Menopause doesn’t end. Menopause starts when you stop menstruating. At that time the hormones that were so much a part of your life have now dwindled significantly, and in some cases completely.

Once those hormones dwindle you have two choices, find ways to replace or mimic them in your system or let them go. If you choose to replace or mimic them you may keep your body functioning in a fashion similar to how it functioned before menopause, for a time. If you let them go – your body will never function in quite the same way again.

Before menopause I heard all kinds of commentary and conjecture about the length of menopause. Menopause is not a journey – it’s a destination. Once you’re there you’re never going back – trust me!

That makes me wonder what the hell those folks were talking about when they said things like “oh it can last as long as ten years.” Were they talking about hot flashes? Hot flashes are not menopause, they are one of several possible symptoms of menopause. Are they considering menopause to be the bridge between pre and post menopause – which is just more menopause? This makes no sense to me.

I went into surgical menopause at the age of 48. I have been struggling with trying to balance hrt to reduce a variety of unpleasant symptoms ever since. I don’t pretend to understand everything related to the physiology of menopause, but I do know one thing: Menopause does not end! There is no going back!