34 Possible Symptoms Associated with various Stages of Menopause

If you have two or more of the following symptoms, it COULD be the onset of peri-menopause. Many of the symptoms could indicate other problems too (such as thyroid), so it would be a good idea to make note of what you are experiencing and see your healthcare professional, who can then help you determine if you are starting menopause and the best course of action for you personally. And remember, some of these are normal effects of the aging process where the only treatment is acceptance and taking good care of yourself! (this is where the laughter comes in handy!) Menopause does not cause everything.

Just to calm your fears..... Peri-menopause (before menopause) is when you start noticing something is a little "off", (usually with your periods) or maybe it seems like you're more irritable than usual. Everyone has different symptoms at different times (and at different ages) so it's really hard to determine exactly when you started into the peri-menopause phase, but when you can start putting 2 or 3 or more of these symptoms together and they're hanging around for more than a month, it's pretty safe to assume that you are starting the process of change that every woman will go through in her lifetime. This is why it's a great idea to make notes on a calendar of anything that seems out of the norm for you.
 

Menopause is when you have not had a period (or even light spotting) for 12 consecutive months. Let me repeat: Only after 12 months of no periods will you be officially in menopause or post-menopause, UNLESS you have had a hysterectomy (surgical menopause) or cancer (chemical menopause). This can be a cause for celebration after you've waited and counted for 12 months so plan something special to mark the event! I guess you could call it a NON-event, right? Not all of your symptoms go away after your periods stop. You have to remember that your periods stop because you're not producing enough estrogen and a lot of the problems we all experience are due to a lack of estrogen. This is why some women choose to take hormone therapy, or a natural type of menopause treatment to supplement and balance your hormone levels. This website is here to help you make that decision.

Here is a great downloadable symptom chart from www.menopausehealthmatters.com  http://www.menopausehealthmatters.com/support-files/menopause-chart.pdf

1.  Hot Flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling

2.  Bouts of Rapid Heart Beat

3.   Irritability, Mood swings

4.   Sudden Tears

5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats) 

6.  Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles

7.  Loss of libido

8.  Dry vagina 

9.  Crashing fatigue                                  

10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease

11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom

12.Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion

13. Disturbing memory lapses

14. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence

15. Itchy, crawly skin

16. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons

17. Increased tension in muscles

18. Breast tenderness

19. Headache change: increase or decrease 

20. Gastrointestinal distress, belching, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea

21. Sudden bouts of bloat

22. Depression

23. Exacerbation of existing conditions 

24. Increase in allergies

25. Weight gain

26.Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair

27. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance

28. Changes in body odor

29. Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head

30. Tingling in the extremities

31. Gum problems, increased bleeding

32. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor

33. Osteoporosis

34.  Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing' buzzing etc. 

NOTE FROM DEE: Don't be surprised if what works perfectly for awhile seems to not be as effective down the road. The entire journey is one of ups and downs and curves......the best thing you can do is become educated about what is going on with your body and then be prepared to make adjustments when you realize that your hormonal make-up is shifting once again.  It sounds like a pain in the butt, but the tradeoff is that you become more in control of what your body requires and more confident because you're not fearful.