After 2 weeks "It's really working. You're so calm." ~ my husband

Also, I feel like my belly fat is going down, although the scale weight is still going up.

And I feel my hair loss is slowing. I can take a shower and not create a huge hairball.

And why am I making this list now? Because I have an appointment with an OB/GYN on September 24th that may actually help.

This is what I want to ask for versus what I'm taking now ( marked with a 🤩)

From July 6 & 13 2026 of The New Yorker (print version) 

Estrogen patch (estradiol, 75 mcg)

Vaginal ring (Estring, 7.5 mg)

Estrogen cream (estradiol, 0.01 per cent)

🤩 10 mcg ethinyl estradiol

Oral progesterone (Prometrium, 100 mg)

🤩 1 mg norethindrone acetate

Compounded testosterone cream (start at 1 mg, then move up to 2 mg - up to 10 mg)

Do I take this list of symptoms and what I want, or do I let him ask the questions? Will he be suspicious if I come in with a laundry list? Will he even listen to me? Stay tuned. I will surely write about it.