Signs Of Menopause

Menopause occurs when the ovaries stop producing the hormones, estrogen, and progesterone and a woman no longer ovulates, which concludes her reproductive life. When a woman has stopped having periods for 12 consecutive months, she is said to be postmenopausal.

What are some signs of menopause that you should look out for? Remember that menopausal symptoms usually start up to 5 years before actual menopause begins. 

sign of menopause image

Here is what you can expect:

• Irregular periods. As the ovaries give out, they produce fluctuating amounts of estrogen. Some cycles will produce an egg and will be “ovulatory,” while other cycles will not produce an egg and will be “anovulatory.” Ovulatory cycles and anovulatory cycles last different lengths of time so the periods may be irregular and there may be skipped periods. Some periods will be heavy and some periods will be light.

 
• Hot flashes. This is the most common sign of menopause. It involves having periods of time when the body feels very hot and flushed. It can last for a few seconds or for a couple of hours. It is due to the fluctuations in ovarian production of hormones. Hot flashes usually start in the perimenopausal years prior to menopause but often disappear after menopause is over with.

 
• Night sweats. These are times when a woman awakens during the night and feels drenched in sweat. The pillow and the bed clothing are wet and the woman often has to change her nightgown in order to be dry again. Night sweats are perhaps the second most common sign of menopause.

 
• Mood swings. This involves having times of depression and times of elation that cannot be predicted. The woman is more irritable and emotional; she feels that she can’t control her feelings. This can last for several years. Sometimes the mood swings can be so severe that they interfere with relationships and can require psychiatric management.

 
• Depression. Many women will have their first bout of depression during menopause. Women who have had depression in the past will have an increased risk of developing menopausal-related depression during this time. At times, the depression can be so severe that the woman needs to take antidepressants or needs to undergo psychotherapy to manage the depressive symptoms.

 
• Anxiety. The hormonal fluctuations can cause a woman to be more anxious during menopause. The anxiety can be so severe that it interferes with the woman’s quality of life. The anxiety can be mild or can be so severe that the woman needs to practice relaxation techniques or needs anti-anxiety medications.

 
• Lack of libido. A woman in menopause will have a decreased interest in sex. Sex may be more painful and she may have no ability to have sex because of a decrease in interest in sex. Physiological changes in the sexual organs can cause problems with a woman’s interest in having sexual relations.

 
• Urinary incontinence. There is an increase in urge incontinence during menopause. This is an increase in urination symptoms any time the woman is exposed to water. She feels as though she must urinate at any time and may have problems with bedwetting or may urinate when the water faucet is turned on. Fortunately, there is medication for this so that these symptoms can be relieved.

 
• Increased urinary frequency. For reasons that aren’t completely clear, the woman may have an increased frequency of urination. She will urinate during the day more often and may get up more often to urinate at night.

 
• Vaginal dryness. Due to a lack of estrogen exposure to the vaginal tissues, the woman may have an increase in vaginal dryness. This can lead to a thinning and drying out of the vaginal tissue that can add to pain in intercourse. Fortunately, there are treatments for this. The woman can use a vaginal lubricant during sex, use a vaginal moisturizer, or can be prescribed estrogen in the form of a gel, cream, or impregnated vaginal ring containing estrogen that will have few systemic effects but will increase vaginal secretions. Hormone replacement therapy can also increase vaginal moisture.

 
• Insomnia. Sleep becomes more difficult during menopause. There may be difficulties in getting to sleep as well as difficulties in staying asleep during the night.

 
Fortunately, there are safe and effective treatments for the unpleasant symptoms of menopause and peri-menopause. Give us a call today at 843-773-2289 or visit www.telemedicinepractitioners.com to schedule an appointment today!

Marian S
Share your thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

  1. 935023 631026Id need to speak with you here. Which is not some thing I do! I spend time reading an write-up that could get folks to feel. Also, appreciate your allowing me to comment! 461328

  2. 47812 197741The planet are really secret by having temperate garden which are generally beautiful, rrncluding a jungle that is surely certainly profligate featuring so many systems by way of example the game courses, golf procedure and in addition private pools. Hotel reviews 61500

  3. 230516 582465You produced some decent points there. I looked on the net to the issue and discovered many people goes together with along together with your website. 789878

  4. 362978 67839Thank you for writing this tremendous top quality post. The data in this material confirms my point of view and you truly laid it out effectively. I could never have written an post this great. 670958

  5. 57001 746832Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but following I clicked submit my comment didnt appear. Grrrr effectively Im not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say fantastic weblog! 367461

  6. 127313 66173Oh my goodness! a great post dude. Several thanks Even so We are experiencing difficulty with ur rss . Dont know why Can not sign up to it. Could there be anybody locating identical rss difficulty? Anyone who knows kindly respond. Thnkx 684064

  7. Reading your article helped me a lot and I agree with you. But I still have some doubts, can you clarify for me? I’ll keep an eye out for your answers.

  8. I may need your help. I’ve been doing research on gate io recently, and I’ve tried a lot of different things. Later, I read your article, and I think your way of writing has given me some innovative ideas, thank you very much.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}