When a woman finally stops having regular menstrual cycles, she’s at the stage of early menopause. Often referred to as the transition of life, this phase signals the onset of a woman’s infertility. Many health care providers in the medical field use the phrase ‘early menopause’ to indicate the time where a woman’s hormone levels begin to change.
Symptoms of menopause are often different for each woman. If a woman is beginning to notice some early signs of menopause, they should consult with their health care provider so they can have appropriate advice to cope with these symptoms. You can also take metagenics supplements to help you manage the symptoms.
Understanding Menopause
As mentioned, menopause is the start of profound changes in the body’s hormonal regulation. When a woman hits menopause, the body experiences dramatic changes in the level of progesterone and estrogen.
In the beginning, these changes are subtle and usually go unnoticed. As estrogen levels drop and progesterone levels increase, menstruation starts and menstrual cycles become either longer or shorter. Women experience some of the same symptoms (hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, and insomnia) as they do in pre-menopause.
Its symptoms and signs can be recognized as menopause. However, there are some distinct differences between menopause and pre-menopause. Early signs of menopause may often be managed before menopause sets in. By managing these symptoms and signs early on, women can avoid the possible complications of pre-menopause.
Early Signs Of Menopause
Many women start to experience early symptoms of menopause about a year before the menopause phase begins. Do you feel like you’re experiencing early signs of menopause?
Here are some symptoms you should look for:
- Irregular Menstruation
The production of the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, starts to decline when you reach 40. When this happens, you enter the perimenopausal period. One of the signs that you’re undergoing this is that your periods are becoming irregular. For instance, there will be times your flow is heavier, and then it’ll be lighter in the next cycle.
Irregular menstruation is one of the early tell-signs you’re starting to go through menopause. However, there are also other causes of irregular menstruation like having polycystic ovarian syndrome or other gynecological problems. Once this phase begins, you should consult your menopause doctor to be sure.
- Vaginal Dryness
Women who experience vaginal dryness during menopause also frequently experience vaginal itching and pain, particularly at night when going to sleep. There can also be burning and tingling sensations in the pelvic region. Some women report having discharge similar to cottage cheese from the anus. Most women report that these symptoms improve by applying lubricant.
Treatment for vaginal dryness is available to women suffering from this condition during menopause. Uncomfortable symptoms of the vulva and vagina (the outer lips of the vulva) are very common during the pre-menopausal years of women, but will dramatically increase with menopause, especially with vaginal atrophy.
- Hot Flashes
Many women reported experiencing hot flashes and described it as feeling an intense warmth that spreads quickly across the body and face. Sometimes, this lasts for several minutes and others reported to feel it with higher intensity during hot seasons.
Hor flushes are due to the changing hormone levels in the body as it begins the menopause phase. Hot flashes can happen without warning, but it can also be triggered by the following:
- Drinking hot beverages
- Eating spicy foods
- Hot weather
- Stress
- Fatigue And Depression
One of the first signs of menopause is usually fatigue, depression, weight gain or loss, increased or decreased menstrual cycles, and mood swings. These symptoms occur when the body goes through the transition period from pre-menopause to menopause.
The emotional aspects of pre-menopause are due to the decline of estrogen levels in the body. This also causes you to feel like you’re in a state of constant PMS. If you’re always feeling the following, it’s most likely that you’re starting your menopause phase:
- Frequent irritability
- Feeling sad
- Anxiety
- Lack of Motivation
- Frequent mood swings
- Loss Of Sex Drive
As you get older, you can expect a reduction in your sex drive, which is considered an early sign of menopause. This is because the hormones that responsible for sex drives, like testosterone and estrogen, start to decrease.
When you experience frequent fatigue, mood swings, and depression due to early symptoms of menopause, it can affect your sex life as well.
Summary
As early as the late 40s, many women start to experience early symptoms of menopause. Once you observe that your menstruation starts to become irregular, you need to prepare yourself for the onset of other symptoms.
There are many ways to manage these symptoms. For one, asking your physician is critical to cope with these symptoms. It’s also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a balanced diet.