I was wondering the same thing. I haven't had a period for 18 months, been on HRT for a year.

I have my annual on Thursday; will ask my GYN then.

When is menopause over? When you're dead!
Sorry 'bout that. I've been "going through" it for about 12 years now, and am still having problems.
I think some of our problems (including eating alot) is related to our serotonin dropping, so try to find other serotonin-raising things to do. Although I must admit, none of them is as fun as eating! :)

According to my GYN, I'm post-menopausal. She gave me a reduced strength of HRT to see if my symptoms will stay away.

I still get confused about all this. If I'm finished with menopause, shouldn't I be finished with having hot flashes, etc.?

My OB/GYN said that we can still have fluctuating hormones 10 years after we stop having periods. Isn't that sad?

Does that mean I've got 8 more years of this???

Sad doesn't begin to cover it, catherinet (LOL).

My periods just stopped about 18 months ago. I wish I'd have a hot flash, because I always feel cold.

Started HRT 2 yrs ago after feeling delibitated from menopause...I was a mess...couldn't work...function...just took hold of my life.One day I just couldn't afford the expensive meds anymore since I wasn't working and Stopped meds after 15 mos. I was scared especially of the heavy bleeding startup.g again..I bleed profusely for years ...everyday..non stop..the HRT put it under control.I threw caution to the wind and Stopped meds ...almost 11,mos now. Just recently started sweats...no flashes...just sweats...and of course depression since it never left me especially when my husband died 9 mos ago pancreatic cancer. Does menopause leave you....I don't think so but it does subside...I am having discharge lately...annoying... I pray everyday that Ivan get back the happy...joyful....healthy person I was...I know a lot has happened in last 3 yrs...but I need a break....hang on in there..it gets better....

MY test result came back and it is FHS=8, LH=2.5, E2=21. does that mean I am in pre-meno stage? I am 46 and having bad headaches.

Hello all,
I hate to say this but I've had at least 7 years of pre/peri menopause symptoms and they're still going strong. I'm 53 and I haven't had a period for over 2 years and I genuinely thought the symptoms were going as I no longer have the hot flashes and some of the sex related symptoms have got better. However, the past few weeks have brought back headaches, dizziness, overwhelming tiredness(which oddly enough was how it all started!) and something called costachondritis? which is chest pain associated with imflammation. I went to A & E because I thought I was having a heart attack! My joints ache a lot yet I eat well, watch my weight and include lots of fish in my diet as I don't eat meat. I'm sure some of the symptoms never really go as I've read several different posts on this fantastic site from women in their sixties who still suffer. I envy those who get through this without any symptoms. For some of us, it seems to never end. This site keeps me sane when things get overwhelming.
Keep as well as you all can.

I have been in menopause since I was 50 and now I'm almost 53.How do you know when it's over.Does your sex drive come back I haven't had sex in yrs.My husband doesn't even try to have sex with me.I don't feel attractive to him anymore. Any suggestions thank you.

Well.....here I am, 7 years later, and I'm still hot flashing and battling weight. I've now been having flashes for 13-14 years. Unbelievable.....

There are slight improvements in some areas, but am now seeing my skin becoming paper thin (should tried HRT I guess) and I look older than a number of other 51 year olds.

Have decided to just take it as it comes. I live in flip flops (in the wet NW) and dress in layers to help with the hot flashes. I have started taking the time to take better care of my skin and body.

My husband has been pretty patient with me but I'm pretty sure my family is sick to death of hearing me blame everything on my hormones. :-)

It's never over!!!! Once you are in menopause, it is the permanent loss of your sex hormones, specifically Estradiol and Progesterone. Many woman's bodies continue to have androgens, i.e. DHEA and some testosterone. However, estradiol levels are very low and progesterone is usually absent ( only what your adrenal glands can make.)

Sorry you are having a tough time, many of us do. I know those hot flashes can be horrible. Should you take HRT? There are many different philosophies on this, but I would direct you to an endocrinologist who has written many, many books on this subject, Dr. Diana Schwarzbein. You can google her name and plenty will come up. She says that her mission in life is to change the way menopause is treated. All hormone connect with one another, and an imbalance in one system will cause imbalance in other systems. I don't think I've read or seen more informative information on the topic of menopause.

Don't give up! There are plenty of things that might help you restore your health and well being. But I know woman who have had hot flashes and night sweats in their late 70s.

Hi I'm on a pill called clodine it's helping get me back to normal lost 20 lb since I went on this and 15 more To go

I wondering when I should stop taking them

it's been interesting reading all of the above. Has anyone been put on DHEA to help with Menopause?

