I'm 50 and going thru the menopausal roller coaster HARD! Hot flashes, mood swings, DEPRESSION, anti-social behavior...been miserable now for about a year. Started some HRT last year which helped a little; then things started to slide downhill again so went back to the doctor and she prescribed something different (Progesteron and Estrogen combo) I have no family history of strokes or heart attacks so I'm going for it. I've also gained 25 or so pounds in this last year so I'm trying the Atkins program. Have been for 3 months now and have lost maybe 8 lbs (on a good day) my weight tends to fluctuate wildly from one week to the next...unfortunately all the fluctuations are mostly in the wrong direction...few are in the downhill direction..I've started walking on my treadmill this week (15 x 2 day) and I'm hotter than a pistol when I get off...the sweats are somewhat controlled by the HRT's so I'm not so "red-faced" when they hit...I still get a few at night. So then I'm tired most of the time..Have problems sleeping...oh well...enuf of that. I know it's gotta get better...can't get any worse.