The Symptoms Of Menopause
Kathryn Whittaker
Overall, medical professionals agree that there are at least 37
indicators of menopause, ranging from the mild and
easy-to-overlook, to the more dramatic and potentially
disruptive to your lifestyle. While the average age of onset
for menopause is between 50 and 52, bear in mind that most
women start experiencing the symptoms several years beforehand.
Here is brief information about the more common symptoms,
followed by a list of the remaining ones. When you read this,
don’t be worried. Every one is merely a sign that your body is
functioning like a normal woman’s body should!
1. Hot or cold flushes:
Many women report having hot of cold flushes, as well as
feelings of associated clamminess or sweatiness. Indeed the hot
flush has become one of the more ‘stereotypical’ signs of
menopause. Both hot and cold flushes reflect a change in your
body’s internal thermostat, a factor that is regulated by the
hypothalamus. During menopause, less estrogen is produced by
the ovaries. The hypothalamus detects this drop in estrogen
levels, and responds by altering your body’s temperature hence
causing these otherwise unexplained feelings of hotness or
coldness.
2. Periods of rapid or irregular heart rate:
This is one of the lesser-known and more frightening symptoms
of menopause. In fact, some women say they feel as if they are
having heart failure, palpitations, or a panic attack. Despite
research into this matter, the medical community has no clear
answer as to why heart arrhythmia occurs in some menopausal
women. It often begins during the lead-up to menopause proper
(during the “peri-menopause” phase) and naturally it causes
concern. It is important to report this symptom to your
physician to eliminate other, potentially more serious causes.
3. Moodiness, ill temper and feelings of irritability:
See-sawing emotions can make menopausal women feel as if they
are on a rollercoaster they can’t control. Like
pre-menstrual-syndrome, feelings of irritability or moodiness
during menopause are very common and easily explained. They are
caused by natural hormonal fluctuations. Most women learn to
cope with mood swings by doing regular exercise, or performing
relaxation techniques such as meditation, and yoga.
4. Becoming easily upset and teary:
Because their hormones are changing so dramatically, menopausal
women can also find they become teary and emotional at the drop
of a hat, and sometimes for no reason at all. Again, dealing
with unpredictable mood swings isn’t easy but by learning
coping mechanisms, such as breathing exercises and relaxation
techniques, you can start to lessen the impact.
5. Disrupted or disordered sleeping patterns:
For various reasons, menopausal women can often develop calcium
deficiencies. Because calcium acts as a sedative on the human
body, this deficiency can lead to restlessness, an inability to
fall to sleep, as well as poor sleeping patterns throughout the
night. Naturally, this can be extremely frustrating and tiring
for women. Not surprising, a lack of quality sleep can also
compound other problems such as feeling emotional or
experiencing moodiness. The answer for many women is a calcium
supplement, as well as engaging in gentle relaxation exercises
to help them better sleep.
6. Unusual or irregular menstrual cycles, including lighter or
heavier bleeding:
Since menopause is the cessation of menstruation, it seems
self-evident that women would experience changes to their
menstrual cycle, finally culminating in a failure to menstruate
at all. What women might not know is that disturbances to their
periods can occur well before menopause begins. Indeed some
women report unusually long or short periods, different
bleeding patterns, as well as skipped periods well before
menopause takes place.
7. Decrease or loss of libido:
With menopause comes a decrease in hormonal levels, including a
drop in estrogen levels. This can cause a reduction in libido or
lowered interest in love making. That said, some research points out
that although many menopausal women report having a lower
libido, their level of activity nevertheless remains
steady, suggesting the relationship between normal menopausal
hormonal changes and libido is a complex one.
8. Vaginal dryness:
As mentioned earlier, menopause involves a reduction in
estrogen. Estrogen is the so-called “female” hormone, which
amongst other things, is responsible for maintaining healthy,
supple vaginal tissue and lubrication. When estrogen drops, as
it does during menopause, this leads to vaginal dryness. An
unfortunate consequence can be painful intercourse.
9. Gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, indigestion, gas
and bloating:
Many women aren’t aware that balanced hormones help keep their
gastrointestinal tract functioning normally. Indeed, it’s not
until there is an imbalance (such as there is during menopause)
that they come to realize how important hormones are to
digestion. For instance, estrogen is a stimulant for the
gastrointestinal tract, and therefore the drop in estrogen
levels can cause any number of symptoms, such as gas,
constipation, diarrhea and indigestion. Likewise changes to
progesterone levels during menopause can cause disruptions to
your usual bowel patterns. Menopause also places pressure on
your liver, leaving it less energy to do its usual cleansing
duties.
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 one’s skin, such as phantom itches,
and crawling skin
16. Sore joints
17. Muscle tension and soreness
18. Tender breasts and hypersensitive nipples
19. Headaches and migraines
21. Feeling bloated
22. Depression
23. Changes to, 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. Increase in facial hair
28. Giddiness, loss of balance and light-headedness
29. Strange or unpleasant body odors
30. Increased perspiration
31. Poor circulation, tingling sensation in limbs and
extremities
32. Sensitive and/or bleeding gums
33. Gingivitis
34. “Burning Mouth Syndrome” or the sensation of one’s tongue,
or mouth burning as well as strange taste in the mouth
35. Osteoporosis
36. Tinnitus (ie. Ringing or strange noises in the ears)
37. Lethargy
Not all women will experience everything on this list or may go
through a combination of several. The secret to getting through
menopause is to remember that each symptom is normal and will
eventually pass.
About The Author: Kathryn Whittaker has an interest in
Menopause topics. For further information on Menopause please
visit
http://www.natural-menopause-relief-secrets.com/menopause.html
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