Menopause Symptoms
Menopause Symptoms
Not Just Hot Flashes: A Comprehensive List of Menopause Symptoms
If you do a casual internet search for “menopause symptoms,” you get about 261 million results. People want to know about this hot topic (in more ways than one!), but often, they don’t talk to a doctor about it to learn more.
Almost every woman learned about her menstrual cycle from other women in her life or in health class. Yet, women rarely discuss menopause—even among close friends. We understand it can feel awkward to talk about menopause symptoms, but it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a natural part of life.
For many women, menopause symptoms come as a gradual onset of slight body changes. Other women experience menopause like they’re in the last scene of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” with intense hot flashes or night sweats.
These night sweats and hot flashes are the most common symptoms reported by women in perimenopause. But you can have many physical warning signs that can be hard to connect to menopause. That’s because most women experience these symptoms throughout their lifetime.
Hot Flashes
Conventional wisdom is that hot flashes, which afflict up to 80% of middle-aged women, usually last for just a few years. But hot flashes can continue for as long as 14 years! Unfortunately, the earlier they begin, the longer a woman is likely to suffer.
For women who get hot flashes before they stop menstruating, the hot flashes can continue for years after menopause.
Women who began experiencing hot flashes while still having regular periods (or in early perimenopause) had symptoms for a median of 11.8 years. This is nearly three times longer than the median of 3.4 years for women whose hot flashes did not begin until after their periods had stopped.
Hot flashes, which can occur many times during the day or night, drenching women in sweat and causing their faces to flush, happen because of decreases in estrogen levels. Research has shown that women experiencing hot flashes also have an elevated risk of cardiovascular issues and bone loss.
menopause symptoms
Other Menopause Symptoms
Fatigue
As mothers, wives, and professionals, all women know fatigue as their daily friend. But menopausal fatigue is different, as it can be accompanied by depression. A woman can go from being tired at the end of the day to not even being able to get out of bed in the morning.
Breast Tenderness
Like that favorite bra that doesn’t fit right for a few days out of the month, breast tenderness is a constant reminder of PMS. However, breast tenderness at non-PMS times can be a suggestion by the body that menopause is on the way. Importantly, any time you note breast changes, consult a doctor to rule out breast cancer.
PMS
Premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause symptoms both contain the letters “PMS,” which makes sense: the signs of menopause can mirror PMS. The first changes most women notice include a worsening of mood swings, a change in the length or flow of periods, and an ongoing inability to focus.
Lower Sex Drive
All women encounter times when they are “not in the mood.” But by their mid-thirties, most women know themselves enough to understand when their sex drive shifts. If a woman goes from “not tonight” to not in recent memory, then a lower sex drive might be a signal of menopause.
Bladder Leakage
With a decrease in estrogen and other female hormones, women may have bladder leakage when laughing, coughing, or sneezing. While sending women searching for the middle ground between a maxi-pad and Depends, bladder leakage can also be an indicator that menopause is around the corner.
Vaginal Dryness
As estrogen declines, many women experience vaginal dryness due to the thinning of the vaginal walls and a decrease in lubrication. Sometimes, the reduced lubrication can lead to painful sexual intercourse, which may, in turn, trigger low sex drive.
Complete List of Menopause Symptoms
The list of symptoms for women in menopause is extensive! Here’s a comprehensive list to help you evaluate which hormone (or hormones) is causing the symptom. Expert providers use this list to relate menopausal symptoms to a particular hormone deficiency or excess.
Estrogen Deficiency
• Hot flashes • Night sweats • Sleep disturbances • Vaginal dryness/atrophy • Dry skin • Headaches • Foggy thinking • Memory lapses • Heart palpitations • Bone loss • Yeast infections • Painful intercourse • Depression • Low libido
Estrogen Excess
• Water retention • Heavy, irregular menses • Breast swelling and tenderness • Fatigue • Craving for sweets • Weight gain • Fibrocystic breasts • Mood swings • Uterine fibroids • Low thyroid symptoms • Nervousness/anxiety • Irritability
Progesterone Deficiency
• Weight gain • Swollen breasts • Headaches • Low libido • Mood swings • Anxiety • Irregular menses • Depression • Cramping • PMS • Infertility • Fuzzy Thinking • Acne • Joint pain
Progesterone Excess
• Somnolence • Gastrointestinal bloating • Mild depression • Breast swelling • Candida exacerbations • Exacerbated symptoms of estrogen deficiency
Testosterone Deficiency
• Fatigue, prolonged • Mental fuzziness • Memory problems • Depression • Decreased libido • Blunted motivation • Muscle weakness • Diminished feeling of well-being • Heart palpitations • Thinning skin • Bone loss • Vaginal dryness • Incontinence • General aches/pains • Fibromyalgia
Testosterone Excess
• Acne • Male-pattern hair growth • Deepening of voice • Clitoral enlargement • Irritability/moodiness • Insomnia • Loss of scalp hair
Low Thyroid Function
• Fatigue (especially evening) • Low stamina • Cold extremities • Low body temperature • Dry skin • Intolerance to cold • General aches and pains • Weight gain • Depression • Anxiety • Scalp hair loss • Swollen, puffy eyes • Brittle nails • Decreased swelling • Low pulse rate/blood pressure • Poor concentration • Memory lapses • High cholesterol • Heart palpitations • Infertility • Constipation • Fibromyalgia
menopause symptoms
How to Know if Your Symptoms Mean Menopause
The easiest way to find out if your symptoms mean perimenopause or the onset of menopause is to visit a doctor and have your blood tested. It’s ideal to see a doctor who specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Yet many women put off visiting a BHRT doctor once they notice the indicators because they’re embarrassed or concerned about the next step.
But that next step can be easier and less stressful than you think. Hormones By Design, we’re menopause specialists. We can guide you through each step of menopause and help you maintain your current quality of life. Imagine how much better you’ll feel!
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If you aren’t close to one of our clinics, we understand that managing your health with hormone balancing can be a struggle. At Hormones by Design we have done everything we can to make this as convenient and affordable as possible while also ensuring that we tailor to your unique needs.
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