Hello. I was a member at this site many years ago, just came back. I read this thread with interest. I started menopause when I was about 47............hot, hot flashes and sweats that would have sunk the Titanic. This continued on for years. And years. And yet more years. I'm now 67, and still get too warm quite a bit, tho thankfully the sweats have pretty much stopped. I call myself "The Queen of Hormonal Imbalance". For many years I wore tank tops in the dead of winter and was still too warm (I live in Wisconsin, part of the tundra zone.........). I have only recently been able to wear a t-shirt, or anything with a sleeve. Sex???? What is that????

I absolutely refused to take HRT..........I told my hubby that I was NOT ingesting horse piss. I suppose if I would have taken something it would have helped, altho I did try several herbal/alternative health treatments, without much success. To make it worse, my Mom said "Oh, I never had any hot flashes or things like that". Grrrr.........

Hi all. This definitely seems to be a long involved process our bodies go through. Has anyone been dealing with depression as well as the many other symptoms. I feel like that is the worst part of dealing with this. I am eating a healthy diet and exercising every day, taking magnesium, B6 and Remefemin and hoping this all helps. I have had peri symptoms since around age 43. I am now 52 and seem to be in the worst of the menopause stage. I haven't had a period for 7 months and I am hoping that this is a sign that my body may settle down soon. I have also been having the heart palpitations.

Anna Z it was until I was 68, last year, that I slowed down with the sweats and flashes. Was told I was perimenopausal in my mid 30's. Couple of years ago when they were getting worse I asked my doctor if there was something I could do and when they would end. I refused to take the hormones. He told me that some women never loose the hot flashes. I still have the sudden sweats but the heat other than around my head and neck have gone. A thing I noticed was that eating certain foods, vegetables, would be followed by the heat.

maifleur01, the heat, for me, seems to be from the waist up. I've not noticed anything re: certain foods (other than gaining weight...........LOLOL)

I have to laugh every time I fill out the yearly medical questionnaire. It always asked when my last period was. I never paid attention they just stopped. Unless you keep a log most would never be able to tell after a couple of years the exact date. For me the exact year.

Hi all..to brooklynative..I also suffer from depression AND anxiety. I'm 57 now and this all started full on about 5 years ago...feels like forever though! I've struggled with chronic depression over the years but had it under control. When my hormones started to fluctuate..it became much worse. Depression meds don't seem to help anymore and the anxiety meds knock me out. I only take them at night to sleep. (Insomnia started about 3 years ago...so bad I was up for a week straight and had to go to the ER.) I had a hysterectomy at age 45 so I'm not sure when my period would have ended naturally but at this point..I don't think it matters. I feel like I've lost the person I used to be and have to accept this new reality. I'm even taking bio identical hormones and they only seem to help somewhat with the hot flashes and weight gain. I still struggle with Depression/Anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches, Extreme fatigue, nausea, headaches, extreme mood swings etc. Will it ever end? Not soon enough for me. The toughest part..talking to women who have sailed through menopause and think I'm over reacting. Reading all of the comments and info on this site helps keep me sane. Thank you ladies..Hang in there and remember how strong you are to be able to struggle through this chaos!

Hi Shaknzomom,

Great question! It all depends on if you have been in full term menopause or perimenopause, the symptoms can be exactly the same and just as savior. The main difference is you can begin perimenopause 7-10 years before you hit menopause, however don't let this discourage you, the symptoms of menopause can be managed and eliminated if handled correctly. Most of my clients choose a more natural path such as diet adjustment, lifestyle adjustment. With a few small changes in these areas you can eliminate all the symptoms. Here is a great facebook groups that works on overcoming menopause symptoms. https://www.facebook.com/groups/638415073016681/.

Whenever I hear "Meet your true self in menopause" (whatever that means) I want to shoot. Whoever says that hasn't got the first idea about the horrors of this (in)natural phenomena. I have never been jealous in my life, but seeing my friends hanging around like there's not a single worry in their lives, I'm terribly pissed, and with their inability to sympathize one bit, but saying to me all the time OMG are you sick, why don't you warm up, it's freezing outside (they're freezing, I'm not...), when they start pretending OMG hot flashes won't let go (and you can't pretend to have them, no... why the...)

Sorry for the angry intro. I've been dealing with menopause for full 8 years not. Lost my uterus in 42, and it started pretty much immediately. Not night flashes per se but everything else, and hard. Depression, insomnia, mood swings, sex drive is killed, gain weight terrible (more than 20 pounds in just 2 years, impossible to lose them no matter the physical activity and healthy diet, so how about that...)

I am 50 now and started on HRT six months ago only to gain another 6 pounds and go through hell of a problem with restless heart, bloated stomach (try 8 months pregnant stomach...) I stopped a month ago, switched to hormonal patches with estrogen only, didn't expect any positive results, because this is not a month, a year, but 8 years experience. And there were no results, except great deal of money has been thrown away only to have those patches peeled of the day I put them on. Sadly, my hot flashes are so strong that I come to work every day in wet clothes, and I have to drive in public transport (physical inability to drive a car), where the heating is on month in, month out. My sex drive is still terribly down and I think I will never ever wish to have sex again, giving the way I feel now. I don't know how my husband deals with it, is he ... well it's better not to think about it but he's great so far, supportive more that I hoped for.

