The Signs and Symptoms of Menopause
April 1st 2010 Posted at All About Menopause
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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 ice cream flavors. No one symptom is the same for all women. Some women do not even experience 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. In that case, you have officially entered menopause.
Let’s take a look at the different categories of menopause symptoms:
Psychological Menopause Symptoms
Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, and memory loss are only some of the psychological menopause symptoms that have been experienced by women. However, some scientific studies do not attribute 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 sets in. Sleep problems that accompany menopause may also be a true cause of some of these psychological menopause symptoms.
Hot Flushes
This is by far the most common menopause symptom. Hot flushes are characterized by a sudden “feeling” of heat usually on the face or chest, cold sweats, flushing, and a 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 such as insomnia are experienced by some women during menopause. You may find yourself waking up during the night and finding 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, sexual intercourse may be painful for menopausal women. 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. 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.
Don’t despair. There are endless treatments, products, diets, exercise and lifestyle changes that can help you manage your way through the symptoms of menopause.



