Menopausal Symptoms

All women are different and as a result, may display menopausal symptoms over a relatively short time span, or for ten years or more. As a general rule of thumb, some have suggested that a woman's mother can be a benchmark to help determine one's own menopause symptom time line. Having noted this, sisters often display wildly varying symptoms, both in overall length and individual bout severity.

Menopausal symptoms are naturally occurring biological events and part of the natural progression in every woman's life that comes with age. Knowledge of menopausal symptoms in advance will help to ease the transition period. In itself, knowledge will not ease menopausal symptoms but will help to prepare one mentally for the ordeal. Knowledge can help to make one aware of and implement changes to diet and exercise, as well as appropriate treatment plans in advance of the onset of menopausal symptoms.

Individual menopausal symptoms are frequently categorized as either mild, moderate, severe, or very severe. About 15% of American and European women display symptoms in the very severe category.

Fortunately, a significant percentage of women only endure mild to moderate symptoms. Many women elect to control these symptoms themselves without resorting to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or bio-identicals. Knowledge of menopausal symptom triggers or catalysts, coupled with specifically designed diet and exercise plans and an attuned vitamin and mineral regimen can go a long way to ameliorating menopausal symptoms.

Early changes to diet and exercise are especially important. One of the chronic manifestations associated with menopause is weight gain, especially around the middle. Research indicates that belly fat (as it is sometimes unflatteringly referred to) is one of the more common menopausal symptoms and directly linked to decreased oestrogen levels and hormone imbalance.

Early modification of diet and exercise can help to abate weight gain around the waist in post menopausal women. This is significant for a number of health related reasons. Women who gain weight above the hips are put at greater risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer. Pre menopausal women frequently have a problem with weight gain in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. However, following menopause weight gain frequently shifts to the waist. Again, this shift has been directly attributed to decreased oestrogen levels and hormonal imbalances.

Maintaining the same waist measurements as prior to the onset of menopause is difficult if one is unfortunate enough to display another common menopausal symptom - menopausal food and/or beverage cravings.

Menopausal food and beverage cravings are especially insidious as they tend to override one's own natural inclination to limit or avoid personal food or beverage favorites. Menopause food and beverage cravings are directly related to hormone changes and reduced oestrogen levels. Women experiencing these cravings may feel as though they have little or no control over these guilty pleasure indulgences. If a more than 5% weight gain can be attributed to menopausal food cravings corrective measures should be considered.

Hot flashes and night sweats are most likely the most common menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes and night sweats can vary in bout length and severity depending on the individual woman. Unless intervening action is taken, hot flashes and night sweats may increase (following the onslaught of menopause) as oestrogen levels continue to decrease.

Hot flashes and night sweats can be partially negated with the application of appropriate lightweight clothing and bedding. Layers are better than single heavy layers. Wicking wear has come a long way in the past decade as new non-absorbent fabrics have become available to manufacturers.

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most immediately irritating of menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes have been described as a warm to hot internal burning sensation that builds quickly to intensity in the face, neck, and upper chest area. Individual bouts can last for upward to 20 minutes and can be displayed as frequently as every one to two hours.

Night sweats can be even more debilitating long term as they can adversely affect sleep patterns. Women experiencing moderate to severe night sweats find it very difficult to get a full, restful night's sleep. A minimum of six to eight hours of uninterrupted REM sleep is necessary to achieve a good night's sleep. Waking up every hour to two hours with night sweat bouts is not conducive to this process. Hot flashes and night sweats have been directly linked to hormone imbalance and reduced oestrogen levels.

Other common menopause symptoms include irregular periods, loss of or decreased libido, vaginal dryness, fatigue, hair loss (or gain), sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, memory loss or lapses, dizziness, incontinence, bloating, increased allergy sensitivity, brittle or easily broken fingernails, changes in body odor, racing heart beat, depression, anxiety, irritability, panic attacks, breast tenderness, migraines, aching joints, burning sensation in mouth or tongue or bad taste in the mouth, electric shocks, digestive irregularities, gum problems, bleeding gums, muscle tensions, itchy skin, and tingling extremities.