POSSIBLE UNWELCOME
SIGNS OF (PERI)MENOPAUSE
This list of possible signs
of menopause is adapted from the
original one developed by women on the internet "menopaus"
mailing list based at that time at Hershey Medical Center, Hershey
Pennsylvania (list owner and founder, Judy Bayliss).
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IMPORTANT
Some of these signs are also
seen in young women after the ovaries are removed, so they are not merely
signs of aging. However; many can also be seen at any age and while they
do appear around the time of menopause may be more mid-life
problems which are coincidental to the hormonal changes of menopause.
Those marked * also
appear on the list of signs of male "menopause"
so as they are not gender specific cannot be dependent on changes in female
hormonal status. They are however common enough around the time
of menopause to justify their inclusion. Beware of attributing all the
problems of midlife to "menopause"! |
Nothing on this free, unfunded informational
site is intended as medical advice. Personal decisions
concerning symptoms which may "just" be signs of (peri)menopause must
be made in consultation with a health care provider. Most
of these may also be symptoms of disease and many are found also
in women with low
thyroid
or sleep
apnea so should not be lightly dismissed as being "just perimenopausal"
. However, where no other underlying cause (medical or psychosocial) is
found in a woman aged 40 up (usually - though younger is possible) this
is very likely the reason for them, despite many doctors' refusal to acknowledge
this |
To
read what might happen if you got all the signs (calm down,
you won't!) go to a humorous
story
-
Hot
flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold
flashes, clammy feeling. These are normal and harmless though unwelcome.
-
Bouts of rapid heart beat
-
*
Irritability,
mood swings, rage
-
Sudden tears
-
Trouble
sleeping * through the night (with or
without night sweats) (Also check sleep
apnea)
-
Irregular
periods; shorter, lighter periods;
heavier
periods, flooding; phantom periods;
-
Change in libido*
(decrease or increase)
-
Dryer
vagina (may result in painful intercourse).
-
Crashing
fatigue
-
Anxiety*,
feeling ill at ease
-
Feelings of dread, apprehension,
doom ( includes thoughts of death, picturing one's own death)
-
Difficulty
concentrating,* disorientation, mental
confusion ("brain fog")
-
Disturbing memory*
lapses
-
Incontinence,
especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence
-
Itchy, crawly skin
(Feeling of ants crawling under the skin, not just dry,
itchy skin.)
-
Aching, sore joints, muscles
and tendons. NB There are studies that show that HRT makes this better
and those that show it gets *worse*...
-
Increased tension in muscles
-
Breast
tenderness
-
Headache change: increase or
decrease
-
Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion,
flatulence, gas pain, nausea
-
Sudden bouts of bloat
-
Depression*
-
Exacerbation of existing conditions
i.e. things you have already seem to get worse
-
Increase in allergies
-
Weight
gain* which is often around the waist
and thighs, resulting in "The
disappearing waistline" and changes in body shape.
-
Hair
loss or thinning,*
head (usually temporary
in women and rarely of concern) or whole body; increase in facial hair
(also usually slight and controllable by tweezing)
-
Dizziness,
light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
-
Changes in body odor
-
"Electric shock" sensation under
the skin and in the head (It feels "zizzy" - a soundless buzz - to
me)
-
Tingling in the extremities
(can also be a symptom of B-12 deficiency/diabetes. The tingling
can result from an alteration in the flexibility of blood vessels in the
extremities.)
-
Gum
problems, increased bleeding
-
Burning
tongue
-
Brittle fingernails, which peel
& break easily.
Osteoporosis
which was on the original list has been removed since it is invisible and
unlikely to be complained of in the perimenopausal years. In addition,
its
connection with menopause has been exaggerated.
And after all that, let me remind you of
The
list of possible POSITIVE developments !
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