In general, medical professionals agree that there are at least 37 indicators of menopause, ranging from mild and easily overlooked to the most dramatic and potentially disruptive to your lifestyle. While the average age of menopause onset is between the ages of 50 and 52, keep in mind that most women begin to experience symptoms several years earlier. The following is brief information on the most common symptoms, followed by a list of the rest. When you read this, don’t worry. Each one is simply a sign that your body is working as a normal woman’s body should!
1. Hot flashes or hot flashes:
Many women report having hot flashes or flushes, as well as associated sweating or sweating sensations. In fact, hot flashes have become one of the most “stereotyped” signs of menopause. Both hot flashes and colds reflect a change in your body’s internal thermostat, a factor that is regulated by the hypothalamus. During menopause, the ovaries make less estrogen. The hypothalamus senses this drop in estrogen levels and responds by altering your body temperature, causing these inexplicable feelings of heat or cold.
2. Periods of fast or irregular heart rate:
This is one of the lesser known and scarier symptoms of menopause. In fact, some women say they feel like they have heart failure, palpitations, or a panic attack. Despite research on this topic, the medical community does not have a clear answer as to why cardiac arrhythmia occurs in some menopausal women. It often begins in the run-up to menopause proper (during the “perimenopause” phase) and naturally causes concern. It is important to report this symptom to your doctor to eliminate other potentially more serious causes.
3. Bad mood, bad mood and feelings of irritability:
Swaying emotions can make menopausal women feel like they’re on a roller coaster they can’t control. Like PMS, feelings of irritability or bad mood during menopause are very common and easily explained. They are caused by natural hormonal fluctuations. Most women learn to cope with mood swings through regular exercise or relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga.
4. Getting upset and tearful easily:
Because their hormones are changing so drastically, menopausal women may also find that they become tearful and emotional in the blink of an eye, and sometimes for no reason. Again, dealing with unpredictable mood swings isn’t easy, but by learning coping mechanisms such as breathing exercises and relaxation techniques, you can begin to lessen the impact.
5. Altered or disordered sleeping patterns:
For various reasons, menopausal women can often develop calcium deficiencies. Because calcium acts as a sedative in the human body, this deficiency can lead to restlessness, an inability to fall asleep, and poor sleep patterns at night. Naturally, this can be extremely frustrating and exhausting for women. Not surprisingly, a lack of quality sleep can also aggravate other problems, such as feeling emotional or experiencing mood swings. The answer for many women is a calcium supplement, in addition to gentle relaxation exercises to help them sleep better.
6. Unusual or irregular menstrual cycles, including lighter or heavier bleeding:
Since menopause is the cessation of menstruation, it seems clear that women would experience changes in their menstrual cycle, eventually culminating in a lack of menstruation. What women may not know is that disturbances in their periods can occur long before menopause begins. In fact, some women report unusually long or short periods, different bleeding patterns, as well as skipped periods long before menopause occurs.
7. Decreased or loss of libido:
With menopause comes a decrease in hormone levels, including a decrease in estrogen levels. This can lead to reduced libido or less interest in sex. That said, some research indicates that although many menopausal women report lower libido, their level of sexual activity remains stable, suggesting that the relationship between normal menopausal hormonal changes and libido is complex.
8. Vaginal dryness:
As mentioned above, menopause involves a reduction in estrogens. Estrogen is the so-called “female” hormone that, among other things, is responsible for keeping vaginal tissue and lubrication healthy and flexible. When estrogen drops, as it does during menopause, this leads to vaginal dryness. An unfortunate consequence can be a painful sexual intercourse.
9. Gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, indigestion, gas, and bloating:
Many women are unaware that balanced hormones help maintain the normal function of their gastrointestinal tract. In fact, it is not until there is an imbalance (like the one that occurs during menopause) that they realize the importance of hormones for digestion. For example, estrogen is a stimulant to the gastrointestinal tract, and therefore falling estrogen levels can lead to a number of symptoms, such as gas, constipation, diarrhea, and indigestion. Also, changes in progesterone levels during menopause can cause disturbances in your normal bowel patterns. Menopause also puts pressure on the liver, leaving it less energy to perform its normal cleansing tasks.
Other symptoms of menopause include:
10. Anxiety
11. Morbid thoughts and feelings of dread and apprehension.
12. Mental vagueness and inability to concentrate
13. Memory loss
14. Incontinence and “frequency” of urination
15. Unusual sensation on the skin, such as phantom itching and tingling of the skin.
16. Joint pain
17. Muscle tension and pain
18. Tender breasts and hypersensitive nipples.
19. Headaches and migraines
21. Feeling bloated
22. Depression
23. Changes or worsening of existing health problems
24. Exacerbation of allergies
25. Weight gain and metabolic imbalances
26. Thinning or loss of hair on the head.
27. Increased facial hair
28. Vertigo, loss of balance and lightheadedness.
29. Strange or unpleasant body odors
30. Increased perspiration
31. Poor circulation, tingling sensation in extremities and extremities.
32. Sensitive and / or bleeding gums
33. Gingivitis
34. “Burning mouth syndrome” or the sensation of the tongue or burning in the mouth, as well as a strange taste in the mouth
35. Osteoporosis
36. Tinnitus (that is, ringing or strange noises in the ears)
37. Lethargy
Not every woman will experience everything on this list or may go through a combination of several. The secret to going through menopause is to remember that every symptom is normal and will eventually go away.