What Are Common Menopausal Symptoms?
Menopause can be a dreaded time of life for women. Menopausal symptoms affect about 70% of women approaching this change in life. Typical menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes or night sweats, are caused by changing hormonal levels in the female reproductive system and can be physically, mentally and psychologically challenging. In this article, we’ve got some great advice for menopausal women to help them get through this tough time.
There are a variety of menopause symptoms and women can experience any of them in varying degrees. Some women are lucky enough to experience no symptoms of all. About 75 to 85% of American women get hot flashes during the change, which are a sudden, transient sensation of warmth or heat that spreads over the body creating a hot flush, which is noticeable on the face and upper body and is the body’s reaction to a decreased supply of the hormone estrogen. Night sweats are the evening cousin of hot flashes, but typically are more intense.
Menstrual irregularity is common in the mid-forties as women approach menopause. A lack of hormonal balance or a decrease in estrogen production is the main cause of it. During this time, women may also experience low libido and vaginal dryness. When your estrogen levels drop, your vaginal tissues start drying and become less elastic. Sex becomes uncomfortable, you may be more prone to infections, your vagina is frequently itchy and easily irritated, and on the emotional side, you may feel older.
Fatigue is one of the most common menopausal symptoms, which is defined as an ongoing and persistent feeling of weakness, tiredness and a lowered energy level. Chronic fatigue can have a drastic impact on a woman’s quality of life. She may find herself withdrawing from relationships and experience reduced work productivity. Fatigue goes hand in hand with menopause sleep disorders. When you begin going through the change, you may suffer from insomnia or find that your sleep is less restful.
Weight gain, specifically a thickening around your middle, is another sign of changing hormones. While a number of doctors claim that menopause has nothing to do with weight gain, it occurs in menopausal women because they’re older and their metabolism is slowing down. Some studies indicate that hormone levels are tied to weight gain and redistribution of fat. Changes in diet and exercise can help rev up your body’s metabolic rate. Women who are generally healthy are apt to have fewer menopausal symptoms than women suffering from poor nutrition and lack of physical exercise. Regardless of your symptoms, a healthy lifestyle is always a good choice and will inevitably make living with the change easier.