can I possibly still be going through menopause at 68?

Women's health
1

Night sweats, hormonal acne, mood swings - got them all. No idea when my periods would have naturally stopped, as I had a hysterectomy long before menopause. Don't know if it's connected, but my hair shows no sign of thinning or slowing down (it's really thick and grows like a weed!), or indeed of going grey except here and there.  The hot flashes seem to have more or less stopped, but still get the odd one, perhaps once a week or so. Any other aged person out there still going through this?

2

I know that if you go on HRT - then stop it at a later date - your body still has to go thru the menopause.  it only prolongs it. So you get all thse older people getting hot flashes in nursing homes!! How blimmin awful is that!

3

Thanks, Tracy. I only took HRT for about eight months and that was 15 years ago. Surely that can't still be affecting my hormonal balance?

4

No I dont think if you only took HRT for just 8 months it would have any lasting impact on hormonal balance. My mum had a hysterectomy quite early and so did my sister. My mum was getting was seemed like menopausal symptoms into her sixties. My sister had a hysterectomy over 11 years ago, but her Dr told her recently that her blood tests show that she is now menpausal.  I have to say I was quite suprised. I wasnt very knowledgeable about it all until recently, so I just assumed when someone had a hysterectomy they automatically became menopausal but apparently not so.

I know that alot of the symptoms are awful, but if you are not getting thinning or greying hair - then Lucky You!  My hair has become so thin in the past year I have to wear it upin a bun all the time. I used to love my long thick hair, now it seems gone forever!  I'm still holding out and not getting it cut short, but having an image like a severe Victorian lady is wearing a bit thin, (forgive the pun)........

 

5

Thanks Ursula. I think the hysterectomy thing depends on whether you retain your ovaries - I did, and continued to have a 'virtual' menstrual cycle  for many years after the op. Monthly symptoms gradually tailed off when I was in my mid-fifties. But I'm still left with these menopausal symptoms - just interested to know if there's anyone else around with a similar experience.