unexpected benefits of menopause

None! 10 years on I still suffer with awful night sweats!

That's a contradiction in terms frida

frida wow, bonus then. Somehow, the way your post was worded seemed to indicate that you travel happily swigging gin Go girl!

Apart from the obvious benefit of no periods, I can't think of any pluses. My temperature regulator seems to have gone haywire, I'm sure my hair is thinning and I'm finding it harder to lose weight. Not complaining though - I don't think I suffered as much as my friends.

Given that everything seems to wind down over a number of years, I don't know how to date the menopause. Is it the date of your last period? Surely most women are menopausal for a good length of time so how can they say a specific date?

No more periods.

I have suffered less with travel sickness too, a big bonus. My fibroids must have shrunk and I no longer get the back pain they used to cause.

Not sure that finding it harder to lose weight is connected Sel as men have that too when they get older! I think attitude helps you a lot when going through it all but I would, wouldn't I as I suffered very little!

My mum gained something after menopause – she no longer had constantly cold feet!

Had terrible periods, so was huge relief to get rid of them. I sailed through the menopause, I think of that as pay back for the previous 45 yrs

I can't say I've noticed any other benifits.

I think not having to worry about contraception anymore was a big plus..
Haven't really noticed much else I did suffer with the flushes for 10yrs but that seems to of abated in the last couple of years.. thank goodness.

sun Have you tried Soy Isoflavones for the night sweats? After having been on HRT (which I think is wonderful) for 12 years, after an early hysterectomy and also removal of my ovaries, my GP took me off it and of course I went straight into my menopause. After some trials of other things I tried these and have found they work extremely well. Japanese women who eat a lot of soya products never have side effects with their menopauses. I get mine from a company in Guernsay. If you want the name PM me.

Doesn't look like there is much evidence that they work betsygran - the trouble with one-off experience in this area is is that yours may have improved anyway. I have always been wary of these "natural" menopausal products. If people like me, who have had a breast cancer, are warned off medicines containing oestrogens, and may be given drugs like Tamoxifen, designed to block the effect of oestrogen, why would taking a plant based oestrogen be a good idea? The Japanese women may be getting less breast cancer for other reasons.

summaries.cochrane.org/CD001395/phytoestrogens-for-vasomotor-menopausal-symptoms

The benefit of my menopause was being able to get through each day without appalling belly ache (like labour) and the passage of quantities of clots - I used to get about 5 days free of this per month. I had a hysterectomy and I always say it was the best day's sleep I ever had! I retained my ovaries, so the hormonal menopause came a bit later and I still have it - migraines, hot flushes, palpitations etc. - 20 years' later. Oh joy!!

Jess I tried coming off them slowly and my hot flushes came back with a big bang. As soon as I started taking them again they all but disappeared. Surely anything is worth a try?

The best thing for me has been no more migraines. Call me stupid, but I had never noticed that mine were hormonal and linked to my periods. Lose the hormones and lose the migraines - result!!!

Not suffering from anemia any more. Not a big health problem I grant you but for 30 years I had to put up with fainting, shortness of breath, restless legs and extreme tiredness.

Apart from not having periods I did not notice any difference. I never had hot flushes or any other horrible symptoms.

No more worrying about leaking periods and definitely less migraines. However swapped with not eying able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. Haven't had a good nights sleep since week before I was 50, nearly 7 years ago.

Money saved on tampons and towels! I had a fairly uneventful menopause in my late 50s and had a reasonably uncomplicated time with menstrual cycle.. approx every 6 weeks or so once they settled into a routine after 1st baby. Just had a headache the week before a period..which is a benefit now as I rarely get a headache now.