Symptoms of Menopause

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Video Description:Hot flashes and vaginal dryness are just the start of the symptoms you may experience as you enter menopause! What else can you expect? Transcript:As a woman grows older, her ovaries gradually produce less of the hormone estrogen. This time, called perimenopause, continues until menstruation ceases altogether. When a woman doesn’t menstruate for twelve consecutive months, she has officially entered menopause. This “change of life” usually occurs between 50 and 52, although some women experience menopause as early as their 40s, and a small percentage do so in their early 60s. Estrogen depletion is a gradual process, which means perimenopause can last anywhere from mere months to several years. Perimenopause usually begins with a gradual decline in fertility. Women trying to conceive after the age of 35 may notice this symptom in particular. Fluctuating hormones can also cause a woman’s periods to become irregular. She may have no period one month, or a particularly heavy one the next.  Once periods stop completely and menopause begins, many women experience more symptoms. The most common among these are hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms.  A hot flash is a sensation of heat or feverishness, mostly in the face, neck and upper chest, which is often accompanied by reddened skin. Hot flashes may last from several seconds to a few minutes. A minority of women report heart palpitations and feelings of anxiety while having flashes, but more commonly they have sweats and chills when the episode is over. Although no one is exactly sure why hot flashes accompany menopause, it is speculated that the dwindling of estrogen causes the brain’s temperature control system, located in the hypothalamus, to reset itself at a higher temperature. Because decreased estrogen also causes the vaginal lining to thin, secretions can diminish. This often leads to another common menopausal symptom: vaginal dryness and irritation. These symptoms, in addition to decreasing testosterone levels, which are vital to libido, contribute to the lowered sexual interest experienced by so many menopausal women. In addition, some women suddenly have difficulty remembering information and concentrating on tasks, perhaps, again, due to hormonal shifts.  Insomnia is another common complaint during this time. Some experts attribute this to nighttime hot flashes, while others suggest that changes in sleep patterns are just a common sign of aging. During both perimenopause and menopause, many women suffer from mood swings, anxiety and bouts of depression. Current wisdom, however, suggests that an upbeat view of menopause as a time of new possibilities not only eases symptoms, but enhances this transition as a positive life experience. If you’re experiencing problematic symptoms of menopause, please make an appointment to speak with your doctor about treatments which can help! Category:Women's Health/Menopause Tags:Health, Medicine, menopause, premenopause, woman, women, menstruate, menstruation, aging, senior, fertility, menstrual, period, vaginal, hormone, hormonal, ovaries, ovary, menopausal, sex, hysterectomy, uterus, vagina, signs, symptoms, anxiety, women's health, hot flash, night sweat, mood swing, SexHealthGuru, Guru,