Hi Shazzie
I'm not sure about what symptoms - eg I have lots over the years and some are to do with ageing and some connected with menopause.
The main ones for which I started HRT over 7 years ago - hot flushes and night sweats - lessened within days and disappeared within weeks, never to return - except when I stopped (once for 3 months) or reduced the dose (twice).
In that sense - a resounding yes! The night sweats and sleeplessness/disturbed nights are what I found more debilitating than the hot flushes, because at least with the latter I could fling clothes on and off and flap myself - embarrassing but I didn't find them so exhausting as the night sweats.
Other symptoms - dryness - unfortunately once you are well post-meno, many women find local oestrogen also necessary, although when I started HRT ( while still not quite at menopause) I was fine in that dept.
Someone mentioned libido declining with HRT - I think I read somewhere that oral HRT is more likely to have this effect - something to do with the metabolites and free testosterone but I can't remember and brain not working this w/e sorry (fog!). However since testosterone declines with age irrespective of menopause - and more so in some women where menopause can exacerbate this (no more T produced by ovaries - for some women the adrenal glands still produce enough) - then a decline is probably expected.
I have found though, and so have other women in the past on here , that although HRT alleviates the troublesome symptoms, once you are well post-meno - the excitement and huge enthusiasm for things, life etc does not seem to return. There are no hormonal mood swings any more, and oestrogen levels are just not high enough compared to our fertile days - so you have to make more of an effort to do things and make things happen, I suppose everything is more on an even keel. No tears, no hormnal surges
![Wink ;)](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/wink.gif)
, but also things are just fine - if you see what I mean. Better this than the alternative though - on balance!
Hurdity x