What to Expect Symptom-Wise

Perhaps one of the most significant first symptoms of menopause is the hot flashes which can cause you to sweat at night or even during the day when everyone else is comfortable or even cold. These hot flashes may or may not be accompanied by red blotchy skin, flushed skin or even a prickly kind of heat. 

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.

Irregular periods, of course, are early signs of menopause as well. However, because perimenopause can last years, whenever you start exhibiting signs of irregularity, you should be examined by a doctor to rule out other health issues like tumors, fibroids, cancer and more. There are many things that can cause irregular periods and should not be the “end all to end all” signals 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.

Find a Good Physician

Whether you feel you should begin an exercise program or possibly go a step further and start hormone replacement therapy seek out a trusted physician that specializes in menopause.  She will help guide and direct you to the proper therapy.  There is a lot of documentation and personal opinions available on how to provide some relief from the first signs of menopause. The important thing for me was to start something immediately after I started experiencing these first signs of menopause.  For me it hasn’t been all that bad.  My menstrual cycles when I was young were very regular, lasting 2 to 3 days, and I rarely experienced any adverse symptoms of headaches and cramping.  Now my husband may have a different opinion, especially when (on a very rare occasion) I may suddenly lash out at him or ask him to turn the heater off on a very frigid winter night.

More info on menopause can be found here Surgical Menopause as well as here Herbs For Menopause