Presentation
The clinical presentation of menopause can resemble the symptoms of a mood disorder. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Entire Body System
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Weight Gain
Fried foods and transfats are also tied to heart problems, weight gain, diabetes and cognitive impairments. [draxe.com]
Some women report changes in skin texture, worsening of acne, or weight gain. Cognitive and mood symptoms as well as generalized physical symptoms can accompany menopause in some women. [medicinenet.com]
Menopause Can Hormone Therapy for Menopause Prevent Weight Gain? Menopausal women who are on the treatment are less likely to gain dangerous belly fat — but there’s a catch, a new study shows. [everydayhealth.com]
Perimenopause weight gain is oftentimes misdiagnosed and is one of the first signs of hormonal imbalance. [bodylogicmd.com]
Experiencing hot flashes can continue up until five years post menopause. iStock Weight gain around your mid-section is typical Weight gain around your mid-section is typical and is often due to the fact that you may need to adjust your daily total calories [healthcentral.com]
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Fatigue
We describe the case of a 31-yr-old student helicopter pilot who presented to the Aviation Psychiatry Department with a several-month history of inconsistent training performance, mood lability, tearfulness, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and decreased concentration [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
This can be due to your body’s increased needs for valuable micronutrients, or to the “crash cycle” pattern of fatigue/carbohydrates/fatigue with hormonal imbalance that so many of us fall into. [womenshealthnetwork.com]
These vary among women and can include mood changes, stress, tiredness, fatigue, irritability, and difficulties with memory. Hot flashes and night sweats can contribute to sleep disturbances. [medicinenet.com]
Back to top Why Am I Easily Fatigued Chronic fatigue syndrome affects women up to four times as much as it does men. [34-menopause-symptoms.com]
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Crying
And as the day went on, I kept having to excuse myself from meetings and go into the bathroom to cry. [lennyletter.com]
With more severe depression symptoms, she says -- "crying all the time, lack of energy, not being able to function, a real hopelessness" -- antidepressants are needed. [news.yahoo.com]
Nati also says the physical symptoms of hot flashes, brain fog, crying, and abdominal weight gain felt like they came “out of nowhere.” 6. [healthline.com]
Her book, The Madwoman in the Volvo, begins with Loh pulling her car over on the freeway because she is crying hysterically over the death of her daughter’s hamster. [nymag.com]
This can include crying jags or feeling quicker to anger than usual. Depression and Anxiety. Similarly, if you had bouts of depression or anxiety before menopause, you are more likely to see them reappear. [healthcentral.com]
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Back to top Why Am I Easily Fatigued Chronic fatigue syndrome affects women up to four times as much as it does men. [34-menopause-symptoms.com]
Musculoskeletal
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Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis Calcium and vitamin D supplements — All postmenopausal women who have osteoporosis or are at risk of osteoporosis should take calcium and vitamin D supplements. [drugs.com]
This review summarizes how ERAAs can be used in combination with an estrogen or alone to treat menopausal symptoms (vasomotor symptoms, genitourinary syndrome of menopause), breast cancer or the risk of breast cancer, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and other [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Menopause General information about the menopause Osteoporosis Osteoporosis and the menopause, including treatments Hysterectomy What to expect from a hysterectomy, and information to support recovery Breast cancer Sources of information and support for [rcog.org.uk]
Osteoporosis can also be treated with non-hormonal bisphosphonates (such as alendronate, risedronate, and ibandronate) or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs; such as raloxifene). [uclahealth.org]
Skin
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Sweating
Some of the most commonly reported symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats. These can be associated with flushing and may be followed by intense sweating. [medicinenet.com]
Low doses of oral contraceptives can relieve hot flashes and night sweats for women whose symptoms start before they go through menopause, she said. [cbsnews.com]
The brain reacts by producing a hormone signal called Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and then the sweats and flushes result. [dailymail.co.uk]
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Night Sweats
Hot flashes and night sweats can contribute to sleep disturbances. [medicinenet.com]
Low doses of oral contraceptives can relieve hot flashes and night sweats for women whose symptoms start before they go through menopause, she said. [cbsnews.com]
