Potentially very silly question about the menopause

[Hellocatshome]

So if you are on the pill (I forget which one) where you dont have periods and are reaching the age where you may start the menopause. How do you know you are in the menopause as your periods won't stop as you don't have them in the first place?

Told you it was a silly question but Google hasn't helped.

I wasn't on the pill but had a Mirena coil fitted, so no periods. Basically I was also lucky and had no really noteable meno symptoms either. So got to the age of 55 and just assumed I was menopausal, am now 63 and presumably over it.

I wondered this too as I don’t have periods on my pill. Had appointment with GP this week about going into HRT and she didn’t seem too bothered about my periods(or lack of them) I had so many other symptoms that it was enough to be prescribed HRT.

I'm in the same boat at 51 and still taking the mini pill so no periods. I assumed I was starting to become peri when I started with night sweats around 48. I'm not taking any HRT just some meno specific supplements from Feel to help with symptoms.
A friend of mine is the same, on the mini pill and she's 52 now, and had blood tests recently for something unrelated and the GP suggested checking FSH levels. The results show that she's post menopausal which was a surprise to her as she's really only had a few symptoms that Menopace are helping with.

Not a silly question at all! I’ve wondered the same thing, and I’m never silly. 😁

Short answer you don't but the hormones from combined pill I believe will protect your bones etc in the same way hrt would.

I had no periods due to the pill, but then started getting menopausal symptoms. I went to the docs, blood tests and told peri-menopausal. Went on HRT, but not until after docs made me have a colcoscopy. (Bloody awful).

Not a silly question at all.

Lack of periods is one major sign of perimenopause, or menopause, but not the only one. We can also go on symptoms, or bloods if you’re under 45 and not already using combined hormonal contraception.

I had a mirena coil, so no periods.
Menopause led to (in no particular order, and not an exhaustive list):
hot flushes
night sweats
anxiety
itchy skin
fast/strong heart beat
tiredness
difficulty sleeping
irritability

Lack of periods really wasn’t an issue in identifying it.

HRT has sorted all of these symptoms to at least a measurable degree.

Brain fog, aching joints, sweating, suddenly putting on weight that will not shift, loss of sex drive, you will know, its fucking horrendous