Signs and Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause symptoms begin around the time menopause begins, and are counted after an uninterrupted 12-month interval when a woman has no signs of menstruation. Generally and for American women, that's around 51.
However, a woman may also show symptoms similar to menopause if she is diagnosed as perimenopause, premenopausal, or early perimenopause. Women who have been shown to be in early menopause may (in rare cases) show menopausal-type symptoms as early as their mid-20s.
In all cases, menopausal symptoms are directly related to low estrogen levels and hormonal imbalance.
There are more menopausal symptoms than one might suspect. Fortunately, not all women have symptoms all of the time. Unfortunately, once menopausal symptoms start, they may last for ten years or more.
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| Menopause Symptoms |
Among the most noticeable symptoms are:
1. Hot flashes and Menopause
One of the most common complaints of menopausal symptoms are hot flashes. Mild hot flashes are often referred to as hot flashes. Hot flashes can be very intense and last up to 20 minutes. In extreme cases, a woman may experience a hot flash every hour.
Hot flashes have been described as intense internal heat that rises rapidly and then drops at various degrees of discomfort. The areas of the body most affected are the face, neck, and chest, but any part of the body may be very warm during a hot flash. Women may experience an escalating severity of hot flashes as they age due to persistently low estrogen levels and/or hormonal imbalances.
2. Night sweats (warm flashes, cold flashes)
night sweats are the evil twin of hot flashes. Many women wake up with hot flashes during menopause. The affected areas of the body are almost identical to those associated with hot flashes. Warm flashes are thought to be a milder form of night sweats. During a bout of night sweats, a woman may kick the covers in an effort to get cool quickly. After a bout of night sweats, a woman may experience a cold or cold flush that is about the same intensity as the previous bout of night sweats. In this case, all the bedding may not seem (at least at first) enough to keep warm. These cold flashes are only part of the night sweat cycle and one of the reasons why women who suffer from night sweats complain of sleep deprivation. In severe cases, women who suffer from night sweats may not actually go to ocular sleep and, therefore, never get a restful night's sleep. In this way, night sweats can lead to more troubling health issues including depression, mental fatigue, mood swings, irritability, and weakened immunity to diseases.
3. Mood swings and Menopause
Mood swings like other menopausal symptoms noted earlier, are among the most common symptoms associated with menopause. Little is known about mood swings because they vary by individual in severity and frequency. Like other symptoms, mood swings have to do with low estrogen levels and imbalanced hormones. Mood swings can be a problem because they can disrupt personal and professional relationships. From a professional point of view, mood-depressing medications may affect job performance. Stress and other external stimuli have been observed to influence mood swings.
4. Food Cravings and Menopause
Food cravings have been observed to be one of the most common symptoms of menopause. During menopause, an increased awareness of preferred or preferred foods and drinks is frequently observed. While these foods may be attractive before menopause, postmenopausal women often engage in binge eating of these favorite foods and drinks. Previous willpower, discretion, and moderation seem to have gone out the window with the excessive consumption of chocolate, carb-laden pasta, wine, beer, pizza, pickles, etc. Many may consider Thanksgiving dinner to be the ultimate in comfort food.
5. Abdominal weight gain due to menopause
Abdominal weight gain after menopause Abdominal weight gain is one of the most common symptoms of menopause. Before menopause, most women are concerned about weight gain in the hips, thighs, and buttocks, especially after pregnancy. However, after menopause, the problem area for weight gain turns to the waist. Gaining belly fat during menopause is closely related to low estrogen levels and hormonal imbalance. Men usually gain weight above the hips. Excessive weight gain above the hips leads to excessive stress on all organs of the body, especially the heart. Cardiovascular disease is the number of deaths among American males. Postmenopausal women who gain weight above their hips are at the same levels of risk as their male counterparts. Older women are at the same risk of developing advanced coronary heart disease as men.
6. Osteoporosis and Menopause
Osteoporosis and bone loss are among the most insidious symptoms of menopause. Osteoporosis causes bone loss, weakness and fragility. People with osteoporosis are at risk of breaking a bone. Even large bones (such as the hip) can be broken easily with a simple fall. One in three individuals over 65 experience a fall. Osteoporosis and bone loss can be compensated (to some extent) with the use and/or increase of certain medications, vitamins and minerals, as well as limited exercise during pregnancy.
Additional symptoms
In addition to the symptoms mentioned earlier, the following menopausal symptoms should also be noted: irregular menstruation, loss or decreased libido, vaginal dryness, fatigue, hair loss (or hair gain), sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, memory loss or lapses Dizziness, incontinence, bloating, increased sensitivity, brittle or easy-to-break nails, changes in body odor, rapid heartbeat, depression, anxiety, irritability, panic attacks, breast pain, migraine headaches, joint pain, burning in the mouth or tongue Bad taste in the mouth, electric shocks, digestive disorders, gum problems, bleeding gums, muscle tension, itchy skin, tingling in the extremities.