In most menopausal women, loss of ovarian function results in VMS, including hot flashes, night sweats, and mood and sleep disturbances. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
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Flushing
On this page: Hot flushes Menopause and memory Mood disturbances Sex & menopause Continence and prolapse Hot flushes Around 80 per cent of women experience hot flushes and night sweats during menopause. [thewomens.org.au]
The episodic flush, which may last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, may be followed by chills. Flushes may manifest during the night as night sweats. [msdmanuals.com]
An effective non-hormonal treatment for hot flushes is clonidine HCL (Dixarit ). This is a low dose of a blood pressure pill that is active in the region of the brain that makes hot flushes. [bccancer.bc.ca]
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Hot flushes are a common symptom in the run-up to the menopause Knowing what symptoms to look out for is important - feeling low and irritable needs to be recognised as much as hot flushes and night sweats. [bbc.com]
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Dry Skin
Dry skin Legumes, nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower, almonds contain vitamin E, zinc and calcium. These nutrients and the oils in nuts and seeds may help prevent dry skin and normalise hormone levels. [bbcgoodfood.com]
Other common problems are: trouble sleeping dry skin and hair weight gain vaginal dryness aches and pains itchiness headaches needing to urinate more often not feeling good about yourself forgetfulness Treatments for menopause Hormone replacement therapy [healthdirect.gov.au]
Physical symptoms of menopause Symptoms commonly reported by peri- and post-menopausal women include hot flushes and night sweats, bodily aches and pains, dry skin, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, urinary frequency, and sleeping difficulties. [menopause.org.au]
skin, dry eyes or dry mouth Women who are still in the menopause transition (perimenopause) may also experience : Breast tenderness Worsening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) Irregular periods or skipping periods Periods that are heavier or lighter than [my.clevelandclinic.org]
Because estrogen is a moisture magnet, the lack of it dries out the skin, and dry skin can be itchy. "I'd always had dry skin, but when perimenopause started I thought I was losing my mind," says Nancy M., a real estate agent in New York City. [prevention.com]
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Hirsutism
A 65-year-old woman presented with elevated testosterone levels, hirsutism and insulin resistance. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
(abnormal hair growth in women) Facial hirsutism is very common in post-menopausal women not on HRT Alopecia ( hair loss from areas where it is normally present) Approximately a third of post-menopausal women may develop hair loss This is usually at [dermnetnz.org]
Facial hirsutism (excess hair growth) can increase after menopause due to hormonal changes. This growth may be slowed with MHT. MHT can be given as tablets, skin patches and as vaginal preparations such as creams and pessaries. [southerncross.co.nz]
• Mucocutaneous—Atrophy, dryness, pruritus, facial hirsutism, dry mouth. • Neurologic—Psychological, sleep disturbances. • Pelvic floor—Uterovaginal prolapse. • Skeleton—Osteoporosis, fractures, low back pain. • Vagina—Bloody discharge, dyspareunia, [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Psychiatrical
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Mood Swings
“It’s a physiological reaction, independent of mood swings, relationship issues, etc., although of course those don’t help. Mood swings can obviously affect a couple’s relationship, but they’re not a requirement for the loss of libido. [thestar.com]
During this stage, the woman will experience symptoms such as hot flushes, night perspiration, insomnia, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, mood swings, anxiety and depression in relation to mood swings and memory loss or difficulty concentrating. [thestar.com.my]
Easing stress, eating right, and staying physically active can help with mood swings and sleeping problems. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to help with mood swings. [healthline.com]
Mood swings With studies showing that mood swings affect 27% of menopausal women, this can feel like a more extreme version of the mood swings you may have experienced during your periods. 5. [ukmeds.co.uk]
Hot flashes It varies from woman to woman Mood swings Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse Menopause increases health risks such as... [medicinenet.com]
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Indecisiveness
On the other hand, though, for me to categorically say no seems like a kick in the teeth to all the kids in the world who are already down; the result of this discomfiting indecision being that I NEVER REPLIED TO BRIAN HONG AT ALL, and so now, like that [theatlantic.com]
Neurologic
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Irritability
