Discussing The First Signs of Menopause

Menopause has been the butt of many jokes not only from comedians but also from women themselves who are either going through it or negatively are anticipating it. The bottom line is that it all boils down to the fact that different bodies will exhibit different first signs of menopause. Some women will experience every known symptom attributed to “the change” while other women will experience few if any symptoms other than a lack of menstruation.

First Common Sign

Irregular periods are often the first signs of menopause and may fluctuate in terms of bleeding from heavy episodes to virtually non-existent ones. In addition, a period may last for one day or it might last for ten days just as there might be breakthrough bleeding in between menstrual cycles that are slowly becoming more irregular.

Stereotypical Hot Flashes

Hot flashes, one of the first signs of menopause, are also the most joked about of all the symptoms of this biological change. As many as seventy-five to eighty percent of all women experience this uncomfortable feeling which can last as short as thirty seconds or as long at thirty minutes or more. The average time for a hot flash moment is about five to ten minutes for these first signs of menopause. These hot flashes can be a warm flushing sensation on your face and upper body or it can present themselves as red blotchy skin.

Sexual Problems

A paradigm shift in your thinking about sex is among the first signs of menopause as well and those thoughts can go either way. Some women lose desire to have sex and it is coupled with vaginal dryness and lack of arousal. However, other women may feel sexier and enjoy it more, even with the physical symptoms like the vaginal dryness which can be aided by a number of lubricants on the market today.

Bladder And Vaginal Issues

Count problems with your bladder and vagina among your first signs of menopause as your hormone levels fluctuate. The vaginal dryness may be an issue and sex could become painful as the skin thins out and surrounding areas becoming more sensitized. In addition, urinary problems count as some of the first signs of menopause due to that same thinning of the skin, in this case, the bladder. Some muscle tone in the bladder may be lost as well due to hormonal changes attributed to menopause.

Other Thoughts To Ponder

The first signs of menopause are quite a bit to handle but many of them gradually present themselves as a way to ease into the transition. These signs can also include mood swings, fatigue, sleeping problems and even changes in your body like not being able to lose weight as easily as you once could.

Less frequent first signs of menopause include headaches due to these hormonal changes as well as problems with memory. Even aching in the joints and muscles can be considered part of the menopausal arsenal of symptoms. If you are not quite at that stage in life to be experiencing those first signs of menopause, get ready for it. You may not develop all of them but chances are that there will be some that have your name on them.