Menopause without symptoms

[drivinmecrazy]

I've gone, or am mostly through, menopause without any symptoms.

I'm obviously extremely grateful but wonder if I'm an outlier or the norm.

I'm so pleased that the menopause is getting more attention but maybe it should also be said that it can happen without symptoms.

Or am I in for a big hit with multiple symptoms some time in the future?

Oohhh, I'm very jealous of symptom free!
However, I would say that some side effects creep up gradually over time as oestrogen hits rock bottom.
My menopause was a surgical menopause brought on by chemo, so very sudden.
That was six years ago and, although it was horrendous for two years, as opposed to your symptom free time, there have been many side effects that have developed in the past three years that weren't there for the first three or so years.
For me it's been an increase in joint pain, vaginal dryness and memory issues.

It's the same as our menstrual cycle, every woman has a different experience, some sail through every month barely noticing it, others can't get out of bed for a couple of days and everything in between those 2 extreme ends of experience. I think it's 25% ish of women don't really have any symptoms, but whether that goes right through the 30-40+ years of peri and post menopause I don't know. My peri experience was fine, post menopause was not and got progressively worse until I started HRT approx 7 yrs post menopause

I thought I got away with it lightly, but looking back retrospectively, there were signs. I did suffer from nightly hit flushes, but I just felt warm (like a summers night), rather than sweating and having to change clothes. I also went through increased anxiety, which I know attribute to the menopause (and has now improved).

They do say that , for an indication of how you are going to experience the menopause, then to look at at your mother and grandmother.

Your post resonated with me.
I'm just staring on my breast cancer journey.
My consultant seems to think that I'm post menopausal but without tests I guess we don't know.

Not sure I could handle menopause symptoms while going through treatment.
TBH it does play on my mind

I didn't really have any symptoms either, I'm 54 now and over it. I've heard awful stories from friends, so feel very lucky. My mum told me she didn't have symptoms either. I don't think you have anything terrible to fear afterwards. I do have a post menopausal belly despite a BMI of 19.1, but that's life!

Thats interesting , because it was breast cancer that induced the menopause for me as well. I got asked recently when I went through menopause, and my honest answer, was, I don’t know!
sorry,

Sorry, I’ve contradicted myself. My periods stopped during my treatment, and then just didn’t start again for years (and then did, was investigated, had thickening of womb, womb cancer risk, then hysterectomy). So can’t say it happened on x date.

I'm so sorry you're going through this.
My periods stopped after my second chemo, but I had to wait another 8 months for the FHS test to see if I was officially in menopause, despite no periods during this time.
Then I was switched from tamoxifen to letrozole, which is one of the als specifically for post menopause.
I'm now on exemestane and 6 years out of chemo.
To be fair, I think so many of the menopause symptoms I have are exacerbated by the exemestane.
I hope your treatment is kind to you, but if you ever have any questions about it, feel free to message me xx

This forum & some other places online put such a broad umbrella on menop symptoms that basically, anything at all that goes wrong with your health after age 35 gets called (peri)menop related. There isn't an answer to OP's 'what about the future question' unless some symptoms aren't allowed to link.

Anyway, I also struggled to identify any menop symptoms. Finally in last year I had some hot flashes. They are fairly subtle. Oh, and I'm incredibly cheerful, resilient & optimistic. Increasingly that's my outlook over last 10-20 years. I assume this possibly delusional positive state is some kind of dastardly (peri)menop effect that will only escalate as I get older.

The truth is you don't know yet.

I had breast cancer at 41 and my periods literally stopped overnight last year when I was 43. No symptoms.

I do however now have very hot night sweats. And I ache all the time so maybe it's delayed symptoms?