Name a symptom, I have it, I have them all. My joints ache, can't really stand the moment I get up from bed, my thyroid went mad, from hiper to hypo, my boobs got three times bigger, they hurt my spine, my shoulders are frozen for three years now, my stomach is bloated to the point I cannot breath and I barely eat anything, my toes started to suffer form valgus, you don't want to know about that at all... and inside my head, well, it is a miracle I haven't ended up in a loonie bin... and it doesn't seem to get any better.

So I sympathize with you... all of you, I really do. Because I do live in a society where this problem is frowned upon, where the diagnosis for every problem over 40 is "the change" and the therapy for every similar issue is "deal with it, imagine our mothers and grandmothers..." and that's where I always lose it :D

Agree with you Penny∆∆∆∆, society needs to change how we view menopause, we've evolved with pretty much everything else, it's like we're still back in the 40s in our view of menopause. I think we'll get there...hopefully:/ Just an fyi, I have perimeno symptoms one of which is the low libido. I've tried a supplement made by a fairly new company Smooth Transition Menopause and it's actually been helpful, not sure if you can take supplements with HRT tho but you might check them out.

Well this is going to depress everyone, I am 58 years old, I started menopausal symptoms when I was 42, yeah 16 years ago. It started out mildly but became increasingly intense over the years. After eight years of symptoms my period finally stopped, that was 8 years ago. I still have hot flashes, mild depression palpitations, anxiety and now I have become very emotionally sensitive. An elderly lady once told me that symptoms of menopause never stops......I believe that to be the truth.

My doctor concurs with that elderly lady when I asked about my hot flashes and sweats. He told me some women never stop having them. Had a couple in the last several days. So I may be one of them.

Well, I KNOW I am..................I still cannot wear a shirt/blouse with any kind of a sleeve. Usually tank tops or sleeveless. And I live in the tundra zone of Wisconsin.

Hi I have been going through peri-menopause for 5 years or so, had everything you can imagine sore eyes, running eyes, bleeding gums, sore teeth,itches, sweats, dry patches sleepless nights, weight gain, sore bust, low moods, fatigue bad, back pain, joint aches, no period now for 13months but bad period pains, I have a fibroid but they said it would go. Just wondered when you know it's finished.

Angela

Hate to have to tell you, but my periods stopped at age 41. Doc said I could go on HRT, but since my periods might come back, said NO!

My hot flashes have seemed to have stopped. This is the first year I have been cold and I am 69.

I am 57 and have been in Menopause for 10 years with no period. Tried over counter stuff for a few year. Started my period again. Many bad hot flashes, no sleep. So started HRTabout 7 years ago Big difference. I chose quality of life over small chance of cancer. In saying all this just starting in May 17/17 I’m getting randam heat flash and have passed out from Dizzyness. Feels like a furnace starts in my belly and rushes upwind to my head and I get dizzy. If I don’t sit down I pass out. Did all test for heart. Nothing found: This week we do MRI and EEG. If nothing I am at a loss

Perimenopause was worse for me than menopause. The worst thing that has happened was my man having regular sex with a friend because of changes to my body. All because I didn't want to risk cancer. I've seen plenty of cancer casualties in my family. I'm not going to sign up for that. He hung in there through perimenopause but finally lost patience. I feel like I lost my love because I was selfish and didn't want to risk getting cancer. Other than that, I feel pretty good. Minimal flashes and not too many palpitations. I can sleep and I'm not grouchy except about his cheating. Don't like the dry skin though. Why don't men have to suffer ?!

Time to pile his clothes in the yard, set a match to them and kick his sorry ass to the curb with a jar of vaseline. No excuse for that crap.

Kittymoonbeam your post is unfortunately all too familiar, but don't blame yourself on being selfish. Your concerns with HRT are completely understandable. One large problem with menopause aside from the issues we deal with is the miscommunication \ no communication on the subject. Especially with men. They have zero clue and often times we women don't fully register that the initial symptoms we are having are meno related and so from there the relationship damage begins...just wantes to comment and lend you some support.

Hello All,

I am currently in menopause stage. I have all the symptoms listed, I had suffer over 3 years now. Recently I feel better by using DIM for stabilized my hormone naturally and using supreme royal jelly to help my sleep. (this will knock you out within 1 hr, this is all natural and have a lot of protein but it quite expensive) along with this you have to use stress relieve supplement to help your adrenal. I have no problem with the dryness. My skin still glowing ,everyone thought I am in 40 but I am in mid 50. I only have mild hot flash sometimes if I forget to take DIM. Also keep up with vitamin supplements daily. It is hard to digest all of these supplements but it will help.

i hope this will be informative for everybody that have to suffer. I