Menopause

Common Signs - Changes in your period would be one of the first signs of menopause. You may find that your menstrual period is starting to get irregular. Sometimes, it is lighter than usual while at other times you may experience heavy bleeding but on a shorter scale of time. Others may go through very heavy bleeding for days, with periods that may be apart for just less than three weeks even. Spotting in between your periods can happen and some women may experience long periods that could last for more than ten days. When such incidents occur and you feel troubled, a visit to your doctor would help appease you.

Flushes or hot flashes can be common as well. This occurs when you feel hot on the upper part or on your entire body. Your arms, chest or back may have red blotches and your face and neck gets flushed. You experience heavy sweating, which can get severe enough to awaken you at night from a deep slumber. Hot flashes can last for a duration of thirty seconds of up to five minutes. These hot flashes are likely to disappear a few years after menopause.

As the levels of estrogen in the body changes, the genital area can get thinner and drier so sexual intercourse can be slightly painful for women because of such dryness. You are likely to experience a vaginal infection and may begin to have problems in the urinary tract. Severe problems could include being unable to hold your urine when you laugh, sneeze, cough, etc. See your doctor if you undergo such problems.

Even if you are now just having sporadic periods, you can still get pregnant. So unless you have experienced no period at all for a year straight, you should use birth control if you do not wish to get pregnant anytime. Also, during menopause, your sex drive or libido may change. You may have a hard time getting aroused due to the discomforts that you may be feeling coupled with the medications you are taking. After menopause, some women may feel free and relieved by the fact that they wouldn’t get pregnant anymore but still they have to be careful for they could still contract sexually transmitted diseases.

Another sign common to menopause would be getting tired easily and having sleeping troubles. Such may range from having trouble in going to sleep at night, having trouble waking up or having trouble going back to sleep after being awakened in the middle of the night. Night sweats or the need to go to the bathroom may frequently awaken women during the night.

Women as well tend to get more emotional and mood swings can be unpredictable. Feelings of depression and anxiety have always been associated with menopause.

Visible changes in the body that could occur during menopause include muscle mass loss, waist thickening and increase in body fat.

Menopause should not at all be feared. While changes occur due to such a process, women should not feel unattractive and old just because they are approaching menopause or is already going through with it.