Hot Flash Hell, or Some Like It Cool

Suffering from hot flashes? We know your pain.

Samantha Jones, Blanche Devereaux, Bonnie Punkett, and Claire Underwood. These generation-spanning small-screen doyennes are dynamic, gorgeous, and hot. And by hot we mean, like, hot. Literally hot. As in: They’ve all suffered the indignity of a hot flash in the living rooms of millions. The ole hot-flash trope has also descended upon Edith Bunker, Nurse Jackie, and scores more of TV women. But unlike so many ginned-up Hollywood cliches, this one’s a cliche for a reason. Eighty percent of us get hot flashes IRL. (Eighty percent!)

THINK of those flashes as the tie that binds? Yes, that’s it! The tie that binds all of us menopausal women together, as we stand in front of our open refrigerators in hope of relief, from sea to shining sea. And face it, we do need that solidarity among our sisters because the all-encompassing, prickly, roasting sensations can last up to two minutes apiece, occur up to thirty-five times per day, and continue for as long as 12 years.

But take comfort in your strength and fortitude and inner cool. As a wise woman named Wanda Sykes once looked us in the eye and said to us personally (aka via the Netflix standup special Not Normal): “There’s no way in the world men would put up with hot flashes. I think if a man had two hot flashes, they would blow the sun up. You’d go out, they’d got the missile pointed at the sun.” (Wanda’s on to something: We ran this experiment, which you can check out here.)

IF you want to do something about your own hot flashes, allow us to suggest continuing to bypass the missile (we’re doing so well so far!). Instead, grab a fan (we know, revolutionary!), cut down on the caffeine and booze (not fun), get down with some deep breathing (OK!), skip the hot tub (duh), and consider hormone therapy: Hot flashes wreak havoc when our estrogen levels drop; hormone therapy can boost them back up (and cool you down). If the fact that there might be an actionable solution out there feels like a cool breeze wafting over your oft radiating torso, it’s worth taking Alloy’s super-quick symptoms assessment right here to get the ball rolling. Alloy’s products are FDA approved, plant-based, and easy to get your mitts on. And did we mention that Alloy was founded by women? Or is that obvious? Stay cool, Alloy

Alloy's Recommended Treatment for Hot Flashes:

• Estradiol Pill

• Estradiol Patch

• Evamist®/Estrogen Spray

• Estradiol Gel