Understanding Your Symptoms of Menopause

Understanding Your Symptoms of Menopause

Article by Emma Henry

Menopause is something that every woman in the world is going to go through at some point in her life. It comes with being female. Lots of women do everything they can think of to delay it, but the fact is that, at some point down the road, their bodies will stop having their monthly cycles. The onset of menopause can be quite traumatic for some women, especially if they do not know what kind of menopause symptoms to look for. We’ve all heard the stereotypical stories about women going through “the change” but what are the real symptoms women should look for? Keep reading to learn for yourself!

Lots of women will gain weight when they start to go through menopause. Unlike the typical person’s weight gain, menopause induced weight gain happens in very specific places. Menopausal women tend to gain weight only in their thighs and waists. This can cause the womens’ waistline to totally disappear. Most women dread gaining weight. When the weight piles on in these places, however, it can be especially hard to deal with. If you find that you are gaining weight only in these areas, especially if you don’t typically gain weight here, you might think about seeing your doctor. You might be starting to show signs of menopause.

Many women who are menopausal report that one of the most troublesome symptoms is suddenly not being able to sleep through the night. If you are used to sleeping without waking and are suddenly having trouble falling or staying asleep it is possible that you are experiencing symptoms of menopause. Sometimes the women who have trouble sleeping also have hot flashes and night sweats. Other times it is not. Many times this symptom gets overlooked as nothing more than trouble sleeping. If you are experiencing this symptom you should talk to your doctor just to make sure that you are okay.

This probably sounds odd but it is possible that menopause will change the way you smell. For lots of women, it’s possible that the change in the way they smell is what alerts them to the changes they are going through. A change in odor is a very difficult menopause symptom to notice. If you notice that one of the women in your life suddenly has a different scent and it isn’t because she is wearing a new perfume or using a new soap it could be because she is going through menopause.

Menopause is not something that anybody particularly enjoys. Even if you are not the person experiencing menopausal symptoms directly, at some point menopause will have an impact on your life (however indirectly). It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with menopause symptoms. Doing this will allow you to be more sympathetic when a woman you know starts to show symptoms of menopause. In addition to being sympathetic it can also clue you in to what is happening to a woman when she reaches a certain age. You could even be able to help the woman in your life figure out what is happening if she becomes sympathetic.

Dr. Lisa Larkin Hosts Twitter Chats Starting May 1

Beginning in May, Lisa Larkin, MD, NCMP, will be hosting live Twitter chats each month. She’ll be offering tips and answering questions on a wide variety of topics, from more traditional health issues, to those we’re not always comfortable discussing face to face.

Want to join the conversation? Just follow @LisaLarkinMD on Twitter and use the hashtag #LarkinChats during the chat.

Upcoming Chats:

Menopause – Wednesday, May 16

Contraception – Wednesday, June 13

Sex – Wednesday, July 11

All chats will take place from 12-1 p.m.

BIO: Lisa C. Larkin, MD, NCMP

Dr. Larkin has been practicing internal medicine in Cincinnati since 1991. After 11 years teaching and practicing at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, she made the choice to shift her focus from teaching to high-quality patient care. In July 2002, Dr. Larkin opened her own practice, guided by the philosophy that she could better serve her patients’ medical needs in a smaller, more personal practice and in an environment over which she had more control.

Originally from Long Island, Dr. Larkin earned her undergraduate degree from Skidmore College in upstate New York and her medical degree from Yale University’s School of Medicine. She then completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Dr. Larkin became board certified in 1991 and re-certified in 2001.

Dr. Larkin has a specific interest in women’s health, particularly in the care of women during the peri-menopause and menopause transition and in female sexual issues. In 2001, she completed an advanced credentialing course in menopause and menopause management and is now a certified menopause clinician through the North American Menopause Society.

Understanding Your Symptoms of Menopause

Understanding Your Symptoms of Menopause

Article by Alexa Mei

As often as woman may complain about having a menstrual cycle, the fact is that it is hard to find a woman who looks forward to menopause. The basic fact of the matter is that women have a hard time dealing with menopause. In many respects it is like having a second puberty only, in this case, the woman is very aware of her menopause symptoms and how they affect her and the people who surround her. You need to understand the different symptoms of menopause so that you can be a good support system for the women in your life who have to go through “the change”. Here are some symptoms to keep an eye out for if your wife, mother, girlfriend or daughter is around the age that menopause usually starts.

