My mother died at 51 when I was only 21 so for the rest of my adult life, I had no reference point for my menstruation cycles, which became very heavy in my 30's. In my late 40's I had breast cancer which resulted in a full mastectomy. My bleeding also became nearly constant and I developed critical anemia. I then had a partial hysterectomy, but kept my ovaries.
My symptoms of menopause began in my 40's but without my uterus, it was hard to tell. 2 years ago the hot flashes, mood swings, lack of sleep became unbearable and was causing me to "feel" crazy. I couldn't concentrate on work, I gained weight for no reason and cried nearly all the time.
Once I was finally prescribed the compounded hormones, the hot flashes, which hit me 15-20 times daily, went to a very tolerable level and to only one or two a day, if that. I am back to being a fully functioning grown up.
I know women who have never had a hot flash. Most of my friends had mild and tolerable symptoms, but I did not.
The nonchalant one-size-fits-all approach to women's health in this country is one of it's biggest failings. Being able to get these hormones custom compounded for my situation is critical.