Menopause

MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

A rundown on the most common menopause symptoms to better assess the onset of menopause.

Have you been experiencing hot flashes and frequent mood swings lately? Could it be PMS or the onset of menopause?

Menopause symptoms are as variable as the ice cream flavors. No one symptom is the same for all women. Some do not even feel any signs except for the fact that they have stopped menstruating. The menopause symptoms that you might be going through may not be experienced by your best friend who’s going through menopause as well. An effective way to know for sure that you are indeed experiencing the end of your menstrual cycle is if you haven’t had your period for the last 12 months. Other symptoms which may be “felt” are:

Psychological Menopause Symptoms

Mood swings, irritability, anxieties, depression, and memory loss are only some of the psychological menopause symptoms that have been experienced by women. However, some scientific studies do not blame all these to menopause. Situations like divorce, aging, children moving out of the house, retirement from work all happen around the same time that menopause does. Sleep problems are associated with menopause and may also be a cause for some of these psychological menopause symptoms.

Hot Flushes

This is by far the most common menopause symptoms. Hot flushes are characterized by sudden “feeling” of heat usually on the face or chest, cold sweats, flushing, and clammy feeling. These may be felt as early as four years before the actual end of menstruation and can last for a few years after it.

Sleeping Problems

Several sleep problems like insomnia are experienced by some women during menopause. Others also wake up during the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep.

Sex-Related Problems

Sex-related menopause symptoms have been the focus of arguments for several years. Loss of estrogen does not necessarily mean that women lose interest in sexual intercourse. However, due to vaginal dryness brought about by menopause, women sexual intercourse painful. There are lubricants available to help lessen this problem.

Urinary Problems

During menopause, women are more prone to involuntarily urine discharge especially if urinary infections are present. Laughing, sneezing, coughing, stretching and other physical movements may put pressure on the bladder causing the urine to leak.

Menopause symptoms may not be easy to deal with. Some women may even be experiencing a little of most menopause symptoms, while others are spared the hassles of all those. It’s a natural occurrence in a woman’s life that has been viewed with scorn and disgust by many, but also with welcome joy by some. Therefore, it is only in accepting menopause, symptoms and all, that one can truly find harmony in having to live with it.