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Signs and Symptoms of Menopause

abang12 | Apr 13, 2010 |

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This article provides information about menopause, stating signs and symptoms of menopause.

Menopause occurs in a woman when menses ceases to appear. This usually comes up from about 40 years of age. Actually, the span of a woman starts from first day of menses to end of menses at about 40 years.

Menopause is the last menstrual period of a woman, and is generally taken to be the time of change of life, leading to and after the last menstrual period. Therefore menopause is the change of life.

Taking the definition physiologically, menopause is the period of permanent cessation of menstruation, due to loss of ovarian follicular activity. It means the ability to form and release ovum or egg in a woman's body is lost permanently.

A period of time during which in the ovaries are failing or no more producing eggs in a woman as it was normal every month and when the symptoms of menopause start is called the pre-menopausal period. It finishes 12 months after the last menstrual period. Also, post menopause is the time after permanent cessation of menstruation that is after 12 months of cessation of menstruation. Most women are post menopausal by the age of 54.

Premature menopause is said to take place when menopause comes before the age of 40. This may occur as a result of spontaneous ovarian failure or induced by radiotherapy, chemotherapy (the use of anti-cancer medications), or after surgical removal of the womb (hysterectomy) with ovarian conservation. Surgical menopause takes place after the surgical removal of the two ovaries.

Short Term Signs and Symptoms of Menopause

Menopause occurs because of the limited number of ovaries in a woman. When no ovaries are left, estrogen level falls, because this reproductive hormone which is produced by the ovarian follicle during maturation of the egg is no longer available. This fall in estrogen level, hinders the menstrual cycle, leading to the following symptoms.

Sweat in bed

This normally occurs at night when the woman is in bed. This sometimes become severe, disrupting sleep and causing changes to beddings and sleeping clothes.

Occurrence of Hot Flushes

Most women that have passed menopause experience this. A typical hot flush lasts for a few minutes and flushes the woman's face, neck, and chest. This results in sweating, weakness, fainting, and a sick feeling.

The number of hot flushes varies every now and then, to fifteen or more times a day. Hot flushes usually start just before menopause, and may persist for about two to three years.

Other Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms that may develop are tiredness, headaches, being irritable, palpitation, and depression, difficulty in sleeping, worry and anxiety, loss of libido, aches and pains, and a feeling of inability to cope with situations as before the peri-menopausal period.

Long Term Signs and Symptoms of Menopause

i. Genital Symptoms

Thinner and drier tissues occur round the vagina, caused by lack of estrogen. These changes can take months or years to develop. This causes the vagina to shrink a little, and expand less easily during intercourse, leading to pain. The vulva may become thin, dry, and itchy.

ii. Skin Changes

Skin protein, called collagen, is often lost after the menopause. This causes the skin to become drier, thinner, and itchy.

iii. Loss of bone tissue (Osteoporosis)

Old age in women leads to a gradual loss of bone tissue. Bones become less strong and less dense. The loss of bone materials occur faster in women than in men after menopause, when estrogen level drops. Much bone loss leads to osteoporosis. This means that the bones can break easily if the woman has injury from a fall. Symptoms such as discomfort during sex and reduced sex drive or libido also occur. Discomforts during sex can be remedied with the use of water-based lubricants.

Some of the developments outlined above are temporary. It is good to discuss with the doctor if some of these symptoms persist, because these associated symptoms of menopause and depression can be cured with the help of your doctor.

To your healthy menopause life.

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