14 Signs Of Early Menopause

Every woman is likely to experience menopause in her lifetime, but what if it happens before it should? Early menopause, which implies that you are more likely to reach this age before forty-five, may pose a problem to your plans and result in questions. Nevertheless, the difficulty which can be attributed to the occurrence of early menopause is that it affects fertility.

If you have questions or concerns about going through early menopause and its impact on the possibility of starting a family, the Fertility Cure Centre is here to assist you. Based on individual management, to increase the chances of conception, the team approach aims to realize your reproductive quests.

Recognizing the Early Indicators of Menopause: 14 Key Signs

Here are the 14 early indicators that help detect and get timely menopause relief:

1. Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Hot flushes and night sweats are the two most well-known signs of menopause, which can be experienced by 75% of women during the climacteric period. These hot flashes are brief, but they may come in waves and can extend for several minutes, during which the upper body, face, and neck become flushed and sweaty.

Night sweats are hot flashes that occur at night, waking up drenched. The culprit? Jenkins reports that estrogen cycling affects the hypothalamus temperature regulation center of the body due to hormonal imbalance. Although not life-threatening, such an episode can indeed be most embarrassing.

2. Sleep Disruptions

Sleeping well is a thing of the past during menopause. It is estimated that as many as 40%-50% of women suffer from insomnia, which is highlighted as one of the signs of perimenopause, which describes the likelihood of having one or more of the following – difficulty in initially falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up with insufficient rest. It is also important to highlight the impact of hormonal changes to some extent. The reduction of estrogen affects the synthesis of sleep-regulating materials like melatonin. Beyond this, hot flushes and night sweats wake one up, thus interrupting sleep again.

Also, the post-menopausal woman may have issues, such as anxiety and mood swings, that can prevent one from falling asleep easily. If you have sleep disorders, it is advisable to seek medical advice from your doctor. These are some ways through which a few minor adjustments to your daily routine can regain your ability to sleep well at night.

3. Fatigue and Lack of Energy

Are you feeling constantly wiped? Fatigue is a frequent foe during menopause, affecting up to 80% of women. It is unclear, but hormonal change may be the potential causative agent. The woman’s estrogen level also begins to drop at this age, which causes the body to be inefficient in using energy. Night sweats and hot flashes, which are major menopause symptoms, also contribute to sleep disturbances, which only aggravate the availability of energy. Furthermore, stress and mood swings, which also exacerbate during menopausal periods, can hamper one’s motivation and cause fatigue.

4. Mood Swings and Irritability

Mood swings and irritability are common companions during menopause, affecting up to 40% of women. The culprit? Once again, hormonal changes. Declining estrogen levels can impact brain chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine, which regulate mood. These fluctuations can lead to a rollercoaster of emotions, including irritability, tearfulness, anxiety, and even depression. Sleep disturbances, another common menopausal woe, can further exacerbate mood swings by leaving you feeling depleted and overwhelmed.

5. Memory Problems and Fuzzy Thinking

A study showed that as women go through menopause, they suffer from memory loss and lethargy or ‘brain fog’. This includes situations when a person has to focus, remembers a name or an appointment, or cannot remember something without assistance. Although these problems can be worrying to a certain extent, they are not an indicator of dementia and are normally only temporary health problems.

As for the changes in cognition, it can be assumed that the consistently rising and falling levels of estrogen played a role. Estrogen can influence mental processes such as; memory, concentration span, and even mood. When estrogen levels decrease, this disrupts these brain processes, and people have temporary memory loss making them think a little cloudy.

6. Weight Gain

Most postmenopausal women report that they have put on weight, especially around their abdominal region. This shift is because estrogen can regulate how fats are used in the body, and when there is a decrease in estrogen due to menopausal status, it may lead to an accumulation of fats. This is due to estrogen, which always encourages the accumulation of fats, especially in the thighs and the hips, before menopause. However, after menopause, the body fat storage pattern resembles that of a male, in which there is more accumulation of fat around the belly. Also, there is a progressive loss of lean tissue and gain in fat tissue with age as people age. This can also lead to weight gain due to menopause, as it counteracts the calories burned by muscles compared to fats. Fertility Cure Centre can help out ladies in such cases by assisting them in getting rid of this extra weight!

7. Decreased Libido

Low sexual desire is a very common perimenopause symptoms, and it occurs in approximately 30 – 70% of women. This decline can be attributed to hormonal fluctuations, alterations to the vagina, and lastly psychological issues. As women age, their estrogen levels decrease, resulting in less blood flow to the genitals, thus making it difficult for a woman to become aroused and leading to vaginal dryness. Moreover, due to hormonal changes, estrogen decreases, the muscles and skin of the vagina become worse, which minimizes the possibility of painful relations.

