Common Complaints in Menopause
Symptoms and complaints in menopause greatly vary from woman to woman as well as from period of menopause. The majority of women first experience erratic or heavy menstruation periods, heat flashes, vaginal dryness and urinary frequency although menopause may also occur without any symptoms except for cessation of menstruation period. In later menopause or postmenopause the majority of menopausal symptoms eventually disappear but women in that period are in higher risk of developing osteoporosis or cardiovascular diseases.
The first sign that a women is slowly progressing towards menopause are erratic or heavy menstruation periods, while very common complaint in premenopause are also hot flashes which are most often associated with menopause. Hot flashes occur in over one half of women in menopause and are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat lasting for few second to few minutes. Hot flashes are often also responsible for insomnia and night sweating which are also very common menopausal complaints. Since estrogen plays very important role in vaginal lubrication and maintains the lining of the bladder and urethra many women in menopause also complain over vaginal dryness and itching, urinary frequency and incontinence although they more frequently affect older women.
Besides series of physical changes women in menopause also frequently experience psychological changes such as mood swings, irritability, fatigue, memory loss, depression and sleeping disorders. Today it is known that estrogen also plays an important role in variety of brain functions although it is not exactly known whether psychological changes in menopause are solely result of hormone withdrawal. Psychological disturbances in menopause most often occur in women who have problems in personal life or at work or go through important life changes such as children leaving from home, divorce, ill parents, etc. Besides that many women also lose interest in intimacy which is probably more influenced by the relationship with partner than low estrogen levels.