Ok, so what happens afterwards???

[ImWearingPantaloons]

I’m 54, on HRT which is helping somewhat (think I need a review soon as it’s not working as well as it should).

Starting to get anxiety, and everything sodding well hurts after a day at work.

Knackered my rotator cuff which has healed, now done a mischief to my elbow. The physio I saw told me it’s because I’m not really making much collagen now, so these things are common.

Anyway, my question is all these miserable menopause symptoms are well documented, but what happens when it’s all over and you’re post menopause?

Will I suddenly wake up one morning having slept all through the night bright eyed and sharp minded, with nothing aching and a restored zest for life?

Or is this it forever - creaking aching joints, fuzzy brain, poor concentration, broken sleep, just minus all my oestrogen - until I die?

I just don't accept that life is awful for all women over 50 and it annoys me that any woman who says I'm actually fine is criticised for it. Since I turned 40 in most ways I feel a lot better than I did in my 20s and 30s. I am on hrt and I like it and think it's sensible to keep going if I can. Maybe in five years I'll be a mess but I hope not.

I am 54 and my life is a lot better than in my 30s. More time, more money, more travel, and no blasted softplay or kiddie parties!

Do you really blame all of it on menopause? Isn't prolapse more a result of pregnancy and childbirth?
Could it be that some has other causes?

I do worry that menopause is blamed for every single symptom of women over 45 and that means no-one is looking for the real cause.

Many women at 50 have full time jobs, growing children and elderly parents. Added together those equal tiredness and sleepless nights at any age.
Arthritis both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis tend to start for the first time in the 50s. Joints don't just ache because of menopause.

@MarcusBrigstockesfringe Have you been advised about surgery for your issues?

I’m 64 so post menopause. Didn't really have hot flushes and I thought that’s all menopause was. I had terrible vaginal atrophy that was missed for years but which has now been resolved with estriol cream. Skin is itchy all over and ears. Shoulder joints creak a bit.

I'm 66 so years post menopausal.

No more periods
No more hot flushes/sweats
I sweat far less
No more copious vaginal discharge
No more headaches
No more hormonal/mood variations
Far less body hair

About four years ago, I gave up wheat and refined carbs. Every ache and pain lifted along with troublesome bits of eczema and dandruff.

I worked until a few weeks ago.
Sleep is variable but I get enough
My bladder is weak post childbirth 32 years ago - keep up with the oelvic floor exercises
Pilates is keeping me supple
Just in from three hours hard gardening.

I look after my hair, teeth, feet and eyes. Nice make-up and skin care, nice clothes.

No more periods is fabulous. So liberating

@Buynow yes I do blame it all on meno. I've had blood tests and there's no arthiritis. And my prolapse was unknown to me until I developed severe VA because of declining oestrogen and then it got worse and worse.

I adored being in my 30s. I loved having tiny children and playgroups and messy play and cooking and all the childhood stuff. I never stopped.

And my 40s have just brought an endless series of reasons to see doctors!

And never ending mental addition abiht how much protein and how many grams of fibre I need to eat each day.

I'm not caring for any elderly relatives and I only have one teen at home who is pretty self reliant.

@JinglingSpringbells
Yes, failed posterior surgery which resulted in several follow up surgeries.

It'll all have to be hanging out entirely before I'll subject myself to any further gynae surgery 😁 or any surgery at all really. Even thinking about it makes me want to be sick.

Gynae is happy to do it all again (private) but I absolutely can't face it. So I just work my life around it instead. I wished I'd never done the first surgery really.

@ILoveKits I'd forgotten about some of those things. No vaginal discharge, I never really shaved but now have zero underarm hair. I seldom sweat even when exercising though I sweated buckets during menopause.

Zero leg hair or next to zero pubic hair either in my case - crap eyelashes and eyebrows though!!

