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 and 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.

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.

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