Hi mags7101
You have officially reached menopause at the date of your last natural period, but this can only be determined in retrospect because you are deemed to have got there if you don't have a period for 12 months following this. However if you start HRT before you have gone 12 months without a period then you can't ever tell unless you stop taking hRT for one year and if no periods then you are definitely post-menopause.
Many women such as myself fall into this category. I started HRT in late peri-menopause - just under the age of 54 - had not had a period for 5 months and have been on HRT more or less ever since. I presume I reacehd menopause at the earliest at 54.5 but could have been a year or two later.
When did you stop taking HRT and how old are you? If you were prescribed Citalopram rather than HRT for menopausal symptoms, this is now out of date according to the NICE Guidelines.
I hope this answers your question?
Great that it sounds like you are through the worst of it! Do beat in mind that for some women symptoms worsen from approx 2 years following the last period because oestrogen levels have dropped to their lowest level approx by this time. However this certainly doesn't happen to everyone! Just saying really don't rule out going back onto HRT ( rather than increasing ADs) if they do, and if you are able to.
Hurdity x
