Signs And Symptoms Of Menopause

Have you been feeling tired, suffering from headaches, noticing that you get irritated at the slightest thing, and just do not feel like the happy go lucky person you normally are? If you are a woman in her late forties or early fifties, chances are you are starting into the years of menopause, otherwise known as the "change of life". At first, you may just think that other people are being annoying and that life has suddenly become hard but as the symptoms continue and often become worse, you start to put two and two, together. Interestingly, most women will be into menopause for years before they "get it".

Part of the problem is that your signs and symptoms of menopause could very well be different from your sister's, your mother's, and your best friend's. That means as you begin to compare what you are feeling with other people, it never quite matches so you just assume like is being difficult. In many cases, a family member, friend, or perhaps a doctor will make a comment about menopause. Then when you begin learning about the various symptoms, it all makes perfect sense.

The key is that if you do notice things changing, pay attention. While chances are good that what you are and will be, experiencing is menopause but on rare occasion, something else could be taking place. Therefore, you might consider keeping a journal and simply paying attention to your body. As an example, thyroid disease and certain types of cancers can produce similar symptoms to that of menopause so again, you should probably start by talking to your doctor to rule out anything other than the change of life.

Now, not to make things confusing, but when you first start into menopause, you will actually be going into a stage known as perimenopause, or the beginning. You see, actual menopause does not start until you have been without a menstrual cycle for a full 12 months. Therefore, when we talk about signs and symptoms of menopause, we are actually referring to perimeopause. Regardless, hormones in the body are changing, typically fluctuating widely. When this occurs, you will begin a journey that is nothing less than adventurous!

One of the first and most complained about signs and symptoms of menopause that you can expect are hot flashes. With this, you might be sitting down watching your favorite television show and suddenly feel as if the house caught on fire. From your chest all the way up to the top of your head, you feel as if someone just lit a match - that is a hot flash. Unfortunately, hot flashes come on suddenly and without warning. To make matters worse, while most will last between 15 and 45 seconds, some women experience hot flashes for five minutes! In most cases, the first time this happens, you are a little unnerved.

Again, you will not go into full-fledged menopause until you go without a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive cycles. However, when you head into perimenopause, you will begin to notice changes such as a lighter or heavier period, less or more frequency, or the period lasting much longer or shorter than normal. These too are completely expected when you start into the change of life but again, we cannot stress enough that if you have any kind of pain, blood clots, fever, or suspect something else, pay attention and talk to your doctor to make sure nothing more serious is going on with your body.

The second most complained sign and symptom of menopause is the night sweats. With this, you would wake up during the night with your clothing and sheets literally soaked with perspiration. Usually, the cold and clammy feeling of everything being wet wakes you up although you might experience the hot flashes too, doubling your fun. Just as with the other signs and symptoms of menopause, this is completely, harmless but if you were to notice fever, pain, or anything else that seems out of place, notify your doctor.

While most women will tell you that the hot flashes and night sweats are by far the worst signs and symptoms of menopause, husbands, boyfriends, family members, and friends would probably disagree, saying the mood swings are the worst. Typically, you would fid that the little things just get under your skin whereas before, they were not big deal. You may also find that instead of just crying at "chick flicks", you cry over everything, toast that got too dark, a bad hair day, sitting in traffic, and so on. In addition, mood swings means feeling anxious, perhaps something that you never faced before.

Although this time of your life will involve many different signs and symptoms of menopause, you need to feel confident knowing this is simply a part of aging and that all women go through this. Additionally, you may be one of the lucky ones that go through menopause with little to no problem but if not then you have a huge range of options for dealing with the signs and symptoms of menopause, ranging from prescription drugs to natural remedies. Just remember, this phase of your life will not last forever and by understanding, the changes going on in your body and looking at all your options for relief, you can and will successfully get through this a better and wiser woman.