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Menopause And The Beginning Signs Of Menopause

Menopause can be easy for some and more difficult for others. There are many symptoms of menopause, but what are the early signs that we should be looking for? Whether you’re searching for the signs in yourself or a friend or family member, here are some things that you should know.

Symptoms of perimenopause can begin 10 to 15 years before a woman’s cycle completely stops.  Symptoms include irregular periods, heavy bleeding, hot flashes, disrupted sleep, headaches, dry eyes, vaginal changes (dryness), hair loss, weight gain and a loss of interest in sex.  Someone women may also experience extreme emotional distress. 

Some women also have short term memory loss, lack of focus and irritability.  Some women describe feelings of “fuzzy thinking” and the inability to multi-task.  Some also experience increased feelings of anxiety, fatigue and depression.  Also, women should be cautious of extreme or drastic mood swings.

Women have sometimes described a sort of brain fog which occurs after child birth, allowing the new mother to completely turn all focuses to the newborn child.  Some have described a similar occurrence with menopausal changes.  These types of symptoms are a result of your body attempting to remind you that something new is occurring internally.

Other common physical signs of menopause are infertility, vaginal dryness, bladder control issues, heart palpitations, dry or thinning skin, headaches, breast tenderness, nausea, buzzing in your head, sore joints and muscles, increase in facial hair, changes in body odor and dry mouth or other oral symptoms. 

Typically women who are in menopause will start to get their periods every 24 days instead of every 28 days.  It is also possible for the periods to start coming later than they used to.  Other monthly period irregularities may include having a very light period one month followed by an extremely heavy period the next.  You also may skip a month or even two months in a row.  These period irregularities can be scary for some women, making them feel worried and anxious.  These symptoms typically happen in the initial phases of pre-menopause.

Shorter cycles means your body is producing less estrogen and that your FSH levels are higher than normal.  Light periods typically means you are not making enough estrogen to build up your uterine lining.  Heavy bleeding can be a sign of anovulatory period with the estrogen building up in the uterine lining.  At this same time, you won’t be producing enough progesterone and the uterine lining will continue building until the estrogen production finally stops and the lining is shed.

As your ovaries decline, skipped or less frequent periods means your menstrual cycle is cycling down.  Eventually you will stop having periods all together. 

These symptoms are all normal parts of menopause and you should seek the advice and attention of a medical professional if you are experiencing symptoms which are difficult to deal with.    

Tags: common physical signs, Signs of Menopause, Symptoms of perimenopause

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