Many women will start to gain more weight when they begin going through menopause. Unlike typical weight gain menopause weight gain happens in specific places. When women who are going through menopause gain weight they tend to do so in the thighs and waist. This can make a woman’s former waistline to away. Most women hate the idea of gaining weight. Weight gain in these areas, however, is even more traumatic. If you find that you are gaining weight in these places when you usually don’t gain weight there you might think about calling your doctor. You might be starting to show signs of menopause.

In some very cruel ways, menopause symptoms can mimic the symptoms of pregnancy. One of these mirrored symptoms is extreme fatigue. “Crashing” fatigue is a common symptom of menopause. I am talking about feeling extremely exhausted at the end of the day. Getting up in the morning becomes a nearly impossible task. Taking several naps throughout the day might become common practice for a premenopausal woman. If your partner is suddenly sleeping longer hours or experiencing difficulty waking up consult a physcian to determine whether she is going through menopause.

Whether or not you want to believe it, it is possible for menopause to change the way your body smells. Some women say that it is the changes in their smells that make them realize that they are menopausal. This particular symptom of menopause can be very difficult to detect. If you notice that one of the women in your life suddenly has a different scent and it isn’t because she is wearing a new perfume or using a new soap it could be because she is going through menopause.

Some people think menopause and puberty are similar. The body is experiencing a major change that women cannot control. Lots of woman say, however, that menopause is more difficult than puberty because the symptoms are more severe and varied.

Learning to identify menopause symptoms will help you better understand what is going on in your own body as you go through your change of life. If you aren’t a woman you should still learn about menopause symptoms so that you can better support the women in your life who have to deal with the symptoms first hand.

Symptoms Of Menopause

Website: firstsymptomsofmenopause.com Squido: www.squidoo.com All women will inevitably experience the symptoms of menopause, some far more severe than some. Quite a few women could need to have drugs, even if it’s all-natural herbal treatments or prescription hormones. continue reading ..firstsymptomsofmenopause.com
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How hard is it to Identify the Symptoms of Menopause?

How hard is it to Identify the Symptoms of Menopause?

Article by Emma Grint

As much as many women may complain about their monthly menstrual cycles, the fact is that it is rare that a woman looks forward to going through menopause. Menopause is a difficult and trying time for most women. In a lot of ways it can be compared to having a second puberty but in this case the woman is very aware of her menopause symptoms as well as the affect her symptoms have on the people who are in her life. It is important that everybody understands the different types of menopause symptoms so that they can help the women in their lives get through the transition as smoothly as possible. If one of the women in your life (yourself, your wife, your daughter, your sister, your mother, your friend) is close to the age where menopause usually starts here are some symptoms that you should look for.

Losing one’s mental acuity is perhaps the most annoying menopause symptom, especially for the person experiencing it. These women say that they find it is hard to concentrate and that they often feel disoriented and confused. Some women report disturbing lapses in their memory. This is not just frustrating for the woman who has the lapses but also for the rest of the people in her life.

It is important that you have patience if a woman in your life is forced to deal with this symptom. The woman is more annoyed with it than you are!

Many women who are menopausal report that one of the most troublesome symptoms is suddenly not being able to sleep through the night. If you’re of a certain age and have suddenly lost the ability to fall asleep or stay asleep it is possible that you are going through menopause. Sometimes the inability to stay asleep is joined by night sweats or hot flashes. Sometimes it isn’t. Often times this symptom gets chalked up to nothing more than a little trouble sleeping. It is a good idea to have your doctor check out this symptom, especially if you are of a certain age.

Increased itching is one of the symptoms of menopause that most people don’t notice. Crawling or constantly itchy skin is something that some women who are going through menopause experience. This is not the same as the sensation you feel with dry skin.

The best description we’ve found is “ants crawling under my skin.” This is a very disturbing sensation for women who don’t know what it is that they are feeling. If you can’t stop scratching because your skin feels unusually itchy, you should call your doctor. It’s possible you’ve developed a skin condition. It might also be one of the signs that you are about to go through menopause (or have started going through menopause already).

