The symptoms that menopausal women report vary widely. All women experience irregular or shorter periods during the year or so before their periods stop altogether. The majority of women going through menopause also experience hot flashes. These typically begin with a feeling of mild to intense warmth in the upper part of the body, spreading to the face. Hot flashes may last for several minutes, and be accompanied by sweating and blushing. Their severity varies from mild to causing extreme discomfort. In some women, hot flashes may occur while asleep, causing them to wake up, resulting in insomnia or sleeplessness. Headaches and a racing heartbeat may also be experienced during menopause, sometimes coinciding with hot flashes and adding to overall discomfort.
Women going through menopause may experience a number of emotional symptoms. These include irritability, depression, anxiety, fatigue, lowered motivation and tension. While these emotional symptoms are a normal part of menopause, they may also be found in a variety of other conditions. It is best to consult a doctor if emotions are getting in the way of normal daily activities.
Many women have joint and muscle aches during menopause. Some of these women may be developing osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak. Hormonal changes during menopause, and a lack of sufficient physical activity, aggravate the development of osteoporosis. A doctor should properly evaluate any joint or muscle pain.
A distressing symptom some women experience during menopause is some loss of bladder control. Decreased estrogen levels cause this; estrogen helps keep the pelvic muscles that control the bladder strong.
Women going through menopause typically experience reduced sex drive. Some of this is attributable to vaginal dryness that develops during menopausal hormonal changes. Insomnia, depression, anxiety and other symptoms experienced during menopause may also contribute to decreased libido.
Menopausal women suffer a range of symptoms in varying severity: loss of periods, hot flashes, emotional disturbance, joint and muscle aches, bladder weakness and loss of libido. Fortunately, much is known about their origins, and there are many treatments available to improve them.
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Early Menopause
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Early or premature menopause is defined as menopause before the age of 40. Premature ovarian failure, surgery, and chemotherapy may all result in early menopause. About one in a hundred women may experience early menopause; some may be teenagers or in their twenties. Symptoms of...
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Menopause Hot Flashes
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Hot flashes is the most widespread symptom faced by American women going through menopause – about 75% of such women suffer hot flashes. Hot flashes makes a woman feel hot in the neck and the head. Heart palpitations, dizziness, headache, sweating, nausea and anxiety may...
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Menopause
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Menopause is the point in a woman’s life when no more eggs are released from her ovaries and her period or menstrual cycle stops. The medical definition of menopause is no period for at least 12 months that is not due to any underlying medical...
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Menopause Weight Gain
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Weight gain in menopausal women, particularly in the abdominal area, is associated with decreased levels of the hormone estrogen. Fat accumulates around the stomach area, not around the hips and thighs as it does at a younger age. The exact mechanism of this weight gain...
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Menopause Insomnia
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When a menopausal woman consults a physician, the most frequently heard complaint is insomnia. The ageing process reduces the quality and duration of sleep. In a menopausal woman, the reduction of hormones and its imbalance makes it worse. The biological and psychological changes that occur...
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Menopause Treatment
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Menopause is a normal part of a woman’s life, and as such requires no treatment. However, the symptoms a menopausal woman suffers may range from mild to debilitating. These symptoms may require some form of treatment. Up until recently, hormone replacement therapy, in particular estrogen...
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Menopause Relief
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Menopause can be a difficult time for many women. Reductions in circulating estrogen hormone levels result in a number of physical and physiological changes, which in turn may lead to mental and emotional stress. While short-term hormone replacement therapy helps many women, most symptoms of...
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PMS Symptoms
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The majority of women experience premenstrual syndrome or PMS at some point during their lives. PMS is an umbrella term used to describe a large number of symptoms women may experience during the premenstrual part of their monthly cycles. While all women undergo monthly hormonal...
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Menopause And Osteoporosis
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Estrogen is an important hormone that is required to maintain bone strength. During menopause, the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Over the next several years, bones become progressively weaker. A woman may lose up to ten percent of her total bone mass in the first five...
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Hair Loss and Menopause
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Women with menopause are prime candidates for hair loss. Statistics show that about 50 percent of women experience some hair loss while going through menopause, and about 66 percent worry about thinning hair or bald spots during post-menopausal stages. This is a natural stage in...