Surprising Symptoms of Menopause

Heart Palpitations - Many women will experience an occasional rapid heartbeat, or maybe it feels like a skipped beat. Or they'll wake up with their heart racing & think they're having a heart attack. Most often it's benign. Fluctuating levels of estrogen is to blame, but once menopause is behind you, the symptoms go away. Solution: Exercise helps, especially yoga, and avoiding caffeine.

Joint Pain - Aching knees and hips are also a problem among menopausal women. Solution: Lift weights. While regular exercises are effective, weights help to strengthen week muscles.

Migraines - It's no secret that there's a link between estrogen and migraines. The good news is that 67% of women with headaches will actually report on improvement during menopause. For those who get migraines in perimenopause, they can be crippling. Solution: Mention any headaches to your doctor. Often a very low dose of progesterone solves the problem.

Creepy-Crawly Skin - A good description of this is it feels like your body is percolating. Women with sensitive skin sometimes develope red rashes on the chest and neck. Solution: Estrogen treatement can relieve symptoms. The feeling often subsides once menopause is over.

Sexual Feast - Levels of estrogen fall during menopause, but so does the level of a chemical used to process them. That means that there's an increase in what's called testosterone, which can kickstart your sex drive. Solution: Enjoy it all you want!

Panic Attacks - Some women report a feeling of dread, often just before a hot flash. But for a few, those feelings are much more debiliating. A study found that 18% of menopausal women experience panic attacks, with 10% describing these attacks as full-blown. Solution: See your doctor; antianxiety medication may help.

Hairy Faces & Thinning Hair - When estrogen levels drop during menopause, testosterone can dominate. For some women this can cause excess or thinning hair. Hair loss on the scalp is often associated with lower thyroid function, a problem that increases in menopausal women. Solution: Buy tweezers and keep your sense of humor.

Sleep Disturbances Without Hot Flashes - Hot flashes jolt many menopausal women out of a sound sleep, but some sleep disturbances happen without the hot flash. One in three menopausal women report sleep disturbances which has led experts to speculate that mood-related menopause symptoms, including depression, irritability, and weepiness, are due to sleep deprivation, rather than menopause itself. Solution: For many women, herbal tea, gentle stretches, or classical music helps them get back to sleep. Regular exercise also improves sleep patterns.

Fuzzy Brain - Many women report difficulty recalling a word or performing simple mental functions like balancing a checkbook. Solution: Most women report that they feel sharper once menopause is over.

Dry Eyes - Eye experts aren't sure exactly which hormones cause dry eyes during menopause and beyond, but it's a common complaint. Solution: Lubricating eye drops may help: so can small silicone plugs, which doctors insert into the tear ducts.

Weird Dreams - Many women claim they dream differently throughout their monthly menstrual cycle, and some say this intensifies during menopause. It's common for women in perimenopause to dream of houses that represent themselves. Women dream of houses that are a mess, in disrepair, or that have rooms they didn't know existed. Menopause is like adolescencs in reverse. Many women have mood swings and the same urgent sense of trying to find out who they are. Solution: Regular exercise will help you sleep more soundly.