THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE

The symptoms of menopause, if you read about them, seem really scary when you think about osteoporosis and other disorders such as; hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, declining libido, weight gain, vaginal dryness, ageing skin, hair quality change, mood swings, depression, lack of energy and headaches.

 

Most women think that the menopause will cause them to experience all of these symptoms but a lot of them are nothing to do will the menopause at all.
 
Some symptoms are just a natural part of ageing and affect men as well as women. The 'empty nest' syndrome has nothing to do with the menopause but this sometimes happens at the same time and the trauma of not having daily contact with your children while your hormonal levels are dropping can cause depression, for some women.

Another problem is managing the sorrowful experience of coping with an elderly parent, as it happens to many of us around the 55 age group, suddenly our parents are becoming old and frail and in need of our help. All in all, it can make us fee very lonely with little self worth particularly if we have menopausal symptoms as well. We can't blame everything on the menopause, but it's not to say that menopause symptoms are trivial.
 
  Hot flushes, day and night, are common symptoms of the menopause. Hot flushes start with a feeling of heat, not connected to the weather, and the increased heat spreads up and down the body. Some women sweat profusely and others have no outward sign or sweating or redness. Some women find themselves taking extra clothes off just to put them back on a few minutes later, me included, and others can wake up at night drenched in sweat. I felt as though my body was boiling up and there was nothing I could do about it until it passed.

These flushes can occur many times in the day or night and last anything between a few seconds to thirty minutes. Night sweats can disturb sleep and that can cause irritability through tiredness.

Nobody knows exactly why hot flushes occur although one theory is the falling levels of oestrogen or the higher levels of follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) in the bloodstream that occurs when oestrogen levels decline. A blood test can be done and if there is a high level of FSH it shows you are likely to be menopausal.

If you are looking for symptoms of menopause, the following links may also be of interest to you:

 

Vaginal changes occur because the walls of the vagina become thinner when the levels of oestrogen falls. Because the blood flow is restricted the vagina loses its lubrication. You will hear this called 'vaginal atrophy' which means 'wasting away' and this does nothing for our self esteem.

The vagina does not expand so much but it is still perfectly able to take an erect penis although the thinning of the vagina can encourage bacterial infections like cystitis. Sexual activity stimulates the blood flow reducing dryness and muscle contractions during orgasm aid vaginal health so it is necessary to continue an active sexual life.

Vaginal changes affect your waterworks as the lining of the bladder and urethra become thinner and drier and more susceptible to infection. You may urinate more frequently and sometimes leak a bit when you laugh or cough.

Our menopausal symptoms often mirror pre-menstrual tension symptoms so anyone starting the menopause and has suffered PMT will recognise this. These symptoms are due to hormonal imbalances and women that suffer from PMT will find those symptoms get a lot worse during menopause. The industry has for a long time offered the hormonal 'top up' in the form of HRT or anti depressants and tranquilisers. If we treat menopause as a hormonal imbalance, the same as we have experienced since our first period, it will enable us to restore the proper balance and enjoy our new found freedom.

 
Try searching on the Internet for "symptoms of menopause" and you will be amazed just how many pages are on offer. Try it for yourself by hitting the search button below!