Hi Cheshirejill
from me too.
Sorry to hear about your symptoms and ongoing heavy periods, and I presume you have only just been put on HRT so still having natural periods at age 57?
Firslty you are on the extreme end of the age to still be having natural periods (well someone has to be) but I say this just to make sure your doc has checked you out for possible fibroids or similar which might be causing the heavy bleeding - although these tend to shrink after menopause?
My view as a non-medic would be:
First get your womb lining checked out. Then if there is nothing amiss but your periods are still heavy then maybe ask for a Mirena coil - which releases continuous progestogen to keep the lining thin and will often stop the bleeding after 6-9 months.
Your doc is right that you have been put on a cyclical HRT (ie to give a bleed) - because your periods have not stopped for a year. Women who haven't had a period for 12 months ( or reach age 54 having been on cyclical HRT for a while) are put onto conti HRT, as most women are assumed to be post meno-pausal by then. A proportion - like you - continue after that.
If you have a Mirena coil, you will then be able to add oestrogen (which will stop the flushes and sweats).
Make sure that even if you stop HRT you use a vaginal oestrogen (listed here:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/local.php) to help with the dryness.
How long is the doc suggesting you stop HRT anyway - if you've only just gone on it you really don't want to wait a whole year to see if they've stopped?!
Hope this helps
In haste!
Hurdity x