How Do You Identify the Early Signs Of Menopause

How Do You Identify the Early Signs Of Menopause

Menopause is the end of the reproductive cycle of a woman. It starts with a myriad of unpleasant symptom which sometimes last for as long as 15 years and ends when the woman experiences no menstruation for twelve consecutive months. First time a woman would get a taste of menopause is around 40 years of age. Depending upon each woman, the onset of menopause can start anytime between ages 40-55 years and last from one to 15 years.

What Are The Early Signs Of Menopause Of Perimenopause?

The signs of menopause differ from woman to woman yet the majority would experience one or more of the symptoms described briefly hereunder:

1. Irregular monthly cycles – the menstruation cycle would become highly irregular. Sometimes it would come twice a month, while sometimes once in three months. This is one of the most critical of all symptoms.

2. Loss of libido – no matter how sexually active you had been before, when the menopause is round the corner, you would loose interest in sex. This is due to the reduction of the estrogen (female hormone) in the blood.

3. Mood swings, anxiety and depression – you would experience some of the PMS symptoms, only far more accentuated. These moods swings et al are caused by the fluctuation of hormones in the blood and it is very normal in most menopausal women.

4. Vaginal dryness – besides the fact the libido would decrease to a very large extent, you would also find that the vaginal lubrication has almost dried out which makes sexual intercourse extremely painful.

5. Hot flushes – there would be sudden hot flushes that would leave you soaked at night, or at anytime at work. This is one of the very common and very unpleasant early signs of menopause. The hot flushes are caused by the fluctuation of hormones in the blood.

6. Sleeping pattern – another one among early signs of menopause is a sudden change in sleeping patterns. You would either feel sometimes that you need to sleep 20 hours out of 24 and at other times find that you cannot sleep at all.

7. Weight gain – most women experience sudden weight gain which is most often than not due to water retention rather than fat deposits, though this is also possible.

As you can see there are many such early signs of menopause which would help you identify the problem correctly – provided you are aware of what are the symptoms.

Identifying and Understanding Menopause Symptoms

There are several dozen effects of menopause that most women will experienc during “the change”. Losing one’s fertility is not the only thing a woman will experience during menopause. While the main symptoms of menopause may be blatant most are uncommon or unknown to the vast majority of people. The vast array of symptoms related to menopause are varied and uncontrollable. The beginning signs of menopause can be very subtle and barely recognizable. Those that are most obvious will not be mistaken. A woman should begin learning the signs and symptoms as early as age 30 to avoid being surprised by their occurence. Identifying the symptoms of menopause can help you as you try to help the women in your life as they go through their “changes”.

Perhaps the most recognizable menopause symptoms is the mood swing. It is this symptom that makes menopause look a lot like puberty and (ironically) the early stages of pregnancy. A woman who is going through menopause is going to have a lot of sudden and hard to explain mood swings. One moment she might be perfectly calm. In the next minute she will have started bawling about something that didn’t bother her a few months ago and might not bother her tomorrow. If a woman in your life is going through mood swings like these and isn’t pregnant (or pubescent), she might be going through the stages of menopause. Try to be sensitive!

For some women menopause will act very much like a pregnancy. One of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy that is also present in many menopausal women is extreme fatigue. If you have extreme fatigue often referred to as “crashing” fatigue you should consult a doctor to see if it could be menopause. This is more than feeling “a little tired”. The type of fatigue I am talking about is bad enough you might not be physically capable of getting out of bed. It could become so strong that she cannot get through her day without taking several naps. Women who experience intense fatigue are often diagnosed as menopausal or premenopausal.

Anxiety awareness can be troublesome during menopause. This menopause symptom can manifest itself in anything from feeling on edge to experiencing feelings of dread or doom. Do not mistake these sensations as panic attacks, there is a difference. These feelings can be indicative of the fact that your loved one might be going through menopause. Try to help her stay calm and be sensitive to what she is going through. Menopause symptoms are widely varied. No two women will have the exact same menopause experiences. Some women don’t experience bad symptoms. For others they are strong and debilitating. Being able to understand the symptoms of menopause can do a lot for both you (if you are dealing with it) and the other people who are in your life (who will be helping you deal with it). These are just a few of the symptoms you might have to deal with. Have a conversation with your doctor so that you can learn how to identify the other symptoms you should be watching for.