Signs of Menopause
It’s important to pay attention to your body and know when you start to notice changes. This is true for anything about your body. For all women, menopause is inevitable. Some might have it worse than others, but knowing the symptoms is important. Many of them can be treated or alleviated in some way. Here are the main signs of menopause.
Changes to your cycle
Your menstrual cycle will start being irregular when menopause hits. You might notice that you’re bleeding more or less than usual. It’s important to keep track of your flow in the coming years so this is more obvious to you. Your periods might also be shorter or longer than normal.
Dryness and pain with intercourse
Your vaginal walls may become drier with the onset of menopause. It might become itchy and you have a stinging feeling around the vulva. When you have intercourse, you might feel much drier than normal and you may even bleed a bit. Usually just using a lubricant can help alleviate this discomfort.
Sleep problems
You might be tossing and turning a bit more at night with menopause. You might find it more difficult to fall asleep, or you might wake up throughout the night more often. Usually making sure you stay active during the day with some exercise can help with this problem. Also try meditating and breathing techniques to get yourself to fall back asleep quicker.
Hot flashes
This is a popular feeling for women experiencing menopause. You might feel hot flashes in the upper part of your body, and sometimes you can feel it all over. It’s common for your neck or face to feel flushed or turn red. You might become sweaty as well. Sometimes the flash will last a few seconds, and sometimes longer than 10 minutes. The intensity of these flashes will range from mild to tolerable to very strong.
Frequent urination
You might start having more difficulty with controlling your bladder. You may have a feeling of needing to urinate even when your bladder isn’t full. When you do urinate, there might be a painful sensation. This is due to the muscles in the pelvic area losing their elasticity and the lining thinning out. Try Kegel exercises to strengthen these muscles.
UTIs
Urinary tract infections are more common with the onset of menopause. Your estrogen levels are declining which means your urinary tract is now more vulnerable to infections.
Declining libido and vaginal atrophy
You might not want to have intercourse as often. Your interest in having intercourse will decrease due to the reduced estrogen in your system.
Part of this reason may also be because of vaginal atrophy. During menopause, your vaginal walls are thinning and are sometimes inflamed. Mix this with the dryness you might be experiencing, and it’s not hard to see why your libido is declining. Sex will be quite painful with this mix, but lubricants and sometimes estrogen therapy can assist in alleviating this issue.
Change in mood
Usually women who are going through menopause will have some mood swings and even depression. Your hormone fluctuations are the reason for this feeling. Your swings will often come and go and can range from mild mood swings to extremely irritable and depressed.
Speak with your doctor on ways to make menopause and its affects on your life as mild as possible.
SeniorAdvisor.com Staff
Senior Advisor's knowledgeable writers blog about senior care services, trends and more.