see current HotFlash! news articles

Meet the author
Stephanie DeGraff Bender, MA
Author of "Power of Perimenopause"
She has been in the forefront of women's hormonal health for the last 20 years. Her work in unearthing the seemingly mysteries of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) has led to her current expertise in perimenopause. The Power of Perimenopause has sold thousands of copies and is a well respected women's health guide. Her appearances on Oprah, CBS Morning News, Donahue have left no doubt that she is a women's advocate in the best sense of the word.

HotFlash FAQ:
How can birth control pills help symptoms of perimenopause?
There is a whole new group of BCPs like Loestrin that were created especially for women over 35 years of age.  Not only do they function to help with the often disruptive symptoms of perimenopause, they work as an effective means of birth control.  They contain just enough estrogen and progesterone to prevent pregnancies and help with perimenopause. Find out more.

Meet the Author:
Kathryn Petras
FREE excerpt & interview
author of: The Premature Menopause Book
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Kathy works to dispel the ever- present myths surrounding women and menopause. Menopause is typically seen in women who are age 50 and older. But there are literally thousands of women in their thirties and even late twenties who find themselves in the throes of menopause. As Kathy has written " they fast forward from 29 to 59". This devastating health challenge is not merely physical; the hot flashes, mood swings, troubles sleeping etc. but delivers a harsh emotional blow. When Kathy discovered that she was menopausal and in her thirties, she searched for a book, a resource to help her understand what her body was going through. She did not find such a book; so she wrote it herself. See the interview hosted by Sue Spataro and a FREE excerpt from the book.

Meet the Author:
Shannon Entin
FREE excerpt & interview
author of: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Health & Fitness
hosted by Joe Spataro
Shannon along with her co-author Joan Price have put together a wonderful book for all of us "idiots" out there who want to be more healthy, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Health & Fitness." The World Wide Web teems with useful weight-loss information, useless weight-loss misinformation, and a dogpile of advertisers trying to sell you tomfoolery disguised as the answer to your dreams. Get some insights from Shannon as well as some very practical advice in her FREE excerpt, "Promise the Moon" from her book

Meet the author:
Ruth S. Jacobowitz
author of: "150 Most-Asked Questions about Midlife Sex, Love, and Intimacy"
Interview & FREE excerpt
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
One of the strengths of this book is that it shares the contents of the interviews that conducted with women about their sex lives at midlife and later, but not their identities.  It is explicit in detailing their desires and their disappointments, their pleasure and their pain, their sexual needs and their search for solutions. Find out more about the role of testosterone (a male hormone) in women and how aging, intimacy and sexuality can be maintained and improved. Find out more.

Meet the Author:
Leigh Anne Jasheway
FREE excerpt & interview
author of: I'm Not Getting Older; I'm Getting Better at Denial
Leigh Anne Jasheway's book I'm Not Getting Older; I'm Getting Better at Denial is a hilarious look at aging. Leigh Anne, a humor writer with 8 published books,a humorous speaker,  and a stand up comic is from Eugene, Oregon.  Her wit and writing comes from her unique position as a woman facing mid-life.   Leigh Anne uses her sense of humor to help us get over the bumps of the "middle years" and encourages us to look at life with laughs, not tears.

Sue's Soy Kitchen
Have you thought about soy?
Stop by our kitchen where we have prepared some tasty treats which are healthy too!
"Two soy beans up! - - Way up!"
- - Soybean Entertainment Weekly
""I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"
- - Soy & Tofu Times

HotFlash FAQ
What is Provera?
Provera is the oldest and most commonly used synthetic progestin for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  It is the progestin being used in the HRT program of the Women's Health Initiative. Find out more.

Meet the author
Susan Rako, MD
"Hormone of Desire"
the role of testosterone in women
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN

Recently I read Dr. Susan Rako's book The Hormone of Desire.   Her book has been a best seller and delves deeply into the area of women and testosterone deficiency.  This subject is slowly being discussed and it's through Dr. Rakos' appearances on Oprah and radio that she is making a strong case that there are many women suffering from testosterone deficiency.

HotFlash Cyber-interview with Dr Utian
Executive Director of NAMS
hosted by Sue Spataro

Wulf Utian, MD, Ph.D. is a specialist in the fields of gynecological endocrinology and infertility. He has been an innovator in several aspects of advanced reproductive technology.   He has devoted the better part of thirty years to studying the physical and emotional aspects of menopause. See our interview with him.


HotFlash Cyber-coverage
NAMS Annual Meeting
(North American Menopause Society)
NAMs is celebrating their 10th anniversary
They promote women's health specifically in the area of menopause.  This multidisciplinary scientific meeting is attended by more than 1,000 healthcare professionals and researchers from around the world.