Other menopause symptoms and signs Acne Changes in Skin Texture Fatigue Flushing Hot Flashes Incontinence Irritability Memory Problems Mood Changes Night Sweats Painful Intercourse Sleep Disturbances Stress Sweating Urinary Frequency Vaginal Irritation [medicinenet.com]
Reports of increased irritability, anxiety, fatigue, and blue moods are not uncommon. [menopause.org]
White, thinned, wrinkled skin Recurrent fissures of posterior fourchette (vaginal tears) Painful intercourse ( dyspareunia ) Labial fusion Dyaesthetic vulvodynia Chronic vulvar burning, irritation, stinging and rawness (rather than itch) May also involve [dermnetnz.org]
Find Out More Irritability Irritability In addition to myriad physical effects, emotional symptoms are a common feature of the Irritability is a symptom affecting more than half of women in peri – menopause and menopause. [menopausecentre.com.au]
Anxiety and irritability can also be part of the menopause. Some women find these symptoms similar in nature to Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and cope with them as such. [avogel.co.uk]
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Insomnia
We describe the case of a 31-yr-old student helicopter pilot who presented to the Aviation Psychiatry Department with a several-month history of inconsistent training performance, mood lability, tearfulness, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and decreased concentration [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Most notably, these include hot flashes, mood disorders, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep problems are often accompanied by depression and anxiety. [sleepfoundation.org]
Managing sleeping issues Use OTC sleep medications to temporarily manage your insomnia or consider discussing natural sleep aids with your doctor. [healthline.com]
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Headache
If you need HRT for menopausal symptoms but develop headaches as a result of the treatment managing your headaches can be difficult. It is not, however, impossible. [migrainetrust.org]
Headaches. Depression. Anxiety. Palpitations. Joint symptoms. .. I could go on. It’s a grim list, isn’t it? Yet these are just a few side-effects of the menopause. [dailymail.co.uk]
Headaches. These may be a direct outcome of anxiety. [avogel.co.uk]
However, women affected with new symptoms of racing heart, urinary changes, headaches, or other new medical problems should see a doctor to make sure there is no other cause for these symptoms. [my.clevelandclinic.org]
Find Out More Headaches Headaches Many factors contribute to headaches for both men and women, including family history and age. Women, however, often notice a relationship between headaches and hormonal changes. [menopausecentre.com.au]
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Difficulty Concentrating
Read more about difficulty concentrating and the menopause. Dizziness. Feeling dizzy and lightheaded can often occur during the menopause. [avogel.co.uk]
concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion Disturbing memory lapses Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence ( see note ) Itchy, crawly skin ( see note ) Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons ( see note ) Increased [project-aware.org]
Low estrogen can result in vasomotor instability (such as hot flushes and night sweats), psychological changes (such as mood swings, depression, and difficulty concentrating), insomnia, genital tract atrophy (such as vaginal dryness, painful intercourse [uclahealth.org]
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Agitation
Her mood is altered and she may be more agitated, depressed, apathetic, and forgetful. [bodylogicmd.com]
Anxiety is a vague or intense feeling caused by physical or psychological conditions, typified by feelings of agitation and loss of emotional control. [34-menopause-symptoms.com]
Urogenital
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Vaginal Dryness
They are seeking immediate relief for their menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness. They are also considering the impact of menopause on their risk of chronic disease and their long-term health. [ucsfhealth.org]
Caused by low estrogen levels after menopause, it results in bothersome symptoms, including vaginal dryness, itching, dyspareunia, urinary urgency and increased frequency, and urinary tract infections. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Hot flashes It varies from woman to woman Mood swings Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse Menopause increases health risks such as... [medicinenet.com]
Vaginal dryness. Over-the-counter vaginal moisturizers can relieve dryness. Hot flashes. [health.harvard.edu]
Vaginal estrogen: Estrogen can be applied topically (via cream, tablet or ring) to reduce vaginal dryness, improve intercourse and relieve some urinary symptoms. [comprehensiveprimarycare.com]
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Hot Flushes
On this page: Hot flushes Menopause and memory Mood disturbances Sex & menopause Continence and prolapse Hot flushes Around 80 per cent of women experience hot flushes and night sweats during menopause. [thewomens.org.au]
