From what I can tell, menopause is not an event; it's a process. At the age of 42, my symptoms were hair loss on my head, offset by hair growth on my chin. But the worst symptom was gusher periods. My self-diagnosis was hypothyroidism.
But the OB-GYN said my thyroid was fine, but estrogen was low. I've been on HRT for 15 years. The only real problem I had was gall bladder disease about 5 years ago. But I didn't learn that HRT can cause this until just a few weeks ago.
In May, my doctor said I had to go off HRT because of all the risks involved. When I did, all hell broke loose. Hot flashes, sleep loss, rapid pulse, high BP, and my LDL (bad) cholesterol went way up, and HDL (good) dropped by 7 points.
Oh, did I mention the constipation? The hemorrhoids? The beard came back and the hair started falling out again. But the doc tells me that it would be "unethical" for him to let me go back on HRT.
So I went to see an endocrinologist. Guess what? She says that at 13.3 my estradiol level is "normal for a menopausal woman." Now the diagnosis is hypothyroidism.
Maybe in another 15 years I'll be re-diagnosed with hypoestrogenism.
[This message has been edited by vocalEK (edited 10-08-2003).]
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LOW estrogen?/help!! 
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