Menopause, also called the "change of life," is a normal, natural event that happens to every woman. It marks the end of your fertility and menstruation, and it is defined by a loss of menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months after your last menstrual cycle.
In the years leading up to menopause, you're in "perimenopause" or "menopause transition." During perimenopause, your ovaries slowly stop producing eggs and they produce lower levels of estrogen and other hormones. This decline of hormones is gradual, but often erratic. As a result, you may ovulate one month and not next. Missed periods are often a sign that your reproductive years are coming to an end.
The common symptoms of perimenopause include:
Irregular menstrual cycles and irregular bleeding. For some women, their menstrual cycles come to a sudden stop, and they don't have any problems with abnormal bleeding. However, in most women, their periods slowly stop over a number of years. Some women may have menstrual periods more frequently (even more than once a month); others have periods that get further apart. Your menstrual flow may also change during perimenopause. You may bleed more profusely, or your periods may become very light.
This irregularity in your menstrual cycles and bleeding patterns may last as between one and three years, before your menstruation completely stops.
Keep in mind that irregular bleeding may have other causes, such as uterine cancer. Please see your healthcare provider to rule out other causes, other than menopause.
Hot flashes and night sweats. Up to 75 percent of menopausal women experience hot flashes. Also called "hot flush," this perimenopause symptom is a sudden and intense feeling of warmth that spreads all over your body, but it's more noticeable on your face and upper body. It is sometimes accompanied with a pounding or racing heartbeat, nausea, dizziness, headache, and weakness. Hot flashes are followed by flush, which leaves you with a red, flushed face and sweating. Sometimes, you'll get a chill after the hot flash episode.
When hot flashes, accompanied with sweating, occur at night, they are called night sweats. These may interfere with your sleep. Night sweats may wake you up in the middle of the night, and you may feel like you've just had a bucket of water dumped on you.
Hot flashes and night sweats usually don't require treatment, and they will go away within one to five years after menopause. However, some women may experience hot flashes until age 70.
Mood swings. Another common symptom of perimenopause, mood swings are caused by hormonal changes during your "change of life." Some women may feel like they become a different person because of their mood swings. You may not be able to control your emotions as well as you used to. Menopausal women can be snappish, irritable, and have crying spells for no reason.
You are more prone to menopausal irritability, depression, and mood swings if you experienced PMS mood swings or had postpartum depression. These indicate that you may be sensitive to hormonal changes. Night sweats and difficulty sleeping (two other common perimenopause symptoms) can also contribute to your moodiness and irritability.
Vaginal dryness and pain during sex. During perimenopause, the decrease of estrogen in your body can thin the lining tissues of your vagina. As a result, you may experience vaginal dryness, itching, and pain during sexual intercourse. These vaginal changes may also lead to sexual dysfunction during the perimenopause years.
Decrease in Sexual Drive. In addition to causing vaginal dryness, the decrease in estrogen during the perimenopause years also decreases the blood flow to your vagina and vulva. This decreased blood flow can also decrease your vaginal lubrication. You may also have less sensation in these areas, so you may notice that you are not as easily aroused as you should be.
Not all women see a lowered sex drive during menopause. In fact, you may notice that you have an increase in libido due to the freedom that menopause gives you. You no longer have to be afraid of pregnancy! Plus, most menopausal and post-menopausal women have fewer parenting responsibilities, so they have more time to relax and enjoy intimacy.
These are just some of the many perimenopause symptoms that you may experience. The severity of menopausal symptoms varies with each individual woman. You may have mild symptoms, and your best friend of the same age may have moderate or severe symptoms.
Once you hit that 12 months without a period, you are considered "postmenopausal" and you will no longer menstruate. Your reproductive years are now over.
Average Age of Menopause and Perimenopause
The average age of menopause is around 51 years old. However, in 5 percent of women, menopause occurs after age 55. This is called "late menopause." Another 5 percent of women will have "early menopause," or menopause that occurs between age 40 and 45.
In some cases, menopause can occur before age 40. This is called "premature menopause." Premature menopause is not normal, and can be caused by premature ovarian failure, genetics, autoimmune diseases, chemotherapy for reproductive system cancers, surgical removal of both ovaries (called a bilateral oophorectomy), and other reasons.
Perimenopause symptoms can occur 4 to 7 years prior to your last menstrual cycle. The average age of the start of perimenopause is around 47.5 years. However, some women may experience this stage of their reproductive life as early as their 30s.
There are certain factors that may predispose you to early perimenopause. Some of these include:
Genetics. Heredity may have something to do with whether you have menopause earlier than other women. You are at higher risk of earlier menopause if there's a family history of it.
Smoking. Women who are smokers tend to experience perimenopause two years earlier than non-smokers.
Ethnicity and Race. In two different studies, Hispanic and Japanese-American women had earlier natural menopause, than Caucasians.
Reproductive History. You are at higher risk of early menopause if you never had any children or if you had a shorter menstrual cycle length during your adolescence.
Whether you go through early menopause in your 40s, or you experience menopause at the same age as other women, you should embrace this stage in your reproductive life! There is life after menopause. Just remember that these symptoms won't last forever!
Plus, you may be surprised that your partner or husband also goes through a type of "menopause." Male menopause, also called "andropause," refers to a decrease in your male partner's testosterone levels as he ages.
At Women's Healthcare Topics, we are here to guide you through your perimenopause and menopause. Learn tips and techniques to help you cope with your symptoms. You can also learn about how your sexual health may be affected by your "change of life."
Menopause, Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of menopause. In fact, it is estimated that over two-thirds of menopausal women will experience a hot flash. Also called "hot flushes," these intense sensations of heat can be quite uncomfortable to many women.
Researchers are not 100 percent sure what exactly causes you to have hot flashes, but they theorize that it may be due to the change in ovarian hormones - more specifically your reduction in estrogen during your "change of life." The drop in estrogen in your menopausal body may affect the hypothalamus, the area in your brain that regulates temperature.
The frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes differs with each woman. Some women may only have one or two hot flash episodes a year. Others may have as many as one a day. Typically, mild cases of hot flashes do not require treatment.
Although a natural part of menopause, you should contact your doctor or healthcare provider if your hot flashes start to interrupt your life. Sometimes, hot flashes can interfere with your sleep and quality of life.
