Hot Flash Happy Hour (Health & Hormones)

From the Deli Counter of GenSando‍

Where sweating the small stuff is actually the dress code.

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Editor’s Note from MILF & Silver Fox

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Elizabeth, MILF: I thought I was having a heat stroke. Turns out I was just hormonal. I can run a 5k and not sweat like I do in the middle of the night in my 65 degree bedroom. 

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Nick, Silver Fox: Who knew dudes could be hormonal too? I am currently Googling “male menopause” while fanning myself with the electric bill.

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Welcome to GenSando’s Hot Flash Happy Hour, where we turn the most awkward midlife moments into table talk. It is time to normalize the heat, the moods, and the mystery meat that is hormone fluctuation. Grab a cocktail and a cooling towel, and let’s begin.

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— MILF & Silver Fox

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Welcome to the Most Honest Happy Hour You’ll Ever Attend

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Picture this. You are at a get-together, and instead of chatting about the weather, everyone is comparing night sweats and debating whether their libido went on vacation or simply moved out.

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That might sound horrifying, but science says it is actually healing.

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Here is what no one warns you about midlife hormones. They affect everyone.

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Women experience menopause.

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Men experience andropause. It is scientifically proven, though many prefer to frame it as “investing in new experiences,” also known as “a convertible.”

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And yet, people still whisper about something that literally every human with hormones will face.

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The Science Behind the Sweat (And Why We Need to Talk About It)

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Let’s break this down without the medical mumbo jumbo.

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Both menopause and andropause are biologically legitimate. They are not in your head, and you cannot yoga your way out of them, although it might help your mood while you try.

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For women, menopause usually begins between ages forty-five and fifty-five. It brings hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep drama.

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For men, andropause often rolls in quietly around forty, bringing less energy, new softness in unexpected places, and a shopping cart full of “advanced men’s formulas.”

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The real problem is not the hormones themselves. It is the stigma and silence that surround them.

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We are burning up, melting down, and pretending everything is fine because no one wants to say the word “hormones” out loud.

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Here is the good news. Humor and honesty can actually lower stress levels.

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So go ahead, laugh, vent, and let that fan run full blast.

Breaking Down the Hormone Hush-Hush

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Remember when we used to whisper about periods like they were top-secret missions?

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The same thing is happening again, just with more wrinkles.

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Here is what happens when we keep quiet.

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Women think they are losing their minds when it is simply hormonal.

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Men think they are getting soft when testosterone is naturally changing.

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Partners misread mood swings as marriage problems.

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Kids watch their parents transform into human lava lamps with no explanation.

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Everyone ends up feeling isolated during a completely normal biological process.

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One study found that seventy-three percent of menopausal women never mention symptoms at work, even when those symptoms affect performance. Men are even less likely to discuss it, often because they have been taught to “tough it out.”

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We deserve better than silent suffering in polyester.

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Google for a Giggle

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In French, the word for sweat is la sueur.

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Go ahead and say it out loud. It sounds exactly like “la sewer.”

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That means you can walk into a room mid hot flash, fan yourself dramatically, and say, “Pardon moi, it is just la sueur.”

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People will think you are cultured, not cooking from the inside out.

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Go ahead. Google for a giggle.

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The Cocktail Method: Mixing Humor with Hard Truths

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Here is our recipe for surviving the hormone hurricane.

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Ingredients:

• One part honesty: “Yes, I cried over a commercial about paper towels.”
• Two parts humor: “My thermostat is clearly possessed.”
• A splash of science: “Estrogen affects body temperature, it is not just me being dramatic.”
• Garnish with community: “Please tell me someone else just googled ‘Am I dying or just perimenopausal?’”

Research shows that humor and connection improve quality of life during hormonal transitions.

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If you can laugh about it, you can live through it.

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How to Handle Your Next Hot Flash Like a Pro (or at Least with Punchlines)

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Let’s be honest. Someone is eventually going to look at you mid–hot flash and ask, “Are you okay?” or “Why do you look like a wet noodle?”

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Instead of giving them your best resting face of doom, try one of these responses:

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At Work:

“Oh, I’m fine. My body just turned into a Crock-Pot on high.”

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At the Store:

“Don’t worry, it’s not contagious. It’s just la sueur.”

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With Friends:

“If I start steaming, just baste me and keep talking.”

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With Your Partner:

“I’m not mad. I’m just moist.”

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With Your Kids:

“Relax. Mom’s not dying. She’s just preheating.”

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When Someone Won’t Stop Staring:

“Don’t worry, I’m not melting. I’m marinating.”

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The goal is not to apologize for it. It is to own the moment.

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You are not falling apart. You are simply steaming with experience.

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Laugh Line

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My husband asked, “Is it hot in here?” I said no and accidentally hit him with my fan.

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Life Line

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We are all going through it. Next time you see someone your age red-faced and fanning themselves, give a knowing nod. Solidarity looks good on us.

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Glossary Schmossary

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Need help decoding all the lingo?

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We have you covered.

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Your decoder ring straight from the cereal box of midlife awaits:
👉 Glossary Schmossary

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Proof We’re Not Making This Up

• AARP: Menopause and Work (2025)
• Harvard Health: The Truth About Andropause (2025)
• Pew Research: Midlife Health Trends (2025)
• NIH: Hormonal Health and Emotional Regulation (2025)

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P.S. from MILF & Silver Fox

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We see you, we get you, and we’re right here with you.

Now go reheat your coffee… again.