Menopause, plainly put, is not fun. It is an incredible feat to endure menopause for any woman. Dealing with a woman going through menopause is no small feat for her loved ones either. It is important to remember that a woman going through menopause cannot help what she is feeling or experiencing. These are involuntary reactions to changes her body is going through. Above all else be patient and understanding without judging her actions too harshly. When her body has learned to adapt to the changes occuring within it she will slowly balance out again. If you really want to understand what a woman in menopause is experiencing it is important that you familiarize yourself with the symptoms she will exhibit and how to handle them when they do happen.

Symptoms Of Menopause

Symptoms Of Menopause

Article by Gregory G

ELIMINATE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS THROUGH MOTHER NATURE’S WAYFor others, it is at time of great physical and emotional discomfort. It ends her reproductive period. Menopause is a condition where a woman stops ovulating; therefore stopping the onset of her menstruation. Hormonal changes in the body can result in menopausal symptom. The fourth stage is post menopause which comes after the last menstruation period.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE:Changing your diet, exercising, smoking cessation and maintaining positive attitude are helpful. These signs are common manifestation of hormone imbalance. For some women, these symptoms will go away overtime even without treatment while others will seek immediate medical treatment.

HOW TO CONQUER MENOPAUSE:BHRT is the treatment of hormone deficiencies caused by menopause and andropause using only molecules that are identical to the endogenous hormones found in the human body. Do not be left out. Be able to identify the symptoms easily all by yourself and learn how to get in control over them. From the eBook you will learn how to conquer menopause in not time at all It’s all easy and no sweat to follow the process and steps. Recommended remedies are either Estrogen replacement therapy or Hormone replacement therapy. To reduce these symptoms, the following measures can be adopted:control and manage your diet – do not eat hot, spicy and acidic food, avoid hot drinks, caffeine and alcohol, do not use white sugar and saturated fat; reduced stress and strong emotions; stay away from warm weather condition and hot baths; reduce tobacco intake and intense exercises. You exerted too much effort already while you were young, and as you age, things get more difficult to cope up. You will discover what you must do to stop annoying hot flashes and night sweats and the 35 common symptoms of menopause and how you can manage them. Just follow the easy guidelines you are about to read. Learn more on staying healthy so you can live the life like you always wanted. Then it hits you Menopause stage is just an arms length away.

natural, at-home menopause relief based on 25 years experience. http://vsolution1.cltaylor5.hop.clickbank.net










Early Menopause Symptoms – How Early Symptoms of Menopause Can Occur

Early Menopause Symptoms – How Early Symptoms of Menopause Can Occur

For early menopause symptoms, are you wondering if early symptoms of menopause are what you are experiencing? Certain early menopause symptoms can be considered normal while others indicate underlying health problems.


First, keep in mind that menopause is a natural process for women and not some illness. Menopause is actually a specific date, the day that the end of menstrual cycles has occurred for twelve consecutive months. At some point in life as a woman ages, it is normal that the reproductive cycle slows and eventually ceases functioning.


However, the thirties and early forties are usually premature for early symptoms of menopause to be experienced unless there are health problems or unless there has been a hysterectomy. So what is going on?


Often, women are asking so much of their bodies. Today’s woman probably has a demanding career along with family responsibilities. A stressful lifestyle likely exists with little time to attend to her own needs. There is no time to exercise and unwind from the stress of the work day. Over the months and years, the result is a toll taken on the health and well-being of a woman and early menopause symptoms.


Along with the demands required of her body, she may not be providing her body with the support needed to perform as it was designed. For example, excess caffeine and/or alcohol consumption drain the body of valuable nutrients. With little time to exercise, she may have low energy and at the same time be putting on unwanted pounds which adds to the problem instead of helping. Her eating choices may not be the best, which further depletes her body of the nutrients it requires.




This demanding lifestyle along with inadequate support can lead to experiencing one or more of the early menopause symptoms.


Common early symptoms of menopause for women are:


* Endometriosis

* Hot flashes, night sweats

* Irregular menstrual cycles

* Light or heavy menstrual flow

* Mood swings

* PMS

* Problems with sleep

* Tender or lumpy breasts

* Uterine fibroid tumors

* Vaginal dryness

* Weight gain, especially around the waist and hips


One or more of these early menopause symptoms for women may begin as early as her late twenties or thirties. And a common cause of symptoms of early menopause is hormone imbalance or the incorrect levels of her two primary hormones, estrogen and progesterone.