I have been told one of the women in our gym has them and is older than that. Obviously I don't know, but I can say there are several in their seventh decade that can outrun and outlift me (early 40s).
There used to be more positive role models, as a kid, I remember the likes of Jessica Fletcher, who did lots of travelling etc, and were respected as individuals, not just wives/mothers/grandmothers. Not that she discussed HRT, but it would be nice for middle aged women like me to see some role models, and maybe they could talk about health stuff like this as they solve crimes, help their neighbours, write a book and cook amazing meals all at once.

I’m 57, periods stopped about 3 or 4 years ago,I’m back to normal and feel fantastic

I developed some health issues with peri, ie high cortisol, leading to weight gain, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, sleep apnea, And I used mounjaro to drop the weight. I was in a bad cycle,

i now maintain a bmi 20 on a low dose, work out several times a week, eat a health diet, sleep a solid 8 hours a night, and I feel like I did before it kicked off, just with no periods. I didn’t go on hrt. All health issues resolved.

i did develop anxiety also, particularly round driving, but that’s also gone, as have the stiff ankles and joints. The only med I now take is 5mg of mounjaro weekly,

This is me too, no hrt or anything. I still do not sleep great but everything else is fine and I have found saying NO to things far easier.

HRT because its caused by lack of oestrogen.

I'm in my mid 50s and I feel great (thanks to systemic and vaginal oestrogen). My life is not awful snd the bad bits there are are nothing to do with being post menopause.

Whenever these threads come up the responses are always split. Some women say the worst of it was forties/early 50s and now they feel much calmer and healthier. Others say it just goes on with nagging symptoms til death. Taking or not taking HRT doesn’t seem to affect the answers - both yes and no to HRT are split on what happens next. I am only 44 so read all these threads with interest

@Additup I disagree, I was led to believe it’s due to the lower production of collagen, HRT won’t fix that issue.

HRT fixed my terrible joint pain in less than a week and its never come back. Also oestrogen stimulates collagen production so both things can be true 😊

I do think the phrase ‘going through the menopause’, is somewhat misleading. You don’t go through it, you go into it, and remain there.

OP have you thought about testosterone? That made the biggest difference for me.

I’m 58 sailed through the menopause had regular periods up till 49 then they just stopped. No show nothing ever again.
Had hot flushes for about 6 months, never took HRT.
Lost 2 stone exercised all my adult life and since taking early retirement at 55 go to the gym 5 days a week doing a variety of exercises yoga, reformer Pilates, circuits and strength training.
Feel great and having left work no waking in the middle of the night worrying about target presssure and training courses for the profession I’d been doing for over 30 years!
Libido ran away but I make a conscious effort to do the do as I do enjoy it once started.
No aches yet hopefully keeping my weight down helps this.
Its not all downhill, and I’ve talked to my adult daughter about my experience as I do think that it’s great the menopause is openly talked about it s so often all about how awful it is and that’s just not been my experience, no brain fog ever.

For those women who never use hrt and have a really easy peri/post menopause do look after your bone health.

It's a neglected area of women's health and 1:2 women get osteoporosis.

I have two close friends who 'sailed' through menopause' with no symptoms (both on the younger side- mid -late 40s) and both have had fractures in their 50s and one has serious osteoporosis.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society lobbied for DEXA scans for women at 50 ( same idea as smear tests and mammograms) but government refused. This is despite fractures and care in later life costing £millions for the NHS.

You can get a DEXA scan privately for around £200 and they only need repeating every 3years if you have bone loss.

I was on HRT for 2.5 years, then tapered off. I am getting a DEXA shortly.

What happens afterwards is that you're thrilled not to have any more periods, you just crack on with life and you don't define yourself by your reproductive abilities (or lack of same).

It's far too varied a thing to predict how it will be for you,but menopause for me has been great. I feel much more stable. The down sides for me have been the sudden bit of belly where I had always been flat, and I've gone up one dress size and I'm lacking energy, but otherwise I much prefer menopause to the craziness I experienced during the years of fertility.

Good idea!

It's a real issue - more older women die from complications of osteoporosis each year than all female cancers.

The NHS doesn't work on prevention and only scans women once they break a bone (and not always even then.)