Women experience menopause in different ways. This is because our bodies are unique, like in giving birth, where every labour is different, so no two women experience menopause the same way.
Some women have very few or no symptoms at all while others begin having symptoms during perimenopause which may last all the way through menopause.
However, some of these symptoms may occur more frequently than others.
This is normally the first sign of a woman approaching menopause. Irregular periods are also called erratic periods. The periods can be inconsistent in length or occurrence, or unusually heavy or light in flow. Nonetheless, women may still conceive during this period, thus it is advised that women continue using contraceptive for at least a year after period cessation.
Hot flushes is a common menopausal symptom that is triggered by the hypothalamus (a part of the brain located near the biological thermometer) that regulates your body temperature. Such flushes occur due to the constriction of blood vessels, causing the body temperature to rise. The sudden shift in the body temperature causes uncomfortable body heat coupled with increased heart rate. A woman may experience sudden burst of heat in the upper part or all over the body. Hot flushes may occur several times a day. These episodes can be embarrassing but never dangerous, however, it may cause night sweats and disrupt sleep.
Night sweats
Night sweats are hot flushes that occur during the night and because of the frequency, they often lead to poor sleep and fatigue the next day.
Psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety may consequent in poor sleep. In addition to that, sleep is likely to be interrupted by night sweats as hot flushes which can occur any time and even in deep sleep.
Mood changes are one of the common psychological changes. This may be due to the confusion, memory loss or lack of concentration women experience approaching menopause. These factors further distress the women and may lead to depression. Depression here refers to the state of overwhelming inability to control or feeling of loss of oneself.
Anxiety, weepiness, irritability, frustration, moodiness or depression are some of the common emotional effects that a woman feels while approaching menopause.
The decrease in estrogen level also causes loss of muscle strength. Emotional stress and tension can also cause various aches. The back and neck are the common areas where women in the menopausal stage suffer from aches. The stress and tension women experience also contribute to headaches.
Estrogen plays a major role in maintaining the function of a woman’s vagina and the surrounding tissues, and various other organs. The lack of estrogen not only causes vaginal thinning, it also leads to vaginal dryness. This is mainly due to the decreasing number of small glands that produce lubricating mucus that keeps the vagina moist. The surrounding tissues and various other organs weaken and shrink and in the long run, it will result in the vagina becoming shorter, less elastic, dryer, and it may even cause the genital skin to look paler. This will also lead to other problems such as the followings:
- Incontinence
As the tissues around the urethra (opening for urine) become thinner and weaker; women in the menopausal years may experience involuntary leakage of urine; also known as incontinence.
There are various types of incontinence that surface during the menopausal years. These include stress incontinence (e.g. leaking urine when coughing) and urge incontinence (leaking on the way to the toilet). Women may also experience problems such as not being able to hold their bladder or even an increase in frequency of visiting the latrine.
- Decrease in Libido
Women may start to experience discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, causing a loss in sexual desire. This pain is due to the vagina being smaller and drier. As the vagina becomes less elastic, it is not surprising that women find sexual intercourse painful. The tendency of vagina being sore makes this even worse. Therefore, the decrease in libido can be so great in some of these women that they actually find sex repulsive. Vaginal dryness may also lead to further discomfort such as itching.
- Itch and Discomfort
Inflammation may occur as a result of the changes around the vagina and women may encounter pain during sexual intercourse consequently. The sore and inflamed vagina will most definitely cause discomfort. Women are advised to consult a doctor if the pain continues as those in the menopausal age are more vulnerable to infection. The infected vagina will also secrete a smelly, unpleasant vaginal discharge.
- Urinary Tract Infection
The changes during the menopausal years weaken the urethra’s resilience to infection. This may cause an increase in frequency of urination and pain during urination.
Other Symptoms Include:
- Increase in allergies;
- Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain or nausea;
- Hair loss or thinning or increase in facial hair;
- Changes in body odour;
- Gum problems caused by increased bleeding;
- Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth and change in breath odour; and
- Tinnitus: ringing or buzzing in the ears.