In a healthy woman having normal menstrual cycles, estrogen is produced for the first ten to twelve days after the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, the female body then produces progesterone for the next twelve days or so. If pregnancy does not happen, levels of both progesterone and estrogen will drop at around day 28 and menstruation begins.


However, if there is no ovulation, there will be no progesterone production that cycle since ovulation is needed for progesterone to be made in the ovaries. The result is a deficiency of the hormone progesterone and an excess of estrogen, creating hormone imbalance and early menopause symptoms. And with menopause and no ovulation, progesterone levels are reduced to zero.


All the while, estrogen is still being produced, creating more hormone imbalance and early symptoms of menopause. Besides continued estrogen production, estrogen is usually obtained from other sources. Exposure to household chemicals and cleaners, birth control pills, foods sprayed with pesticides and new construction materials and furnishings in homes are examples of sources of estrogen that leads to excess estrogen accumulation in the body.


This condition of too much estrogen in the body is called estrogen dominance. If estrogen levels in the woman’s body increase beyond what is healthy, early menopause symptoms will be experienced.


How can a woman tell if she is experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms? Learn more about additional early signs of menopause and symptoms of hormone imbalance. Understand as much as you can about your health, your specific symptoms, what those symptoms may be telling you and physician-recommended natural treatments.


Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing

Read more about hormone imbalance and natural treatment. David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and a writer for http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com – visit the website and find information on a wide range of women’s health issues.

Coping with Mother Nature: The Top 30 Menopause Blogs

It looms. It hovers. Men and children fear it. Half of the world is going to experience it. It’s waiting for you. Menopause! Truth be told, it’s not that scary. In fact, embrace it! If you are someone who is interested in the topic, seeking help, wanting support, or just curious- check out these 30 blogs. There is an endless amount of menopausal information circulating the web, but these blogs seem to truly help and inspire women. There are a few categories so that you may find what you are looking for: General information, support blogs, comedic relief, and remedies. Remember that this is something that we (well, half of us) will experience at some point, so treat it as the cycle of life!

Read more here

You can Conquer Menopause Symptoms

Featured

How to Conquer Menopause

How to Conquer Menopause

What if you could learn how to easily eliminate menopause symptoms through all 3 stages including peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause and do it without taking traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

It’s not only possible, it’s not that difficult.  I can show you how to sail through mid-life without suffering and in addition, tell you everything you need to know about bioidentical hormones.

But first let me tell you a little bit about my story. I’m a 54-year-old woman very close to menopause (full cessation of my cycle), but I started experiencing some nasty symptoms related to peri-menopause at 46.

I was haunted by several symptoms:

-annoying mood swings including crying jags
-being prone to anger most of the time
-hot flashes during the day
-night sweats and wet sheets at night
-an inability to focus
-a significant loss of short-term memory
-uncomfortable gas and bloating, and
-abnormal weight gain – mostly in the middle

Belly fat is extremely annoying. What happened to being able to button your pants comfortably, or just sit down without feeling like there is a basketball in your stomach? Many people around me thought I was going nuts. Mostly because I often cried for no apparent reason at all.

My emotions appeared to be uncontrollable. I would literally be standing in the line at the grocery store and see a child walk by and break down into tears. For no reason! Or so I thought. I learned to wear my sunglasses pretty much everywhere I went.

Eventually, even I thought I was losing my mind! I turned 47 before I received my first helpful feedback and had one of those ‘aha’ moments during a conversation with my mother.

She said something to the effect that the last few times we had spoken, I sounded very “angry” and that it was very unlike me – and, the clincher – she recommended that I see a doctor. I hate doctors. So I got ticked off and didn’t do anything about it. LOL.

But time passed and my symptoms didn’t, and out of sheer desperation, I finally had to admit that she might be right … maybe something was in fact happening to me that I ought to be aware of. I began asking more questions …

Some to my peers, friends, co-workers, any other women I could find that was in the appropriate age range and would listen to me.

