Medical Symptoms and Facts

Menopause Symptoms

As the body ages, it undergoes different stages. Menopause is one of the signs that a woman’s body undergoes a final change. It occurs when the menstrual period stops completely at age 45 - 50. This is because when women reach that age, the body ceases to produce hormones estrogen and progesterone. As a result, the changes of hormones contribute to the physical symptoms of menopause.

The early symptom of Menopause is when your usual menstrual period becomes irregular. Sometimes you can have a period every other week or you cannot have a period for months. If the hormonal levels in the female reproductive system begin to drop, they experience hot flushes or night sweats.

A hot flush is a feeling of heat in your upper body that makes your face, chest and neck look red. It is an uncomfortable feeling because you perspire a lot but it can sometimes last for a few minutes. Night sweats are also hot flushes that happen during nighttime.

Menopausal women also experience insomnia or mood disorders. This is due to hormonal changes occurring inside. However, menopause takes years to be completed; there are two stages of menopause:

Perimenopause is the time when you begin to see some symptoms. Some women are still menstruating at this stage. The hormones continue to change as they rise and fall. This period may last from four to five years.

Postmenopause happens a year after your last period. And that is the time that you have reached menopause. Your system now produces minimal amounts of estrogen and progesterone.

If some symptoms of menopause appear, talk to your doctor for treatment.