This weight gain can happen without any changes to diet or exercise routine. Hot flashes: Fluctuations in hormone levels might lead to hot flashes or an abrupt feeling of heat and flushing. These flashes may be mild, occurring primarily in the upper body, or they may radiate throughout the body. Hot flashes can last from a few seconds to many minutes. Night sweats: Hot flashes that happen during sleep cause night sweats, and these may prompt such intense sweating that they wake a person up.
Sleep disturbances: Menopause often makes it hard to sleep. Many women find that sleep disturbances occur more often around the time of menopause.
The disturbances may be related to night sweats. Low mood: Some women may experience mood changes during menopause. These may be due to hormonal fluctuations, but life circumstances that tend to occur around the time of menopause can also contribute. Low mood may also be a result of fatigue from sleep disturbances or the psychological adjustment to the loss of fertility.
Attention problems: Many people find that they have difficulty concentrating and focusing during menopause and might experience lapses in memory. Scientists are not sure if this is due to falling estrogen levels or the natural aging process.
Thinning skin and hair: Extreme fluctuations in hormone levels might cause skin to become thinner. Some women may experience hair loss.
Urinary frequency and incontinence: Around menopause, women may experience an increase in the frequency of passing urine, due to a weakening of the muscles that control the pelvic floor. Menopause itself does not require medical treatment, as it is not a medical condition, but many women seek relief from its uncomfortable symptoms. Estrogen therapy is one of the most effective options for relieving menopause-related hot flashes.
Doctors often prescribe the lowest dose of estrogen possible to relieve symptoms. Sometimes, progestin supplementation is also needed. Aside from relieving hot flashes, hormone replacement therapy HRT can help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. Some studies suggest that low doses of estrogen may protect against heart disease if a person starts them within 5 years of menopause.
There are many other treatments available that alleviate symptoms and prevent issues related to aging. At the onset of perimenopause, a person may wish to schedule regular doctor visits for preventive healthcare. It can also happen if the ovaries are damaged by chemotherapy or other conditions and treatments. The frequency, intensity, and duration of symptoms vary widely from person to person during perimenopause and as you approach menopause.
Some women report their symptoms last longer. You can experience any of these symptoms throughout perimenopause. But hot flashes typically occur at the onset of perimenopause.
Going through perimenopause and menopause can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful for many women. Here are some tips to help you manage your symptoms. Vaginal dryness can be managed by using a water-based, over-the-counter OTC lubricant during sex or by using an OTC vaginal moisturizer used every few days.
Your doctor can also prescribe medication to help with more severe vaginal discomfort. Easing stress, eating right, and staying physically active can help with mood swings and sleeping problems. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to help with mood swings. You should talk to your doctor about managing your symptoms and to rule out other conditions that may be causing your symptoms, like depression or asthma.
Your doctor may also prescribe menopausal hormone therapy MHT to help treat your symptoms. MHT may also help slow bone loss and reduce mood swings and mild depressive symptoms. Side effects of MHT include:. Studies show that women who take MHT are at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots.
The risks are similar for women using contraceptive pills, patches, and rings. However, women taking MHT are older, and the risks increase with age. Additional research found that the risk of getting breast cancer can increase with five or more years of continuous MHT use of estrogen with progestogen, not estrogen alone.
However, other conditions, like polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS or cervical cancer , can also cause irregular bleeding. See your doctor to rule out other causes if you:. Osteoporosis and heart disease are long-term health risks associated with menopause. Vaginal infections can also occur more frequently because your vagina has become dryer and thinner. Report menopausal symptoms when visiting the doctor.
Get assessed by your physician if you continue to have menopausal symptoms that are unbearable or last more than five years after your last menstrual period. Although menopause can cause uncomfortable symptoms for some women, this natural process has possible upsides, too. Perimenopause typically lasts for four to six years, but it can last as long as 12 years for some women.
In most cases, the onset occurs between ages However, it can occur earlier or later in a minority of women. While they do remain potentially fertile during this time, it becomes far more difficult to conceive. Hot flashes, fatigue, chills, and other symptoms associated with menopause begin to emerge during this stage. While menopause symptoms will disappear for most women four to five years after their last cycle, symptoms can occasionally surface many years later in a mild form.
Hot flashes are one of the most common menopause symptoms that women experience years after the disappearance of most of them.
However, this is not the case for all women. Some women find that they no longer experience menopausal symptoms after as little as two years from the beginning of menopause.
Some women experience osteoporosis as a result of the reduced estrogen levels that occur during menopause. Fortunately, this condition can be treated, and hormonal treatments can stop the progression of it. Some women will experience an abrupt cessation of their monthly cycle, which does not recur.
In these cases, there are often very few symptoms during perimenopause. Following that, however, the onset of symptoms once menopause does begin can be rapid and intense in these cases.
Many other women will experience a gradual shift from irregular cycles to no cycles, which will last for several years. This is the most common pattern, and it tends to be associated with a gradual onset of symptoms. Often, the severity of symptoms tends to fluctuate prior to and after menopause for a period of around 10 years.
In general, late-onset menopause e. However, early-onset menopause can be associated with health problems.
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