Lynnjulia - your GP is quite wrong about delaying the menopause - just wait till she gets to your age, I bet she'll have a different view. Nobody can tell you how long the meno symptoms will last - the average is between 2-7 years I believe and once you are deeper into post meno I have found the body adjusts better without HRT - you can reduce the dosage gradually if need be, when and if you decide to come off HRT. Quality of life is very important, many of us have to work till our late 60s now and coping with the lack of sleep and flushing all the time can be exhausting.
HRT is now recommended as the first line of treatment - do look at the NHS website as there is a link to the new NICE guidelines (should be somewhere on MM as well) and your GP should be following these guidelines. I am now 60 (had HRt since my late 30s when my meno started) and recently decided I shall now do without systemic HRT - I am finding the meno symptoms far less severe this time round so the delay nonsense should be ignored. I am still using local oestrogen to prevent vaginal atrophy and bladder problems and this will be for the rest of my life.
I would suggest you ask for
Femoston 1/10 to start with as the progesterone is kinder and suits many women very well. GPs tend to prescribe Elleste Duet(the cheapest HRT) to start with and the progesterone in this is harsher.
Do go armed with a print out of the NICE guidelines and also print out the peri meno treatment section from the top of this page so you can discuss this in a calm, yet firm way with this GP. Simply say you are getting too tired and irritable coping with all the meno symptoms and having done some good research on this reputable site you wish to try this HRT to see if you can get your life back.
Here is the info on the HRT types for you:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.phpKeep us posted DG xxx