Buzzy, it's difficult to say how many women get through the menopause without HRT but from my experience of family and friends, I would say not many come through unscathed. Hot flushes and night sweats are the most common menopause symptoms but they are the thin end of a very big wedge and just because someone does not have them does not mean they have got away with it because there are so many long term health issues that are caused by oestrogen deprivation.
My mother just kidded herself that she didn't need HRT but her health deteriorated rapidly post menopause. To name a few of her ailments, high blood pressure, constant indigestion, chronic fatigue, insomnia (she hasn't had a full night's sleep for well over 30 years) womb prolapse, bladder problems, knee problems, 2 hip replacements and curvature of the spine. A friend I used to work with went through a complete personality change and had practically everything wrong - she now has osteoporosis. She went from being a vibrant young woman who enjoyed sex to a depressed individual with endless health issues who completely went off sex and lost all her vitality overnight. My aunt also developed high blood pressure post menopause and died of a stroke aged 57 leaving us devastated - I still miss her even after all these years.
So whether or not to take HRT is a personal thing but I would not want to risk being without it. Oestrogen acts like a control centre for so many vital bodily functions and without it, all sorts of things can go wrong. I am probably one of the few people on here who does not only take it for symptom control (migraines and dodgy thermostat) but as a preventative measure because I am not interested in suffering from any menopausal symptoms be it short term or long term. I decided a long time ago that I will be taking HRT for life.