forget, for a second, what you've been told about menopause before.  imagine, if you will, that the discomforts of the menopausal transition aren't due to *low* estrogen levels,  rather they are due to the *spikes* of estrogen that are occuring against a backdrop of the cessation of menses?  imagine, if you will, that low *progesterone* levels, resulting from a declining number of ovarian follicles and subsequent corpus luteam, are insufficient to stimulate menstruation, while estrogen continues to be cyclically fluctuating and causing complaints such as hot flashes & night sweats?  these are the ideas that dr. jerilynn prior is asking you to think about after her review of current scientific literature, and re-interpreting the way we look at the statistical data about menopause, in her new book estrogen errors.   the implications, of course, are that the current paradigm that in menopause low estrogen needs to be supplemented (as both HRT & bioidentical hormone therapy assume) needs to be adjusted.  starting a menopausal journal, where you document the occurance and frequency of discomforts you are experiencing such as night sweats, hot flashes, headaches, nausea, irritablitity, insomnia (which is usually not cyclical, actually, difficulty sleeping is often more consistent), etc... can be quite revelaing of what may be happening within your endocrine system. i am not, however, advocating that all women should instead be supplementing their progesterone levels during their menopausal transition, although this may be an effective treatment for some women for women for some discomforts.  from a traditional chinese medicine philosophy, there is no one cure for every situation, the best therapy depends on the pattern of symptoms which present in each person.  in my practice, i have found that ensuring the smooth circulation of energy and blood of the liver is often even more important than the nourishment of the kidneys to treat hot flashes & night sweats.  however, every woman is different and every menopausal transition is a reflection of the life that woman has lived.  if you are interested in using traditional chinese medicine to ease your menopausal transition, it is important to seek the advise of a licensened, registered dr. tcm or tcm practioner who can differentiate your particular imbalances.