What are the symptoms of menopause?

Many women are prone to menopause after the age of 50. When this happens, patients will show many symptoms, such as menstrual changes, hot flashes and sweating, and irritability. Therefore, we should pay attention to these symptoms in our lives. So, what are the symptoms of menopause?

1. Menstrual changes

Menopause means the end of menstruation, but perimenopause often changes the menstrual cycle and menstrual volume. It manifests as a shortened menstrual cycle, mainly a shortened follicular phase, anovulation and increased menstrual volume. A few people experience a loss of menstrual cycle, irregular vaginal bleeding, increased menstrual volume, and even secondary anemia.

2. Hot flashes and sweating

Hot flashes and sweating are the most important and specific symptoms of perimenopausal women. They manifest as bursts of fever, starting from the chest, rushing to the head and neck, and can spread to the whole body, followed by sudden sweating, accompanied by dizziness, palpitations, and fatigue, which last from tens of seconds to several minutes, and the number of attacks ranges from more than 20 times a day to 1-2 times a week. In the past, some people have measured that the skin temperature rises during the attack and drops to normal after the attack, which may be related to the accelerated blood flow during the attack and has no more clinical significance.

During hot flashes, although blood vessels dilate, there is no change in blood pressure. Hot flashes are often a sign of ovarian failure. Many women have hot flashes even though their menstruation is not disordered, which indicates a decline in ovarian function. A few women do not have hot flashes during menopause, but they only appear 10 to 20 years after menopause. Most of them are synchronized with menstrual changes, and the degree of hot flashes also fluctuates.

3. Psychoneural symptoms

The main manifestations are emotional instability, irritability and uncontrollable temper, self-blame after temper, neurosis, stubbornness, lack of concentration, insomnia, headache, memory loss, neurasthenia, depression and other symptoms. In severe cases, it is similar to mental illness. Its occurrence may be related to neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphins, as well as the individual's personality, occupation and cultural background. Sudden events in the family, such as the death of relatives, divorce, retirement, children leaving home, etc., may aggravate the symptoms.

4. Urogenital atrophy

After menopause, due to the lack of estrogen, the internal and external genitalia, bladder, and urethra will atrophy. The vaginal folds become flat, the epithelium shrinks and becomes thinner, and during examination, capillaries can be seen passing through the epithelium as scattered red spots, which are prone to infection. Therefore, senile vaginitis has become a very common disease in postmenopausal women. The cervix and uterine body shrink, and it is often seen that the cervix has become flat.

The ovaries shrink and cannot be felt. If postmenopausal women feel their ovaries, they should be aware of tumors. Atrophy of the urinary system often manifests as frequent urination, urgency, and stress incontinence. Atrophy of the pelvic support tissues can cause uterine prolapse and bulging of the anterior and posterior vaginal walls. Genital atrophy can lead to dyspareunia, difficulty in sexual life, and secondary loss of libido.

5. Changes in secondary sexual characteristics

The breasts lose the cyclical effects of estrogen and progesterone and gradually shrink and sag. The skin loses the effects of estrogen, the mitosis of epidermal cells decreases and becomes thinner, losing elasticity and wrinkles.

Once menopause occurs in life, there will be many ups and downs. Therefore, family members should pay attention to their physical and mental health, avoid direct conflicts with them, let them maintain a good attitude, and patients should also pay attention to some exercise methods.