Questions like:

-What symptoms are you experiencing?
-How did you know when you entered peri-menopause?
-What can I do to prevent things like mood swings & hot flashes from happening to me?
-Does it ever all end?
-How can I get some immediate relief?
-What are these bio-identical hormones I keep hearing about in the news?
-Do you currently take traditional HRT and if so, how is that working for you?
-Do you know how to relieve water retention?
-What causes menopause dizziness?
-Does menopause come with joint pain?
-Can I expect more fatigue with menopause?
-Why have my anxiety levels increased since menopause?
-Will I ever get rid of the indigestion and bloating?

The predominant and reoccurring theme was that women trusted their doctors less especially if they had prescribed HRT for them, which most women have stopped taking.

Turns out lots of women were just like me … they did not have adequate answers for most of their questions and they were definitely looking for better, alternative solutions.

Most of women are going through menopause the same way I was … in a vacuum. Most of our mothers never talked to us about the mid-life transition because nobody ever talked to them about it either.

So I decided to break the cycle of ignorance and start talking about the subject to lots of women … and men, too! (We aren’t the only ones going through this cycle). And, I decided that the best way to reach these people quickly was by writing an eBook.

That’s when How to Conquer Menopause was born. Click here to find out all about this ebook.

Take Back Your Sleep

Menopause results into trouble sleeping for so many women. We wake up too many times in the night to go to the bathroom. Our restless legs wake us up. As our hormones continue to shift (typically declining) beginning with peri-menopause throughout menopause and post-menopause, we experience more hot flashes and night sweats that interrupt our nightly rest. Even small amounts of light and noise can wake us up and stimulate our nervous system making it difficult to fall back to sleep.  All of these things can leave us feeling disoriented, tired and cranky during the day.

Karen Giblin, president and founder of Red Hot Mamas, and Jo Anne Turner, an adult nurse practitioner at SleepMed of South Carolina, are both spokespeople for the Take Back Your Sleep program, an educational awareness program for women who are having trouble sleeping as they approach and move through menopause. The Take Back Your Sleep program features a website, www.TakeBackYourSleep.com, which provides resources for managing insomnia during menopause.

You can learn how to manage your sleep issues during menopause by understanding your treatment options including over-the-counter sleep aids, prescription sleep aids, alternative sleep aids and behavioral treatment options. You will also find a free Sleep Discussion Guide that you can use to help you work with your own healthcare professional because according to the research, 62% of survey respondents had never discussed their insomnia during menopause with their healthcare professional (HCP). Of those women, 92% had to initiate the conversation with their doctor.

Here are some of their other survey results:

Physician Interaction
- 78% of women surveyed consulted a primary care physician
- 32% of women surveyed consulted an OB/GYN or GYN

Symptoms
- 63% of women had trouble falling asleep
- 79% had trouble staying asleep

Quality of Life
- 76% of the women surveyed reported that insomnia during menopause moderately to significantly impacted their overall quality of life.
Of those women:
- 76% experienced daytime drowsiness/fatigue
- 52% experienced irritability
- 41% experienced difficulty concentrating/job issues
- 34% experienced difficulty with intimacy with their partner

Diagnosis/Treatment
- 73% of women surveyed received a recommendation from their HCP for hygiene/behavior modifications. Of those women, 1% found it very effective and 50% found it somewhat effective 
- 31% of women surveyed were prescribed a prescription sleep aid. Of those women, 77% found it helpful and 55% are still taking the sleep aid

The bottom line is you can’t depend on your doctor alone when it comes to your body and what you can do to lessen the uncomfortable symptoms of the menopause transition.

There are all kinds of tips you can experiment with such as: don’t nap in the middle of the day and see if this helps you sleep longer at night. Stop caffeine, nicotine or any stimulants for awhile and measure how your body responds. Try not eating late at night; especially too close to sleep time. Make sure you exercise in the morning or late afternoon instead of close to bedtime.

So, if you are experiencing any level of insomnia and just want to get back to feeling refreshed in the morning, head over to TakeBackYourSleep.com and find out how to get a good night’s sleep!

Click here for more information on How to Conquer Menopause

What Nurses Know About Menopause

Every woman faces the passage through this natural biological process. This transition is not usually sudden and abrupt, but is spread out over a number of years. Hot flashes, night sweats, and anxiety attacks are just some of hte symptoms that women face during this time in their lives. What Nurses Know … offers up-to-date, straightforward information on the subject based on the latest resarch in the field.

Check out What Nurses Know …