Peoples' responses to the menopause vary - some suffer hardly at all and others have symptoms for the rest of their lives. My GP OH often tells me about women in their 80s who still had problems.
If it were not for advances in medicine and longevity we would not have the problem - adult women should be pregnant, breast-feeding or dead! - so few periods and definitely no menopause.
Interestingly there is a school of thought that says that women with severe menopausal symptoms need to be treated with testosterone.
I came off a mini dose of HRT by patch several years ago and life has been difficult ever since - giddiness is the worst symptom, with migraines and hot flushes. I am often tempted to just go back on it - I am 64 with normal BP and weight etc. But I do have a much younger sister who has had breast cancer twice, so that is a concern for us all.
Everyone is different, and HRT is a great trearment for some, relieving them of years of misery and giving them their lives back.
Pre Warning re Tonight’s Eastenders