Symptoms Of Menopause:
If you can’t or don’t want to take hormones, other medications can ease symptoms. They include antidepressants, antiseizure drugs, or blood pressure medications to help see post with hot flashes and mood swings. It’s common to feel less interested in sex during menopause. This is caused by physical changes brought on by reduced estrogen.
Some may be part of aging rather than directly related to menopause. As for those with a vegetarian diet, researchers found they experience menopause about a year earlier than meat eaters. The high-fiber and low-animal-fat content in some vegetarian meals has been linked to low estrogen levels. You can keep track of your periods and chart them as they become uneven. The pattern will be another clue to your doctor that you’re perimenopausal or nearing menopause.
Blood tests may also be carried out to help diagnose suspected premature menopause if you’re under 40 and have menopausal symptoms. It can be really helpful to know the common symptoms of the menopause and how these might affect you. Many women feel unaware of and unprepared for the range, severity and impact of the symptoms. Some chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer can also make your periods irregular. Any bleeding, even just spotting, after menopause isn’t normal. You should talk to your doctor if you have concerns about an irregular period.
Most of us feel anxious at times, but you might find that things that you can usually cope with make you feel overwhelmed with anxiety. You might also feel upset, sad or angry in situations thatwould not have bothered you before. Please enter your age and the first day of your last period for more accurate abortion options. A federal government website managed by the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. However, none of these symptoms are menopause-specific, meaning they could have other causes. You can stop using contraception at the age of 55, as getting pregnant naturally after this is very rare.
As female sex hormones ensure that there is adequate circulation of blood around the vagina, a lack of them can decrease blood flow and, therefore, natural lubrication. This may cause dryness, which can be uncomfortable or make penetrative sex more difficult. However, it can also be a secondary result of the other visit the website, such as mood changes or a side effect of a medication. Mood changes are unpredictable shifts in mood unrelated to life events.
This fact sheet refers to ‘women’ in alignment with the available data, which does not routinely identify gender identity. There is a paucity of readily-available data on trans and gender diverse experiences of menopause. Trans and gender diverse people advice have unique age-related health needs that clinicians should consider, including referral to specialist services when necessary. ‘Eventually, as you get closer and closer to menopause, you start skipping periods for months at a time,’ Dr. Batur notes.
If you have symptoms of depression or anxiety, see your doctor. Your doctor may recommend therapy or medicine or both to treat depression or anxiety. You might feel moodier or more irritable around the time of menopause. It’s possible that stress, family changes such as growing children or aging parents, a history of depression, or feeling tired could be causing these mood changes.
By Kate Bracy, RN, NPKate Bracy, RN, MS, NP, is a registered nurse and certified nurse practitioner who specializes in women’s health and family planning. Your metabolism will slow with age, so weight gain is common in menopause. The combination of changing patterns of fat deposits, less muscle mass, and a slower metabolism can give you a larger abdomen and ‘flabby’ arms and legs.
You can also say if you would prefer to see a female rather than a male health professional. You may have one every two or three weeks, or you may not have one for months at a time. Menopausal symptoms can begin months or even years before your periods stop and can last for years after. Anyone can have minor memory lapses during middle age, such as not being able to think of a word or losing car keys. Forgetfulness can occur during menopause but can stem from other factors like stress.
Some people use alternative remedies to increase estrogen levels, but there’s not enough evidence to prove they are safe or effective. These changes are linked to a loss of active ovarian follicles. These structures produce and release eggs from the ovary wall and allow menstruation and fertility. Menopause occurs from hormone changes as the body nears the end of its reproductive years. Menopause can also increase your risk of developing certain other problems, such as weak bones (osteoporosis) or cardiac disease.
There are a variety of non-hormonal and hormonal interventions that can help alleviate symptoms of menopause. The intensity of a hot flash can range from mild to very strong, even waking you from sleep. A hot flash generally lasts between 30 seconds and 10 minutes, according to the National Institute on Aging. Most women experience hot flashes for a year or two after their final menstrual period. Hot flashes may still continue after menopause, but they lessen in intensity over time. People lose an average of 25% of their bone mass from the time of menopause to age 60.
You will need time to adjust to and understand your ‘new’ body and paying attention to symptoms can help you identify health issues early. Menopause is a great excuse to start taking good care of yourself with exercise, stress management, a better diet, and ensuring you get all of your preventative health checks. Pamper yourself and look forward to your next stages of life.
Your GP can usually confirm whether you are menopausal based on your symptoms, but a blood test to measure your hormone levels may be carried out if you’re aged 40 to 45. If you go through the menopause because of surgical or medical treatments, you are likely to experience the symptoms of menopause much less gradually. If you were assigned female at birth and identify as male, you’ll go through menopause unless you get hormonal therapy to raise testosterone levels or have had your ovaries removed. You can also enter menopause right after surgery to have your ovaries removed. Changing hormone levels can affect your body clock or make it more difficult for you to fall asleep or stay asleep. This can happen especially if you have other conditions that affect your sleep ‘ for example, pain, snoring or if you have consumed alcohol or caffeine before bed.
But unlike with early or premature menopause, your periods could come back and you might still be able to get pregnant. A lack of control over peeing can be another symptom of this stage of life. Activities like coughing or lifting may cause you to lose pee or you may have a strong, instant need to pee that is followed by a loss. You may also get more frequent urinary tract infections. All you can do is pay attention to how you’re feeling and notice changes.