Posts Tagged ‘Symptoms’

7 Common Symptoms Of Menopause

May 19th, 2011

Menopause can be explained as the time period when menstrual cycles come to an end, thus signalling the end of a woman’s fertility. It generally occurs during the ages of 45 to 55 in women. In this article, you will learn about menopause symptoms and how to cope with them.

Women generally show mixed-reactions towards menopause. While some women are relieved at the thought of saying goodbye to those uncomfortable, messy and painful days, some others are scared of the numerous changes that are related to menopause. One should treat menopause as a normal part of life. The changing levels of hormones during menopause might lead to these symptoms.

1. Hot or Cold Flashes: Not every woman will experience hot flashes, but majority of them will. They are felt like sudden sensation of warmth or heat spreading over the body, but they are perfectly normal as the body is showing its reaction to the decreased supply of the hormone estrogen.
2. Night Sweats Flashes: Night sweats is a common perspiration disorder occurring during sleep and are more intense than the hot flashes. It is a common perspiration disorder.
3. Low sex drive Flashes: Sexual desires have their lows and highs in every woman. Any hormonal imbalance can sap sex drive. But there’s a difference between sexual drive and sexual function.
4. Dryness in the vagina Flashes: With the estrogen levels dropping during menopause, the vaginal tissues too start loosing their moistness and become drier and less elastic. Sex may become uncomfortable as the vagina becomes itchy and easily irritated.
5. Hair thinning Flashes: Low estrogen levels in the body can lead to hair loss, since the hair follicles need estrogen. Hair loss can be gradual or sudden on the head or other parts of your body. The hair also gets drier and more brittle.
6. Weight Gain Flashes: Another common symptom of menopause is a fattening in your middle, which is another sign of changing hormones. The hormone levels are tied to weight gain and redistribution of fat. Additionally the metabolism slows down too, as they are getting older.
7. Osteoporosis Flashes: Menopause does affect your bones, even though the effects may show several years later as osteoporosis. The bones gradually thin and become weaker, due to decrease in the bone mass and density.

All these symptoms of menopause are perfectly normal and there is no need of any alarm. Consult your physician for any medications. Bring the desired changes in diet and exercise to keep your spirits and metabolic rate high. Take menopause in your stride and look at it from a positive angle.

Can You Identify Perimenopause Symptoms When They Occur?

May 2nd, 2011

Women might complain about having monthly menstrual cycle but those same women most likely actively fear the idea of going through perimenopause. The simple fact is that perimenopause is a very hard time for women to go through. It is often compared to having a second puberty only this time the woman is acutely aware of her changes and how those perimenopause symptoms affect the people in her life. It is important for everyone to understand the different symptoms of perimenopause so that they can help the women in their lives as they go through this transition. If one of the women in your life (yourself, your wife, your daughter, your sister, your mother, your friend) is close to the age where perimenopause usually starts here are some symptoms that you should look for.
Just about the easiest symptom to identify is the mood swing. In this respect, perimenopause looks quite a lot like puberty and, most ironically, like the early months of pregnancy. A woman who is going through this is going to have a lot of sudden and hard to explain mood swings. In one minute she can be completely calm. The next moment she will be crying her eyes out over something that never used to bother her and probably won’t bother her in a few minutes. If one of the women in your life has started having these kinds of mood swings and isn’t pubescent or pregnant it is possible that she might be menopausal. Tread lightly!
For a woman over 40 symptoms of pregnancy might also be symptoms of perimenopause. One of these mirrored symptoms is extreme fatigue. The feeling of not being able to get enough rest during perimenopause is often designated as “crashing” fatigue. I am talking about feeling extremely exhausted at the end of the day. Working a full time job might become unbearable or impossible during the fatigue stage of perimenopause. It could become so strong that she cannot get through her day without taking several naps. If you witness a woman in your life experiencing severe fatigue symptoms, talk to her about seeing her OB/GYN to determine if menopause is the cause.
The most patently obvious symptom is the deregulation of a monthly period. If you suddenly stop having your period or if it changes in frequency, duration or “strength” you could be going through ‘the change’. Remember, it is not always the absence of a monthly period that signals premenopause. Believe it or not, some women report getting heavier periods right before they entered perimenopause. All changes in your period should be reported to your doctor, especially if you are getting close to “perimenopause age”. There are many different symptoms of perimenopause. No two women experience the exact same symptoms in the exact same ways. Some women don’t experience bad symptoms. Other women have incredibly intense and hard to deal with symptoms. Being able to understand the symptoms of perimenopause can do a lot for both you (if you are dealing with it) and the other people who are in your life (who will be helping you deal with it). This article lists just a few of the perimenopause symptoms you might have to deal with. A conversation with your doctor will help you identify the other things you should be looking for.