The absence of a menstrual period for at least one year is an indicator that a woman is transitioning from a reproductive to a non-reproductive phase in life. This indicates she has entered menopause. For most women, menopause starts around 51.
The transition from one phase to another doesn’t happen overnight. It’s rather gradual and is a different experience for each woman. In fact, the first sign of menopause can begin 10 years before a woman is officially in this phase of her life.
Many women think that menopause can make their life easy as they don’t have to deal with menstrual cycles or shop for hygienic products, and they can plan their days without worrying much.
But in reality, menopause brings about lots of changes in the body other than the classic symptom of irregular periods, and many women only realize it after entering this phase of life.
1. Hot Flashes Continue for Years
Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of menopause. Though flash means fast, they do not stop quickly. In fact, they can last for years.
Also called vasomotor symptoms, hot flashes may begin in perimenopause, the period around the onset of menopause. In some women, they may not start until after the last menstrual period has occurred. Episodes of hot flashes are lengthy and nuanced events that come in stages.
2. Extreme Tiredness
Whether it’s due to hot flashes or poor sleep, the perimenopausal and menopausal stages can take a heavy toll on your energy level. It can make you feel exhausted and fatigued all the time. The exhaustion is similar to what you experience in the first months of having a newborn baby.3. Weight Gain
Putting on more pounds is common after menopause. But it is important to note that menopause-related weight gain does not happen all of a sudden. This type of weight gain occurs gradually.According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, during menopause women gain an average of five pounds. Some women may even gain as much as 15 to 25 pounds.
4. More Bad Hair Days
Thinning hair (or even hair loss) is one of the main symptoms of menopause, but the problem can last for several months. Menopause has an impact on your hair due to fluctuating hormones.Hair loss can begin in the pre-menopausal stage. During this time, estrogen levels decline and testosterone in the bloodstream is more easily converted to DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). This in turn reduces blood flow to the hair follicles, causing the hair to become thinner day by day.
5. Sleep Problems
During menopause, there is a significant drop in progesterone and estrogen levels that causes nighttime hot flashes and disturbed sleep.A 2005 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that there are three major ways in which menopause affects sleep.
The first is the concept of a menopausal mood disorder and the development of menopause-related insomnia. The second is an increase in the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing. The third is an increase in the development of fibromyalgia.
6. Bone Loss
Bone loss and osteoporosis are common in women over the age of 50.
In fact, after the age of 35, there is a gradual loss of bone mass in the body which may contribute to osteoporosis, causing your bones to become fragile and more likely to break.
7. Extreme Skin Dryness
After menopause, it’s also time to upgrade your moisturizer because the skin tends to become extremely dry. As estrogen levels drop, so does oil production in your skin, causing excess dryness that can lead to a flaky complexion. Some women also complain of dry, crawly, itchy and red skin.8. Frequent Mood Swings
The fluctuating hormones that accompany menopause can lead to changes in brain chemistry, which in turn can induce depression.Frequent mood swings and depression can be debilitating. Depression does not appear for the first time after menopause. However, women become somewhat more vulnerable to depression during the perimenopause period.
9. Rise in Bad Cholesterol
Menopause can cause your “bad” cholesterol to rise. It is due to the increasing age as well as the hormonal changes associated with menopause, especially the decrease in estrogen.A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) peaked during late peri- and early post-menopause, while changes in the early stages of menopause were minimal.
10. Memory Issues
Most women experience lapses in memory from time to time, especially before or during menopause. For some, forgetfulness becomes an issue and impacts daily activities.Regular forgetfulness during menopause happens due to the reduction in the body’s hormone levels. The drop in estrogen can especially impact memory before or during menopause. It helps regulate levels of another hormone, called cortisol, which affects how the chemicals in your brain work.
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