Oh I wish I had thought to ask my Mom about it! Like Yonuh, I remember a never-ending litany of complaints about everything and probably just tuned a lot of it out because she refused to go see a doctor and there was nothing anyone could do to help. In hindsight, it's difficult to remember what symptoms might have related to menopause and what would have been caused by cancer...it's possible she had had cancer for many years before being diagnosed (and she died within weeks of diagnosis, the cancer had spread so far).

I've had mood swings, insomnia, hot flashes, and I do remember her struggling with all of those. I never thought I'd say this, but would be so comforting and helpful to be able to sit and listen to her complaints now. I wish I'd known then what I know now...

One addendum though, I did manage to learn enough from my Mom not to take hormone replacement, because of the high risk of breast cancer in her side of the family. She didn't know about the risks, and it's highly likely that the HRT contributed to her early death (from breast cancer).