Checking Symptoms of Menopause in Women: Which Signs Qualify and How to Cope?

When entering the late 40s or early 50s, many may begin to wonder whether they are entering menopause, especially when clear indicative signs of menopausal symptoms appear, which are unusual symptoms never experienced before, such as irregular menstruation, hot flashes, or vaginal dryness and itching. This article will introduce what menopausal symptoms are and at what age menopause begins, to prepare for proper management.

Key Takeaways

• Menopause is a period when the ovaries begin to stop functioning, estrogen and progesterone hormones decrease, resulting in permanent cessation of menstruation.

• Menopausal symptoms can occur in both short-term and long-term forms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, and frequent urinary leakage.

• Self-care methods include behavioral adjustments, exercise, proper diet, or in severe cases, consideration of hormone replacement therapy.

Understanding Menopause: What Is It?

Menopause is the period when a woman's ovaries begin to stop functioning, resulting in a significant reduction in the production of important female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, until they eventually stop being produced. This change leads to permanent cessation of menstruation. Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45-55 on average. The change occurs gradually and can be divided into three stages before menstruation ends:

1. Pre-Menopause: Occurs after age 40, especially in the late 40s. Although menstruation may still be normal, ovarian function begins to decline.
2. Peri-Menopause: Menstruation begins to become irregular but does not cease for more than 12 months. This stage can last 2-3 years.
3. Post-Menopause: At this stage, the ovaries stop functioning, occurring after menstruation has been absent for more than 1 year.

What Are the Symptoms of Menopause?

Menopausal symptoms can manifest in various ways and differ among individuals. Menopausal symptoms are divided into short-term and long-term symptoms as follows:

Short-Term Symptoms

• Hot Flashes: This is the most common symptom of menopause. Women feel sudden heat, especially in the face, neck, and chest. Headache, dizziness, palpitations, anxiety, and excessive sweating may occur. This symptom can happen frequently throughout the day, including night sweats, causing discomfort and sleep disturbance.

• Vaginal Dryness: Estrogen deficiency causes thinning of vaginal tissue, loss of elasticity, and decreased lubrication, resulting in dryness, itching, irritation, and pain during intercourse. Additionally, increased vaginal alkalinity may lead to atrophic vaginitis. This symptom significantly affects women's quality of life.

• Sleep Problems: Many experience difficulty sleeping, frequent nighttime awakening, or insomnia, which may result from hot flashes or hormonal changes, usually occurring 5-7 years before permanent cessation of menstruation.

• Mood Swings: During menopause, women may experience emotional sensitivity, irritability, anxiety, or depression due to hormonal imbalance and facing bodily changes, leading to reduced self-confidence.

• Menstrual Irregularities: Before full menopause, menstruation may become irregular before permanently stopping. This sign is an easily observable pre-menopausal symptom.

• Other Signs Indicating Approaching Menopause: Women approaching menopause often experience headaches, especially migraines, body aches or joint pain in the fingers, breast tenderness, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, bloating, fullness, and diarrhea.

Long-Term Symptoms

• Urinary System Problems: Weakening of pelvic muscles and thinning bladder tissue due to hormone deficiency can lead to frequent urination or urinary leakage. Vaginal shortening and narrowing may alter the urethral angle toward the vagina, increasing susceptibility to urinary tract infections.

• Osteoporosis: Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone mass. When hormone levels decrease, bone mass rapidly declines, making bones fragile and susceptible to fractures.

• Cardiovascular Disease: Estrogen helps reduce bad cholesterol in the blood. When hormone levels decrease, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases.

• Dementia: Estrogen affects blood flow to the brain, particularly the hippocampus. When estrogen levels drop during menopause, memory lapses occur, increasing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

How to Properly Prepare for Menopause

How Should Women Care for Themselves During Menopause? Proper preparation helps reduce symptom severity and maintain good health by following these recommendations:

• Eat a nutritious, balanced diet from all five food groups, get sufficient rest, and find suitable stress-relief methods.

• Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes per day, 3-5 times per week, such as brisk walking, running, yoga, or light weightlifting to strengthen bones and muscles.

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and smoking, which may worsen hot flashes.

• Have regular annual health check-ups. If menopause symptoms are suspected, keep a symptom record to discuss with a doctor for screening between menopause and other conditions with similar symptoms, such as hyperthyroidism.

Menopause Treatment: Restoring Hormonal Balance

Treatment depends on symptom severity and overall health. Methods include:

• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): For severe symptoms, available in multiple forms, and should be used only under medical supervision.

• Oral tablets help increase good cholesterol levels but liver metabolism may cause hormone levels to fluctuate.

• Hormone gels for skin application provide effective external hormone delivery, allowing immediate absorption without liver metabolism.

• Vaginal suppositories are suitable for vaginal dryness without other menopausal symptoms.

• Non-Hormonal Medications: For those who cannot use HRT or have contraindications, doctors may consider other medications to relieve symptoms, such as SSRIs or SNRIs, which are used for depression but also reduce hot flashes.

Understanding Menopause Helps Improve Women’s Quality of Life

Menopause is a natural period every woman faces and should not be overlooked, as it causes many physical and mental changes. Understanding the symptoms, preparing for management, and proper health care help women navigate this period confidently with a good quality of life.

If you are experiencing menopausal symptoms or have health concerns, Praram 9 Hospital has a specialized medical team ready to provide consultation and personalized treatment plans, along with complete modern medical equipment and standard services to help you live your later years happily.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Menopause

What foods are suitable for menopausal women?

Suitable foods should focus on high-calcium sources, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, small fish, dark green vegetables, plant foods high in phytoestrogens, and protein with arginine amino acid, such as nuts, white sesame, and sea fish. Additionally, reduce processed foods, high sugar, and saturated fat.

Can women in menopause have children?

After menopause, the chance of natural conception is very low or zero, as the ovaries stop producing eggs. However, medical technology such as egg donation or IVF/ICSI may be used.

References

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024, August 7). Menopause. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397

Menopause. (2024, June 24). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841-menopause

Menopause. (2022, May 17). NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/