Menopause Symptoms
Menopause is a rite of passage for every woman. The change usually takes place around 50 years of age. There are many symptoms of menopause that could indicate that your hormone levels are changing. Menopause symptoms can be small irritations or things that require lifestyle changes. The menopause symptoms of greater concern depend on the individual. Sometime menopause symptoms after a hysterectomy can be more severe and harder to deal with than those that occur naturally. While there are many different menopausal symptoms, not every woman will get every symptom. You can get any combination of the possible signs and symptoms of menopause. If you suspect that you might be going through menopause because you are experiencing menopause symptoms then you should see your doctor.
The time before your periods stop and you are experiencing symptoms is sometimes called perimenopause. Perimenopause symptoms are the same as the symptoms you experience once your periods have stopped. Some pre menopause symptoms sometimes come on so gradually that you do not even notice that you have been experiencing them until you start to have irregular periods. The most common early menopause symptoms are hot flashes, night sweats and an occasionally rapid heartbeat. Hot flashes are the most common menopause symptom effecting nearly seventy-five to eighty percent of women. Night sweats are simply a version of hot flashes that happen during the night and are often more intense. The rapid heartbeat is the second most common menopause symptom. Your heart starts racing and it is hard to get it under control. Breathing exercises and remembering that the increased heartbeat is just a menopause symptom can help bring it under control.
Hot flashes and a rapid heartbeat, while common, can be explained away with other factors so people do not always associate them with going into menopause. There are very obvious symptoms that women experience that tell them they are possibly entering menopause. An irregular period is the first big menopause symptom. If you are suddenly having periods that are short or exceptionally long or light or uncharacteristically heavy then you might want to start looking at other possible menopause symptoms that you might be experiencing.
When you are going through perimenopause and menopause your ovaries start to produce less and less estrogen. Estrogen is a very important hormone that contributes to many different functions and places in the body. Most menopause symptoms can be treated by fixing the problem of too little estrogen. If you start on hormone replacement therapy then you can lessen the worst of your menopause symptoms. But, if you decide upon this course of treatment you might never be able to stop.
As I said above, the average age for women to enter menopause is 51. Some women start to experience the symptoms of perimenopause sometime in their forties. It is rare, but some women experience something called premature menopause or early menopause. Premature menopause symptoms are exactly the same as the regular menopause symptoms except that they are happening to a young woman about 10-15 years earlier than normal. Symptoms of early menopause can mimic other hormone deficiency problems so be sure to talk to your doctor if you suspect that you are entering menopause early.
One long term effect of menopause is the possibility of osteoporosis. Post menopause symptoms can include this bone disease. Menopause is essentially the changes that a woman’s body goes through as it starts to produce less estrogen. Estrogen plays a part in how our body absorbs calcium so as you produce less estrogen you do not replace bone as efficiently an osteoporosis can be a result.
