What is post menopause like?

[DustyLee123]

For those of you who are post menopause and not on HRT, what is it like? Do you still get some symptoms or have they gone now?

Such as?

Can I ask why no HRT??

I thought i'd just get on it with... until I couldn't. But I am glad now, as I have learnt so much about hormones and the benefits, that I am not going to ever stop replacing my natural hormones.

As others have pointed out, 100+ years ago, we weren't designed to live much past 55/60!

I am not going to ever stop replacing my natural hormones.

If you should ever ( god forbid you
won't) develop hormone fed cancer, you will have to stop replacing hormones because no one will prescribe it without a long conversation with a willing MS. I didn't think I would ever come off it either, as it gave me so many benefits.

However, I too am one of those " rare bur real" statistics where it's likely HRT has influenced my cancer.

I'd say longer ago than that! but yes, that's my point too.

hair loss.

I think it takes a while for osteoporosis to show up so saying you’re ’all good’ on a dexa scan at 60 doesn’t mean you will at 70, 80 or 90. I mean you may be fine but for all of us there’s a 50/50 chance we won’t be. That’s huge.

50 % of women will suffer from osteoporosis. HRT does help this. That’s the benefit.

Osteoporosis protection is still in its early days and the medical advice is for HRT if there is already evidence of osteopenia. It is too early to determine whether HRT truly protects those who are likely to suffer.
Bone density is complex.
Poor diet, multiple pregnancy, obesity and inactivity ( low weight bearing exercise) in your teens and 20s will result in a low bone density as a starting point.

Bone density starts to deteriorate well before the onset of menopause but during menopause it accelerates only to settle again once post menopausal.

At what point do you start using HRT as a preventative and at what age do you start screening. For some it may need to start as early as your late 20s if your starting point is -1 or below on the DEXA score.

The deterioration rate is predictable so at any age they are able to compare your bone density with age appropriate scale.

Currently we have a group of women in their 80s who may have taken HRT and would be an ideal group to study the effects of HRT. But since the protocol with early HRT was not to start it until you were post menopausal the results would only reflect the affect of HRT post meno.

What we don’t have is a large group of women who started HRT perimenopausally. We will be waiting for another 20 yrs to see if HRT in its various forms has a beneficial effect longterm. Some studies are looking positive but we are a long way off. Very small numbers of women have taken HRT longterm and it may be you don’t need to take HRT indefinitely but the biggest benefit may be just using when the biggest loss of bone density occurs during menopause.

I'm 63, nine years postmenopausal and feel great! I have regular screening DEXA scans (bones are fine), have had a cardiac calcium scan (ASCVD risk is low) and keep up with all the recommended screening tests relevant to my age group.

I really didn't have much in the way of menopause symptoms. In fact I only realized that I was postmenopausal when a HCP asked me the date of my last menstrual period and I realized it had been well over a year!

Oily skin and acne cysts, which plagued me well into middle age, finally resolved with menopause and my complexion in my 50's and 60's is the best it has ever been (though I'm still a little oilier than I'd like).

No HRT. I feel well physically and mentally and am thoroughly enjoying this phase of my life.

Menopause experiences are as varied as every other aspect of women's lives. I'm a big proponent of the "individualized medicine" movement and encourage women to be proactive about their health. Look into bone screening, breast cancer risk assessments (including breast density on mammogram) and know your heart disease risk.

Quality of life is very important. There's no glory in suffering; seek help if you need it, weigh the risks and benefits and make the choice that is right for you. You don't need to justify your choices to anyone.

Hair loss? That's your one symptom that you think women are concerned about enough to take HRT that is just a sign of aging and not of the menopause.

Right ho.

@DustyLee123 Are you on estrogen as well as your Mirena?

that's not what was asked. What was asked what what is a symptom of aging that might not be related to menopause. NOBA have you suffered hairloss? It can be exteremely upsetting for women. anyway here is the post that I answered.

ok that didn't work

Dry skin, dry hair, but other than that, great. My periods eventually stopped 6 months before I was 60 (65 now). No HRT.

For me, three years post menopause and all symptoms have faded, and I feel ok. Never taken hrt, although came close when the hot flushes ramped up. Not had a hot flush in ages.
My hair thinned but has grown back. I had a lot of unexplained rage feelings, they have been gone for over a year.
I walk a lot and try to eat well and am loving having no periods, as I had very heavy ones.

Simply not true. We are not designed to die after menopause. It has evolved in other mammals too, and post menopausal females don’t die in those species either.
Menopause exists so that there are childless women who can help the tribe with childcare—increasing chances of infant survival.
This below is from from the scientific journal ‘Nature’.

There is evidence that menopause is adaptive in humans2,3. Although the pathways and mechanisms by which menopause evolves remain debated, the most well-studied and well-supported theories focus on kin selection3 and the balance of evidence suggests that menopause in humans evolved because of a combination of the benefits of intergenerational help and the need to avoid costly intergenerational harm3. Supporting this interpretation, research has found that the presence of mothers and grandmothers can increase the survival of their offspring and grandoffspring7 and there is evidence that ceasing reproduction can allow older females to avoid costly competition with their relatives8.

I did say all this maybe not in the same way but I said it. If there was not a good reason for women to survive after menopause then they would not. If the survivial was all due evolution then menopause would not increase our risk of stuff like osteoporosis.

Evolution is still at play. If your offspring do not survive because you don’t have the extra help of older adults then those lines that lack old age genes are more likely to die out. In the same way that those with socialising genes are more likely to reproduce successfully. Loners will struggle as will those with poor parenting instincts.
We are but strands of DNA that either give us advantage or disadvantage.

well kind of yes but if the group values its old people because of what they can do...teach, remember stuff so give advice, know how to deliver babies and get them to suckle and so on, they will be prepared to do the extra work that is required to keep old people alive, as I said, share the hunt and harvest, grind the grain and cook the meat, help them to travel when the group move from place to place. If the group don't value the old people they won't expend effort to keep them alive. It does work both ways. Groups who keep their older members alive benefit from them. There are 4 very interesting books byy Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen and Terry Pratchett about evolution and learning...about how
learning and sharing knowledge can complement and even subvert "pure" evolution. You may not have the genes for strong bones or good teeth but if your group value enough to cook you soft food and carry you when you can't walk, you can survive without them.

Bone density is complex

@Angrymum22 Your post on osteoporosis is very interesting; thank you for that!

There's something I'm curious about and hoping you might have some insight.

It's often stated on Mumsnet that "50% of women will have osteoporosis". In the US the number cited by the CDC is 27% of women having osteoporosis. That's quite a difference and I can't think of any plausible explanation.

DEXA is recommended as a regular screening test for 65+ (though often used at younger ages), so I don't think it's down to diagnosis rates.

I'd be interested in your thoughts.

I have osteopenia and have dexa scans every two years. My bone guy said HRT was highly recommended.

Has anyone tried supplements to help with the symptoms? The hot flushes are the worst :-(

I take Menopace and evening primrose oil. I'm certain they help. I've never had hot flushes but many other perimenopausal symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, migraines etc. My symptoms have all significantly improved since taking Menopace.

yup I tried them all and nothing helped....I tell a lie there was a fad for drinking soya milk for some reason. To me it tasted like pond water and I reasoned that it was my body's way of telling me not to drink it.

Not a supplement, but an older blood pressure medication called Clonidine is occasionally prescribed for hot flushes in women who don't want (or can't take) hormone therapy.

In low doses it can help with hot flushes, anxiety and insomnia. Might be worth discussing with your GP.

@SallyWD how long did it take for your symptoms ease taking menopace please?