The Most Overlooked Menopause Symptoms

What are the symptoms of menopause?
You may be entering menopause if you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:

• Hot Flashes (a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the body)

• Night sweats or cold flashes

• Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex

• Frequent urination impulses

• Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)

• Emotional changes (irritability, mood swings and mild depression)

• Dry skin, dry eyes or dry month.

Women who are still in perimenopause may also experience.

• Breast tenderness

• Worsening of Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

• Irregular periods or skipping periods

• Periods may be heavier or lighter than usual.

• Rise in heartbeat

• Headaches

• Joint and muscle pains

• Changes in libido (sex drive)

• Concentration loss

• Weight gain

• Hair loss

These symptoms are the sign that ovaries are producing less estrogen or fluctuation in hormone levels.
Not all women affected these symptoms but most common issues like racing heart, urinary changes or headaches or other new medical problems.
You need to see a doctor to make sure to ascertain that there is no other cause for these symptoms.

What are hot flashes?  How long will I have them?
Hot flashes are one of the most frequent symptoms that most women get in menopause.
It is a mild sensation of heat.  There isn't any specific reason why they happen.  Along with heat sensation, hot flashes can also come with:

• A red hot flushed face.

• Sweating

• A chill feel after the heat

Hot flashes are unique to every person.  In some women they last for a short time, it may be longer periods for some women.  Others can have some kind of hot flashes for the rest of their life.
Usually, hot flashes are less harmful as time goes on.

What triggers a hot flash?
The reasons for a hot flash are just normal things in your life.  Some of them include:

• Spicy foods

• Alcohol

• Tight Clothing

• Caffeine

• Smoking

• Stress and anxiety.

Heat, including hot weather, can also trigger a hot flash.  Be careful when you work on hot weather as this could cause a hot flash.

Do You know Menopause can cause facial hair growth?
The most unwelcome change in menopause is the growth of facial hair.  The hormonal change in your body leads to several physical changes to your body including more facial hair than you might have in the past.
If facial hair becomes a problem, you may go for hair removers or waxing options.
Take the advice of your health care provider to resolve this issue, but never take your own choices which could harm your skin.

Do You get hard to concentrating and memory problems?
Unfortunately, concentration loss and minor memory problems can be a normal part of menopause.
Doctors aren't sure why this happens to some but not to all women.
If you have memory problems, call your healthcare provider.  
There are several activities that can stimulate the brain and help rejuvenate your memory.

• Doing crossword puzzles or any other mind-stimulating activities like math puzzles.

• Cut back on passive activities like watching TV.

• Do plenty of exercises.

Remember, depression and anxiety can also impact your memory.

Can Menopause cause depression?

As there are extreme shifts in your hormone levels, your body goes through a lot of changes during menopause.
You may not sleep well because of hot flashes and you may experience mood swings.
Anxiety and fear also play during this time.  All these factors can lead to depression.
In such a case, talk to your healthcare provider.  Your provider will tell you about different types of treatment and check to make sure there isn't another medical condition causing your depression.
Thyroid problems can sometimes trigger depression.

Are there any other emotional changes during menopause?

Menopause can cause different emotional changes including:

• Loss of energy and insomnia.

• Lack of motivation and difficulty in concentrating.

• Anxiety, depression, mood swings and tension.

• Headaches.

• Irritability and aggressiveness.

All these emotional changes can also happen normally.  You might have experienced some of them throughout your life.
Managing emotional changes during menopause can be difficult but they are manageable.  Your healthcare provider may prescribe medication (hormone therapy or antidepressants).
Support Groups and Counseling are useful tools to manage these emotional changes during menopause.

How does menopause affect my urinary bladder control?
Unfortunately, bladder control issues (also called urinary incontinence) are common for women in menopause.  The few reasons are as follows:

• Estrogen: This hormone has several roles in your body.  It controls you regular periods and promotes changes in your body during pregnancy.  Estrogen also keeps the lining of your bladder and urethra healthy.

• Pelvic floor muscles: These support the organs in your pelvis like the bladder and uterus.  These muscles become weakened during pregnancy, childbirth or from weight gain.  When the muscles weaken, you can experience urinary incontinence (leakage).

Some other bladder control problems include:

• Stress incontinence (leakage when you cough, sneeze or lift something heavy).

• Urge incontinence (leakage because your bladder squeezes at the wrong time).

• Painful urination.

• Nocturia (feeling the need to get up in the night to urinate).

Will I have menopause if I have a Hysterectomy?
During a hysterectomy, your uterus is removed.  You won't have periods after this surgery.  
However, if ovaries are not removed, you may not have the symptoms of menopause right away.  
If your ovaries are also removed (this is called oophorectomy), you will have symptoms of menopause immediately.