Menopause Symptoms
August 26, 2008
In a woman’s life, menopause is the last menstrual period. It is a natural biological occurrence which marks the end of the child-bearing years, just as the first menstrual period marks the beginning of reproductive years. There is no definite time of this occurrence as it can start as early as in 30s or as late as in 60s. It is not an illness but just the natural outcome of the aging process.
Menopause symptoms are different in all women. Some have no symptoms at all or only mild ones while others have a wide range of irritating variations in their body like hot flushes or mood swings than can have a negative impact on their lives. Some women are lucky enough to undergo this experience with no major problems at all while for others, menopause upsets both their lives and their personal relationships.
There are variety menopause symptoms. The first one being irregularity in menstrual periods. This can be noticed as rate and quantity of the flow increases or decreases. The chances of a woman getting pregnant decreases but there are still chances of conception unless menstrual periods are continuously absent for a year.
On the onset of menopause, there is thinness, dryness and decrease in elasticity in the inside layer of both urethra and vagina. As a result, women have a burning and itching feeling and the chances of urinary or vaginal infections increases. There is a recurrent desire to urinate especially while laughing, sneezing, or coughing. In addition to these, women feel increasingly uncomfortable during sexual intercourse.
The hot flush is one of the most common menopause symptoms. It occurs due to the dropping of estrogen levels which in turn cause blood vessels to expand at a rapid rate leading to increase in skin temperature. This causes sweating and women appear flushed. This symptom can last for 30 seconds or may be more than a few minutes and its frequency may be once in an hour. Hot flashes can occur at any time but night sweats severely upsets the sleep cycle. After waking up from a deep sleep, some women discover that their clothes and bedding are drenched with sweat.
Most women gain some amount of weight during the beginning of menopause mostly around the waist and abdomen. There are other changes in appearance like breasts become fuller, hair starts thinning, wrinkles and adult acne appear and hair becomes coarse on certain parts of the body.

























