Signs of Menopause: How to Recognize the Early Symptoms

If you want to learn about the signs of menopause, you’ll find that our comprehensive guide takes the guesswork out of understanding this stage of female life.

Without further ado, let’s discuss some commonly-known signs of menopause…

Schedule Your Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Some women will experience all of these symptoms of menopause, while others will experience just one or a few. All women are different. However, if you’ve hit perimenopause, you may expect to deal with at least one symptom on the list, and it’s not uncommon to suffer from all of them. After we discuss these common signs of menopause, we’ll talk about the best treatments for these symptoms. There are ways to feel better!

Do You Have These Symptoms & Signs of Menopause?

Hot Flashes – Hot flashes may be very unpleasant and they are one of the most commonly-known signs of menopause. When a woman experiences a “hot flash”, she’ll feel extremely warm, as though she has a raging fever. Symptoms may be localized to the neck, face or chest (or be most intense in these parts of the body). The complexion may grow ruddy during a hot flash and a woman may also sweat a lot as heat builds up in her body.

After the sweating passes, a woman may feel chilled. Usually, hot flashes signal that women are transitioning from having periods to not having them. The duration and frequency of hot flashes will vary from female to female – however, they generally occur about twice a day. Some unlucky women experience hot flashes on a more frequent basis, such as once per hour…

Tenderness in the Breasts – Symptoms of breast tenderness will generally be related to the stage of menopause which is known as peri-menopause. During this phase, hormonal shifts are beginning to occur. As a result, women may feel tenderness, swelling and pain in their breasts.

More Intense PMS – PMS is never fun. It’s often even worse for women who are entering menopause. This means that the usual symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, such as mood swings and breast tenderness, will intensify before periods actually cease due to menopause.

In addition, it’s believed that women who’ve had to deal with severe PMS symptoms over their lifetimes will be more prone to developing certain symptoms and signs of menopause, including hot flashes and moodiness. This link is believed to be due to increased sensitivity to hormone shifts.

Loss of Libido – If you’re losing the desire to get intimate with your partner and you don’t fantasize about intimate contact the way that you used to, menopause may be to blame. Changes in hormone levels due to menopause often contribute to loss of libido.

Fatigue – Fatigue affects many women who are going through the signs of menopause. Again, as with most menopausal symptoms, it is related to hormone changes and their effects. Fatigue stemming from menopause may rob a woman of her vitality – in other words, it may be rather overwhelming. In particular, when a woman is under stress, fatigue may strike and rob her of her motivation to battle problems.

Sometimes, women who are experiencing menopausal fatigue are suffering from low thyroid function or low iron levels. If you want to get answers about your thyroid health and iron levels, talk to your family doctor – he or she can help.

Irregular Periods – “The change” may trigger irregular periods for quite some time before periods stop altogether. During menopause, estrogen levels shift and other hormone levels also change. Perimenopause starts about 48 months before bona fide menopause.

Menopause is defined as the time frame when the final period happens. If you don’t have a period for a year after this date, menopause may be confirmed. So, periods become irregular during perimenopause – some periods may be heavy and really uncomfortable…others may be light.

Vaginal Dryness and/or Discomfort during Sex – Sex may not be as simple and carefree during menopause. Many women do suffer from vaginal dryness – however, this may be counteracted with the usage of safe lubricants. Dryness may trigger discomfort during intercourse.

Urine Leakage During Coughing or While Sneezing – A little (or a lot) of urine leakage during coughing or while sneezing may occur as one of the signs of menopause. But why does it happen? Well, it’s due to decreasing estrogen levels. Estrogen plays a role in a lot of bodily processes – for example, it controls monthly menstruation and changes which occur during pregnancy.

As well, this powerful hormone assists the bladder and urethra with carrying urine away from the body in order to keep the body in good working order. When estrogen levels go down, the pelvic muscles which govern bladder function may get weaker, which may lead to urinary incontinence.

Treatments for Managing The Signs of Menopause

Reading about the myriad symptoms of menopause may be a bit depressing. Before you get too downcast, bear in mind that treatments are out there. For example, a lot of women fight the signs of menopause by signing on for hormone therapy. Doctors will typically recommend estrogen in the lowest effective dose in order to help women feel better. As well, progesterone may be prescribed if a woman’s uterus has not been removed.

Some women also take anti-depressants during “the change”. They do so in order to combat the psychological turmoil that hormone shifts during menopause may bring. Every woman is different. Getting the right treatment will start with having a frank discussion with Dr. Stratt who will go over your options with you.

Hopefully, our guide has helped you to understand what is happening to your body or what to expect in the future. If you know a woman who seems to be having menopausal symptoms, our guide will assist you in understanding the signs of menopause and offering emotional support.

Every woman goes through menopause. Some have an easier time of it than others, but most do experience unwanted and unpleasant symptoms. Luckily, modern treatments make it easier for women to feel vital and healthy during this pivotal time of life. So, there is hope for a healthier, happier life without all the signs of menopause.

LifeBoost

7035 Beracasa Way, Suite 102
Boca Raton, FL 33433

(561) 922-9967