Menopause occurs naturally in women – mainly around the age of 45 and between 55. Menopause signals the end of a woman’s fertile periods and occurs after the last ovulation. The phase before menopause is perimenopause, when the hormones start to subtly change and start to cause menopause-like symptoms, such as Menopause joint pain.
The perimenopause phase is the transition time. Some women might get no particular problems at all – others tend to get a vast array of menopause symptoms, which generally confuses them.
So, what symptoms are you most likely to find in your menopause? Keep reading!
Change in Periods
The first symptom that you will notice is that your periods are starting to change in some way. Now, there are several ways this can go. Some women might find that their periods start getting closer together – or – they might experience lighter or heavier periods.
For other women, it is the complete opposite. They might start experiencing missing periods, or their periods will get further apart. They might as well experience shorter periods. There is also a small group of women who might find that their periods suddenly stop and don’t return.
Now you know the first sign of menopause is all about changes in your periods. However, it is essential to mention here that a lot of the menopause symptoms in perimenopause occur without affecting your periods at all.
Mood Changes
The significant symptoms of menopause that can occur in perimenopause include anxiety and mood swings. Irritability – especially before a period. You might find that your symptoms might become exaggerated at least one week before your period.
A lot of women find that their PMS tends to get worse as well at this particular time.
Hot Flashes & Sweaty Nights
Other symptoms of menopause include hot flashes and night sweats, which typically occur before your periods actually stop. You might as well beware of sleep problems, such as insomnia. Fatigue can set in as well.
The underlying cause of these symptoms is that your hormones are starting to change very subtly – not enough to change your periods – but just enough to trigger your other symptoms.
Joint Pain
Joint pains and aches are other symptoms that can very often occur but can be very misleading. Usually, people mistake this symptom for aging. However, joint pain is a prevalent symptom that many women experience as they start transitioning into menopause.
Vaginal Dryness
Another common symptom of menopause is vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness is often accompanied by low libido, resulting from the decrease in one’s estrogen levels.
Now the basic difference between this and menopause itself is that menopause is when your periods stop for good. In other words, menopause is just one moment when your periods have stopped for good.
The problem is that many women don’t know that their periods have stopped for good until they have gone two full years without a period. A lot of women think that they have reached menopause when their period stops for a few months – only to restart again.
It seems like a cycle – the periods coming back and then missing again before coming back again.
A number of women will go more than a year without periods to suddenly find that their periods are back.
So, the point that we want to stress upon here is that actual menopause is the point where you suddenly realize that your periods have stopped for good.
How to find out where you are in your transitioning period?
The question that loads of women ask is about how to find out where they are in the perimenopause period. During the transitioning period from perimenopause to menopause, it can be challenging to tell – even tests at this point can be inaccurate because they depend on the hormone level of the day.
So, if your hormones are pretty high – the tests can come back saying that you aren’t in the menopause, which can be pretty confusing.
You can self-assess by finding out what age your mother, grandmother, aunties, and elderly females in your family started their menopause. You will also want to assess the change in your periods and the intensity/ frequency of the change.
You might want to talk to your doctor – sometimes, vitamin deficiencies can also induce menopause-like symptoms.