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Menopause Symptoms
Although
menopause itself is usually reached in the fifties, most women
begin to experience menopause symptoms much earlier, often in
their forties. All women are different and the degree to which
menopause symptoms are experienced varies greatly; a very lucky
twenty five per cent of women will not experience any menopause
symptoms at all. For those that do, thirty four possible
symptoms have been identified. The most common menopause
symptoms are irregular menstruation, hot flushes, night sweats,
vaginal dryness and loss of sex drive.
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Irregular Menstruation
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Hot Flushes
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Night Sweats
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Vaginal Dryness
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Loss of Sex Drive
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Menopause Symptoms - Irregular
Menstruation
Many women never have a regular menstrual cycle, but
those that have roughly the same number of days between
their periods, usually between 23 and 35 days, are
considered to be regular. As menopause approaches the
number of days
between periods
begins to vary greatly. Periods can occur closer
together, or further apart, with no discernable pattern.
Some women find they do not have periods for many months
together, but they are not considered to have reached the
menopause until they have been period free for a year.
Periods may also become heavier or lighter because as
menopause approaches the ovaries do not mature and
release an egg with each and every
period.
Menopause Symptoms - Hot Flushes
About three quarters of women experience hot flushes
as they approach the menopause, and those that go through
perimenopause the quickest tend to have the most severe
flushes. A hot flush is an extreme feeling of heat in the
upper body, often accompanied by a rapid heartbeat,
reddening of the face and neck, and profuse sweating. Hot
flush episodes can last between thirty seconds and five
minutes.
Menopause Symptoms - Night Sweats
Night sweats are
similar to hot flushes, except that they occur at night
and tend to be experienced all over the body. Often the
intense heat experienced is enough to waken a woman from
sleep, but if she sleeps through the episode she may well
wake up cold and shivery once the sweat on her body and
nightclothes turns cool. Night sweats are also known as
"nocturnal
hyperhydrosis".
Menopause Symptoms - Vaginal Dryness
The vagina is usually kept moist by mucus membranes
at the neck of the uterus. These are controlled by
oestrogen and they produce a lubricating fluid that keeps
the walls of the vagina supple and strong, as well as
guarding against bacteria, infections, and vaginal
dryness. Decreased oestrogen levels experienced during
menopause can deplete this lubrication leaving the
vaginal walls dry and prone to damage and infection. This
can cause pain and discomfort for menopausal women,
particularly during sexual
intercourse.
Menopause Symptoms - Loss of Sex
Drive
Sex drive, also known as libido, is hard to define, but
would best be described as the interest a person has in
sex, or the desire they feel towards their partner. It is
very common for women to lose interest in sex as they
approach the menopause, partly due to a decrease in
hormone levels, and partly due to other physical changes
such as vaginal dryness. A woman who has a decreased sex
drive will fail to initiate sexual contact with her
partner, or to respond to his sexual advances. Loss of
libido isn’t seen as a medical problem unless the woman
herself feels it to be an issue and seeks
treatment.
Menopause
Symptoms - Womens Health
Other
Topics.....
Hormone Replacement
Therapy
What is
Menopause
Male
Menopause
Perimenopause
Surgical
Menopause
Menopause Relief
Bleeding after
Menopause
Menopause
Supplement
Menopause Treatment
Herbs for
Menopause
Early
Menopause
Menopause and High Blood Pressure
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menopause symptoms
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