8. Vaginal Dryness

In many women, menopause leads to vaginal dryness, which is a bothersome issue that can affect up to 90 percent of those who experience this stage in their life. This is perhaps because, at this stage, estrogen is usually low, and this hormone is very vital for the healthy and lubricated state of the vagina. Lack of estrogen results in the thinning of vaginal walls, loss of elasticity, and secretions, which causes painful intercourse, itching, and burning sensation, as well as increased chances of developing UTIs.

Fortunately, vaginal dryness is not something that a woman has to suffer in vain because there are several menopause treatments available. Vaginal creams, lotions, or gels can be purchased at the pharmacy counter and alleviate discomfort by restoring the vaginal balance.

9. Irregular Periods Before Cessation

A change in the menstrual cycle is possibly the first and most widespread symptom of menopausal transition. Perimenopause is the period before menopause where your body gradually produces less estrogen, thus disturbing the ovulation cycle. Hence, your menstrual cycle might be altered, meaning your periods might become closer together (less than 21 days) or farther apart (more than 35 days). Also, the flows may become very thin with little or no periods or become more frequent with increased blood flow, and it is normal not to have a period for a whole month or even several months.

10. Heart Palpitations

Palpitations, racing, fluttering, and skipping heartbeat are some of the experiences that may be felt during the menopausal stage. It can be alarming, but they are quite prevalent, occurring in as many as 40% of the post-menopausal age groups of women. The cause of such palpitations is still being researched, but one can guess it has something to do with estrogen. Heart rate and function are at least in part determined by estrogen, and when this hormone is no longer produced after menopause, the balance may be upset.

These palpitations are typically normal and do not need any medical treatment. However, if the symptoms are very regular and serious, or if the patient feels chest pain, difficulty in breathing or dizziness together with the above symptoms then they need to consult their doctor to check for any heart problems.

11. Urinary Issues

Losing bladder control is common among women of menopausal age and has varied forms of expression. With this condition, a person may develop frequent urges to pass urine even when she has not consumed a lot of water.

Additionally, involuntary leakage of urine, or incontinence, can happen: Stress incontinence is when urine leaks during activities such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercises, while urge incontinence is when there is a sudden urge to pass urine with or without leakage. Estrogen gives tone and elasticity to the muscles and tissues of the urethra, and if there is a reduction in estrogen, these tissues lose their elasticity, thus making it difficult to control the urge to urinate.

12. Skin Changes

The skin is also affected during menopause, and the most common change that one will notice is dryness of the skin. It also means that estrogen is involved in maintaining skin elasticity or moisture, and when these levels are low, the skin will become dry, flaky, and itching, in addition to other symptoms such as shrinkage. Moreover, skin becomes less elastic and firm during menopause because estrogen, which is a hormone responsible for Collagen production, contributes to skin fullness and structure.

As usual, estrogen is at play, and as the levels of estrogen go down the synthesis of collagen results in things like wrinkles and sagginess especially around the jawline, cheeks, and neck. These changes are also prone to sun damage. While these effects can be discouraging, there’s good news: A proper bathing ritual of washing the face and applying lotion and sunscreen also plays a part in protecting the skin as it continues to prevent skin dryness as well as further damage.

13. Hair Loss and Thinning

Women approaching menopause struggle with hair loss and thinning, with some research indicating that two-thirds of women may suffer hair loss during this period.

The hair grows, rests, falls off, and regrows in a cycle, and estrogen strengthens the hair follicles, preventing it from entering the shedding phase for a longer time. If estrogen levels begin to drop, then the growth phase becomes shorter, and the hair strands become ultimately finer and thinner, resulting in heavier hair loss.

14. Joint Pain and Stiffness

This is a common complaint among women experiencing menopause, affecting up to 70%. The reason is likely a decrease in estrogen, which has anti-inflammatory properties and plays a role in maintaining bone and joint health. As estrogen levels decline, women may experience increased aches, stiffness, and pain in their joints, particularly in the hands, knees, and lower back.

Conclusion

Entering menopause is a natural part of life, but early menopause can disrupt plans. While some symptoms are manageable, early menopause can impact fertility.

If you’re concerned about early menopause and its effect on your family planning, perimenopause treatments, etc., then the Fertility Cure Centre can help. The team of experts works with you to achieve your reproductive goals.