In women who have recently been taking hormone therapy, hot flushes may temporarily increase, but in most women, hot flushes resolve after about 6 weeks. [msdmanuals.com]
flushes not drinking too much, to reduce hot flushes Doing these things will help to reduce the effects of the menopause on the body. [bbc.com]
I think there’s a sort of hot flush molecule that is yet to be discovered. So the basic symptoms are hot flushes. [healthtalk.org]
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Dyspareunia
CONCLUSION: Results of this study indicate that CO 2 -laser therapy may contribute to complete regression of dyspareunia and dryness and reestablishment of normal sexual function in postmenopausal women, in a dose-response manner. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
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Amenorrhea
Abstract Menopause is defined as permanent cessation of menstrual periods, determined retrospectively after a woman has experienced 12 months of amenorrhea without any other obvious cause. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Amenorrhea simply means the absence of monthly periods. It is commonly mistaken for early menopause. [verywellhealth.com]
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Sexual Dysfunction
We assessed the data for associations between age at menopause and sexual dysfunction and demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Age at menopause was not associated with sexual dysfunction. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Sexual Dysfunction, Desire Issues Many women find that with menopause comes some unpleasant changes in their vaginas, which can make sexual activity mildly difficult to extremely painful. [everydayhealth.com]
Other physical changes and symptoms commonly observed during the menopausal transition include insomnia, memory problems, sexual dysfunction, and higher risk for osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease. [womensmentalhealth.org]
Workup
Serum
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Estrogen Decreased
Along with the estrogen decrease, libido can be squashed by stress, depression, poor body image, and frustration over how long it takes to reach orgasm. 7. Bone Loss and Osteoporosis Risk You can build more bone than you lose up until around age 30. [everydayhealth.com]
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Albumin Increased
Also, levels of glutamine and albumin increased during the transition. Most of these metabolic changes seen at the time of becoming post-menopausal remained or became slightly stronger during the post-menopausal years. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Treatment
In total, 378 women (88.5%) considered that their symptoms required treatment. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Prognosis
BACKGROUND: Estrogen receptors can regulate growth in papillary thyroid cancer and may affect prognosis after menopause. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
The prognosis for women with premature menopause is related to the circumstances and cause of the condition. If premature menopause occurs due to surgery or cancer treatments, the prognosis is related to the underlying reasons for these treatments. [medicinenet.com]
[…] have any of the following: Periods that come closer together than every 21 days Periods that last longer than seven days Periods that are very heavy Bleeding between periods Vaginal bleeding that starts after menopause (after one year without a period) Prognosis [drugs.com]
Prognosis Menopause is a natural condition of aging. Some women have no problems at all with menopause, while others notice significant unpleasant symptoms. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Etiology
[…] studies to prospectively examine a variety of adiposity measures and risk for early menopause, our findings that women who were underweight in early or mid-adulthood had elevated risk for early menopause can assist in efforts to better understand the etiology [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
SOME OF THE 35 SYMPTOMS MAY ALSO BE SIGNS OF THE FOLLOWING: hypothyroidism diabetes depression with another etiology other medical conditions If you have reason to believe you may have one of these conditions, please see your doctor for treatment. * Note [project-aware.org]
Epidemiology
Author information 1 Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathophysiology
This observation supports the hypothesis that FSH might influence the pathophysiology of vascular malformations. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathophysiology of human visceral obesity: an update. Physiol. Rev. 93, 359–404 (2013). 80. Barton, M. Cholesterol and atherosclerosis: modulation by oestrogen. Curr. Opin. Lipidol 24, 214–220 (2013). 81. Chedraui, P. et al. [nature.com]
Prevention
Abstract Randomized trials suggest that menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) prevents type 2 diabetes. Still, the mechanisms of these antidiabetic effects are a matter of controversy. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]