There are various symptoms of menopause.  All of these symptoms can be a typical aspect of transition in a woman’s life. Women will normally have all these signs and symptoms to one degree or another.  A lot of these symptoms of menopause normally can begin as early as forty-five or possibly, in some cases, not till the mid fifties.

It truly is wise to become as well informed as possible and to be as ready for this stage of life as conceivable. When a woman is appropriately informed regarding a lot of these symptoms of menopause she will be far better equipped to cope with these and accept them.  Normally the initial sign of the symptoms are irregular periods.  A female may miss a period, experience an extremely significant period, or maybe one that continues considerably longer than usual.  Unpredictable periods might be the indicator of some other health-related problems.  If the woman notices this sort of change it’s always important to visit her medical professional to confirm that it is or isn’t the beginning of menopause.

An additional symptom of menopause could be out of the ordinary mood swings.  Females may discover themselves crying very easily, becoming unnecessarily troubled over relatively minor matters, or lashing out in anger with no reason.  However, this is quite typical and can sometimes be addressed through rather simple lifestyle modifications in lieu of starting prescription drug treatments.

A variety of sleeping disorders can also be attributed to the signs and symptoms of menopause.   Women sometimes discover they have trouble dropping off to sleep, experience night sweats, or awaking a number of instances through the night, or needing to rest throughout the day.  Rather simple lifestyle modifications might help this particular matter also.  Consider eliminating or consuming a smaller amount of coffee, refrain from alcoholic beverages, not eating a large dinner just before bedtime and exercising at least twenty minutes each day.  You will find medications to help however they may not be always the most best solution due to the side effects.    

Occasionally menopause can lead to osteoporosis.  This is due to the fact as we age, and primarily through menopause, much of our estrogen and other hormones start to decline.  This can cause bone loss which often result in osteoporosis and an adjustment in the cholesterol ranges as well. A bone density test should be done regularly.

Cardiovascular disease is usually a consequence rather than a symptom of menopause.  Again, it is imperative to make regular appointments to the doctor so that he might administer a complete body exam that would include not only the common female tests, but a stress check, as well as cholesterol and blood pressure tests.  

Surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy treatments will cause the early onset of menopause.   Hysterectomies can cause menopause to begin immediately and many types of the above mentioned signs and symptoms might start to manifest themselves.

A woman’s medical doctor should be able to present different tips and solutions for going through this transition time period.  A couple of ideas that will avert or lessen the intensity of these signs  and symptoms of menopause are to avoid coffee and alcohol, quit smoking, having a low fat  diet, getting daily exercise routine and taking daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D.  These lifestyle modifications may not be always easy for most of us, but could be very effective and much more desirable as compared to taking heavy doses of prescriptions whenever possible.

Technorati Tags: early signs of menopause, first symptoms of menopause, signs of menopause, symptoms of menopause

When a woman suspects she may be experiencing the first symptoms of menopause this will usually cause her to begin some personal research.  This is what I did, casually at the beginning. One of the first articles I read, in on of the many women’s magazines available today, suggested talking to your mother.  I was 50 years old when I thought that I may be beginning this phase of life.  My mother had passed away a few years earlier.  So I was not able to have a conversation with her about this topic.  Generally a mother and daughter will have very similar experiences with their menstrual cycles. For instance the age they began menstruating, the length of each cycle, cramping, headaches, and the age they begin entering the menopausal stage. 

If you normally experience pre-menstrual symptoms like cramps and mood swings, chances are that these symptoms will worsen as time gets closer to menopause. Other early signs of menopause include irregular periods, tenderness of the breasts, sleeping problems and fatigue. In terms of sex, your libido may decrease and there may be some pain during sex due to vaginal dryness.      

Urinary problems may also be early signs of menopause but should always be checked out by a doctor to re-affirm the cause. Frequent need to urinate, development of a urinary tract infection and even leakage of urine when sneezing, coughing or exercising can also be attributed to perimenopause.

Hot Flashes and Weight Gain

I then began to experience another one of the first signs of menopause, hot flashes.  These are called, in clinical terms, vasomotor symptoms.  These happen mostly at night.  They would occasionally surprise me during the day.  Being a fair skinned blond, I blush easily.  I would be sitting in a business meeting and suddenly begin feeling very warm and flush.  This would be quite apparent to others in the room.  During the night I would wake during one of these hot flashes, my clothes damp and sweaty. The ten pounds I gained during the next few months is another one of the first symptoms of menopause. 

Diagnosis of Menopause

The early signs of menopause can help point the way to perimenopause, which mentioned early, can last for years. A doctor can perform a blood test to check hormone levels but these are not always conclusive. Therefore, you may have to take blood tests at various intervals in order to check for true hormonal fluctuations that can be early signs of menopause.

The actual event itself will likely come with little fanfare as you have been experiencing the early signs of menopause for years. You are in true menopause when you have not had a period for at least one year. Of course, those symptoms will likely continue for a while longer past the perimenopausal stage. The real kick in the pants comes with the fact that you can still get pregnant while still exhibiting the early signs of menopause. As long as you are still having periods, that means you are still ovulating and thereby there is always a small chance of pregnancy.

Technorati Tags: early signs of menopause, first symptoms of menopause