Meet the Authors
The Mayos - "The Menopause Manager"
Dr. Joseph Mayo, OB/GYN, and his wife Mary Ann, M.A. MFCC are partners both in life and in health. Together they have formed an amazing health program for women.  In their latest book Menopause Manager; a Safe Path for Natural Change,  they outline in step by step detail, how the average woman can plan her own personal perimenopause/menopause journey.   See the cyber-interview conducted by Sue. They include varied forms of treatment, alternative concepts, life style changes, and hormonal products.  Their integrative approach has helped thousands of women.

Sue & Dr. Teaff on WFAE
See excerpts from their radio appearance here in Charlotte with hyperlinks to many of our informational areas and chance for you to join in the discussion online!!


Meet the author:
"The Estrogen Answer Book"
by Ruth S. Jacobowitz
She was vice president of Cleveland's Mt. Sinai Medical Center for 20 years and a medical journalist, as well as the author of many books covering menopause, estrogen therapy, osteoporosis and a practical guide to midlife sex, love and intimacy. See the cyber-interview where Ruth shares some of her views on women's health with host Sue Spataro

Osteoporosis: The Silent Epidemic
by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
It is a silent disease, slowing robbing calcium and other vital minerals from our bones. Osteoporosis reveals itself after the damage has been done. There is no gradual pain or hint that this disease exists.Do you have it?

Charlotte Observer Article
(about HotFlash!)
this is a lovely article written as the result of an interview by correspondent Karen Garloch about the HotFlash group.

Breast Cancer Awareness
is a resource featuring seven steps to diagnose breast cancer with an array of links for support and a bibliography recommended by the American Cancer Society. Help us make it even better, by telling us your favorite book, or perhaps sharing your personal story.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness
What are the signs and symptoms of this hidden killer. Early diagnosis is the key. Find out more

HotFlash! Featured on
PBS National Show - HealthWeek
all across the United States!!
HealthWeek, a highly popular, nationally syndicated health program produced by The Washington Post and aired by PBS, will feature HotFlash! founder Sue Spataro.  The show will begin airing the week of Friday January 29th through February 4 th.  It will also be carried by cable's The Health Network on their show Health Point.

see current HotFlash! news articles

click here to join HotFlash & ask a question

newly revised for 2000!
Could It Be...Perimenopause?
by Steven R. Goldstein, Laurie Ashner

see the interview with Dr Goldstein
In clear, supportive prose, Goldstein offers no-baloney advice. "Today's perimenopausal women has neither the time nor the patience to go through four to fifteen years of symptoms without relief," he says. He fully delineates the roles of various hormones, how to determine if you're in perimenopause or not, as well as how to treat the various symptoms to gain control over your life.

Ask us a question
& join HotFlash
You can ask a question from our support group and automatically join and be part of our HotFlash community

Meet the Author
see cyber-interviews and read FREE excerpts from their books
Health-Bytes
little helpful ideas for you and your family
HotFlash News
(feature articles)
HotFlash FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
gives you the answers to your most common questions
Common Perimenopause Signs & Symptoms
There are many signs and symptoms for perimenopause and menopause. There also seems to be as many different symptoms as there are women ! Find out more.
FREE meno symptoms chart
(nice printable chart you can take to your doctor)
FREE meno daily journal
(day-by-day way to navigate your journey)
HotFlash Therapy Guide
(a comprehensive listing of your choices)
Glossary of Terms
(list of terms for you need to know)
MenoHealthy Recipes
(the joys of tofu and more)

also see
PinkSunrise.com
("women helping women")
Women's Health Center
(everything about women's health)
also see:
Nature's Way Health Center
natural and alternative medicine
Menopause & Peri-menopause links

The Power of Perimenopause:
A Woman's Guide to Physical and Emotional Health During Perimenopause
by Stephanie Degraff Bender, Treacy Colbert

While much as been written about menopause, little attention has been paid to the experiences women undergo during the transitional period BEFORE menopause. Now, for the millions of women in their late thirties and forties, this comprehensive book focuses on easing the normal, but sometimes distressing, physiological and psychological symptoms of the stage preceding menopause.

Red Hot Mamas Do Menopause With Style
by Marie Evans, Ann Shakeshaft

Into all the deadly seriousness surrounding menopause, comes Red Hot Mamas Do Menopause With Style. Fast-paced text includes tables, pie charts, graphs, timelines, lists, letters and the best (real!) menopause Web sites. All the topics of menopause, including (but not limited to) weight gain, insomnia and hot flashes, are made funny and thereby a little more bearable.

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