Dealing with Menopause Symptoms

There are many menopause symptoms that occur when a person begins to enter menopause. It is usually the gradual increase of symptoms that turns the forty-something into a woman who is aware that she may be entering menopause. In some women, the symptoms will begin at a relatively young age and gradually increase as estrogen in the body decreases.

Other women will go to bed one night feeling fine and wake up the next day with many of the symptoms. Just as with most of the other rites of passage that occur in humans, menopause is something that occurs at different times for different people.

While irregular periods are a symptom, it is not the big indicator it once was that a body is beginning to change. The reason for this is that many women experience irregular periods throughout their lives. There are many different triggers for irregular periods. A woman may work in a stressful job, be an athlete, eat an unhealthy diet, or work in a physically exerting environment on a regular basis. All of these have an impact on the regularity, or irregularity, of a period.

Most people do not realize the impact that estrogen handles on the body. A decrease in estrogen affects both the physical and mental well-being of an individual. A decrease in estrogen will usually make a person feel slightly “off-balance”. This feeling will continue while the body works to equalize itself and adjust to the lower levels of estrogen it is receiving. Although not often recognized as a symptom of menopause, this feeling is usually a very good indicator to an individual who is in tune with their body that’s they are entering menopause.

Something about your body just doesn’t feel right, it may feel that you are a little off balance. Suddenly, your feelings get hurt more easily, you cry when you never cry, or you begin to tear up at sad commercials on television. You may feel fine one minute and over-react to a slight the next. This is a symptom that cannot be denied. It is sort of like mega-PMS. Only, you don’t have the reassurance that it will end when you start your period. One day you will way up and be okay. Learning to cope with this roller coaster will be a challenge, but it will be possible if you learn so of the key steps for relaxation and coping.

Over 75% of women suffer from hot flashes or cold flashes when they enter menopause. Depending on how fast your estrogen is decreasing, you may suffer these hot flashes very often or periodically. In most cases, the hot flashes will last until the menopause has ended. Dealing with the hot and cold flashes can be a challenge. You may want to begin by layering your clothing so that you can easily get cooler or warmer when needed without assuming that everyone around you is as hot, or as cold, as you are.

One of the symptoms that physicians see most women about is fatigue. The fatigue that a one man who is menopausal sufferers is most commonly a crashing fatigue. This type of fatigue is a lot like crashing after eating a bag of candy. The difference is that you will not get a headache a person usually get from eating too much candy and crashing. But you will need a nap to recover your energy.

You will find that there are many natural methods, techniques, and remedies to deal with the many symptoms accompanying menopause. When a person does some research and experimentation to find the best combination of exercise, diet, and natural remedies to address their menopause symptoms, they will begin to feel more in control of this change taking place in their body.

Going through the menopause is an experience every woman will experience in her life as it’s part of the natural process of female development and growth. The name given to this change of life - menopause - comes from the Greek meanings of “cease” and “month”. Roughly translated it means the end or ceasing of the monthly cycle or periods. In general, most women start to experience early menopause symptoms from their early 50s - but it can start as early as 40 and end as late as their late 50s.

Every woman’s menopause is unique and personal. Four out of five women go through “the change of life,” as menopause is often called, with few signs beyond the ending of their monthly periods.

Menopause symptoms occur due to the physical changes a woman experiences as she gets older. In particular, it is due to the reduction in the levels of hormones - namely estrogen and progesterone - in her body. This decrease causes an irregularity in the menstrual cycle and the eventual end of the menstrual cycle all together.

The three clear signs of the onset of menopause are an irregular monthly flow, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. Hot flashes have long been considered the classic symptom of menopause. A woman experiencing a hot flash may feel a sudden wave of warmth in the face, neck, and chest, lasting for several minutes and accompanied by reddening of the skin, like blushing.

Experiencing a hot flash can also be accompanied by perspiration (or hot sweats) especially over your upper body, and at times can be pretty heavy. It can also bring on headaches, palpitations and dizziness. There’s not a lot you can do to eliminate the symptoms, but there’s plenty you can do to manage them. Wear multiple layers of clothing, so that you can remove some if necessary, drink plenty of cool liquids, and if you’re at home try a cool shower. Some people I know actually say a hot shower works well - not necessarily during the shower, but certainly when you get out - this is a method they practise in hot countries to keep cool so there’s no reason it can’t be effective to manage your hot flashes.

Changes in the vagina and urinary tract are another common menopausal symptom. With less estrogen, both the vagina and urinary tract become thinner and dryer and more prone to injury and infection. If vaginal changes are severe enough, intercourse may become painful.

There are many natural herbs for menopause that you can take to ease the symptoms, but one of the best remedies for the dryness is to use natural creams and/or lubricants like ky jelly, apricot or vitamin E oil. All of these will make having sex a much more pleasurable experience again (but unfortunately can’t account for the performance of a partner!). There are other over the counter or prescription creams that your physician may also recommend, many of which contain extra estrogen.