I think that generally when people say they have finished menopause or got through the menopause, they mean that their periods have totally ceased and that the major symptoms like hot flashes have stopped.
The medical definition of menopause is if you haven't had a period in a year. But your hormones can still be having their little fits for a couple years afterward.
The symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats do go away for most women in menopause. In other words, you are not going to have hot flashes for 40 years if you don't take hormone replacement. But there are changes in our bodies that are permanent because of the loss of estrogen. Some can be small, like changes in hair, skin and nails; some can be sexual, such as our level of arousal or our natural lubrication; others can be psychological, like mood changes. Each woman and her doctor should discuss what symptoms she is having and which ones particularly are bothersome before deciding for or against hormone replacement therapy.
It also matters whether you still have your uterus and/or your ovaries intact, as to what kinds of HRT you can use and what your risks are for such things as cancer later in life.
Comment Reply
Hi, Anon, and thank you for writing!
I think that generally when people say they have finished menopause or got through the menopause, they mean that their periods have totally ceased and that the major symptoms like hot flashes have stopped.
The medical definition of menopause is if you haven't had a period in a year. But your hormones can still be having their little fits for a couple years afterward.
The symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats do go away for most women in menopause. In other words, you are not going to have hot flashes for 40 years if you don't take hormone replacement. But there are changes in our bodies that are permanent because of the loss of estrogen. Some can be small, like changes in hair, skin and nails; some can be sexual, such as our level of arousal or our natural lubrication; others can be psychological, like mood changes. Each woman and her doctor should discuss what symptoms she is having and which ones particularly are bothersome before deciding for or against hormone replacement therapy.
It also matters whether you still have your uterus and/or your ovaries intact, as to what kinds of HRT you can use and what your risks are for such things as cancer later in life.
Does that help?
November 4, 2009 - 9:00amThis Comment
Reply