Stopping smoking abruptly can cause menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep interruption to return. If people decide to stop taking hormone therapy, they should reduce the dose gradually. If you stop hormone therapy abruptly, your hormone levels will go from being high to low in a short time. As a result, your body can enter “nocturnal menopause” and rapidly reappear bothersome symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances and mood changes, that alter your daily life.
Therefore, if you are thinking about leaving HRT, always consult your healthcare provider. Gradually reducing HRT under the supervision of your primary care physician will give your body more time to adapt and minimize the intensity of rebound symptoms. Eliminating this effect allows your natural menstrual cycle, directed by your hormones, to resume. However, the readjustment takes time. You may not have a menstrual period for the first month or longer after you stop taking the mini pills.
Or you may have irregular and inconsistent cycles for two or three months as your reproductive system regulates itself. Every woman adapts differently when she stops using hormonal contraception. So, try to be patient while your body finds its rhythm, even if it seems erratic. If you were receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and had to stop it when you were diagnosed with breast cancer, you may experience a combination of natural and medical menopause.
The so-called “stroke menopause” is the result of the drastic decrease in estrogen that occurs when hormone therapy is suddenly discontinued. Stopping progesterone abruptly without an appropriate dose adjustment can also be problematic. Many people have experienced a huge wave and an additional increase in progesterone as it leaves our tissues soon after abrupt abstinence. It's a very unpleasant experience.
A surge of aldosterone can occur, causing electrolyte imbalances, which in severe cases requires hospitalization.
