Thank you I appreciate your comments
I see your conundrum on this one. It's the same for women who have gone through a partial hysterectomy and can't have periods.
I guess the question would have to be....what difference does it really make? The main thing with menopause for most women is the cessation of their periods. A lot of women are just happy to be finished with periods for good and the marking of "menopause"...or, when we consider that we are in it, is the lack of periods for 12 consequetive months or longer. Unfortunately, when the periods end, there is not necessarily an end to the other symptoms that go with it, such as the hot flushes. They can continue on beyond that year of no periods...possibly for a few years more. :(
But, in actual answer to your question, about the only real way for you to have a guideline as to where you are really at, is to have some bloodwork done to see where your FSH and LH levels are. Your doc would have to tell you what prep may be needed (if any..ie: suspending hormone replacement) to get a more or less accurate result.
Other than that, it's simply learning to deal with the symptoms of it. Remember, as annoying as it can be, it's not a disease. It's a course our bodies take at this point in our lives and everyone's body does it slightly differently. :)
Does this answer help any? Let us know!