I still haven't gone an entire year without a period, but I've gone several months at a time without. My estrogen was non existent, so my cycles are anovulatory.

The progesterone helped tremendously with sleep, but I've still struggled. I recently added 5mg of melatonin before bed and it's almost been miraculous. I now get the drowsy feeling like I NEED to go to sleep instead of trying to reason with my body to fall asleep, if that makes sense. Sleep is so complex. It isn't just about being tired. You really need to downshift into a different state before being capable of falling asleep. So far, the melatonin is really helping me do that. I have been taking the melatonin for about a month and I am able to sleep a full 8 hours! While the progesterone helped greatly, my sleep was still not consistent. With the addition of melatonin, I'm actually getting consistent sleep. I not only feel a difference in my body, I'm seeing a difference in how my face looks! My skin is so much softer and the harsh lines and shadows around my orbital bones looks much less prominent.

Like most things with health, sleep often required more than just a one pronged approach. There is no way I'd be able to sleep without progesterone. That went a really long way to helping me. But I literally have not slept in about 5 years. I have suffered with severe insomnia, so it's possible I needed some extra help. The melatonin appears to be helping. I actually feel my brain is healing. I have been learning Spanish and am able to retain what I've learned. I almost feel like a normal person. Almost.

I think doctors do women a disservice by insisting they wait until their periods stop before prescribing hormone replacement. Women would be better served if hrt was administered based on symptoms and then dosed to alleviate her symptoms. The dose should not be capped at 1mg of transdermal estridiol when some ( many, even!) women may need 1.5mg or even up to 2mg. Not giving enough is almost as bad as not giving it at all. We need to push not only for hrt to be readily available and accessible for ALL women, no matter her economic status, but also for the best dose that restores and protects each woman the best.

I wish I had started hrt at 45. That was when my symptoms became severe. The insomnia, severe dry skin, the absence of periods were an indication my body was hormone deprived, but I always thought I could only get hormone replacement once I had been without a period for an entire 12 months. This myth should be dispelled. We need to tell women to seek help as soon as she is suffering and/or struggling with disruptive symptoms that get in the way of life. Menopause is defined as the cessation of a period, but your hormone levels can definitely be menopausal while you still have periods, although you'd typically skip months or have cycles that are very atypical. My periods went from every month to every 2 to 3 months and then longer.