My Mom still takes Premarin once a week. She used to take it 3 times a week. For many years I could tell if she was cutting back on them just by the way she sounded (hyper, irritable, etc) She felt awful w/o it. I've never had to take them and I'm glad b/c I wouldn't want to. She's done very well on them and is still very healthy.
This thread makes it so obvious that "one size doesn't fit all" in regards to menopause.