Can menopause symptoms really continue into your 60s and 70s?

If you’re still having hot flushes, disturbed sleep or other symptoms in your 60s or even 70s, it’s easy to start wondering:

“Can this really still be menopause?”

Or perhaps more frustratingly:

“Surely I should be over this by now?”

The answer is yes, menopause symptoms can continue into your 60s and 70s.

The NHS says symptoms usually last around 7 to 9 years, sometimes longer, and some symptoms can continue after menopause itself.

That does not mean every hot flush, ache or sleep problem at 70 must be menopause.

It means age alone does not make ongoing menopausal symptoms impossible.

If symptoms are still affecting your quality of life years later, it is reasonable to bring them up with your GP or a menopause clinician.

Treatment choices, including whether HRT is appropriate, become more individual as age and medical history change.

The important point is that:

“Surely I should be over this by now” is not a reason to stay quiet.

If something is still affecting your quality of life, talk about it and find out what your options are.

"There is no universal expiry date for menopause symptoms."

- Danielle Frost

RESEARCH / USEFUL SOURCES

• NHS: Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause
• NHS: When to take HRT