Is It Really Menopause?

Menopause can come by unannounced. Menopause symptoms don’t always show up at one time. Additionally, there is no magic age by which you can expect to be done with menopause. Every woman is also affected differently. Some may notice few changes, while others really suffer for years. How can you tell if it’s really menopause or not?

 

Changes to Your Menstrual Cycle

The biggest change you may notice is going to affect your menstrual cycle. You may notice that your periods are occurring less frequently. They may also be over sooner, and the menstrual flow is likely to be less heavy. By definition, you are in menopause once you have not experienced a menstrual cycle for a year. While your periods are phasing out, you’re likely to notice other symptoms as well.

Feeling Hot

One of the most commonly known symptoms of menopause are hot flashes. You may wake up feeling sweaty, or you may need to turn down the air conditioning in your home by several degrees in order to feel comfortable. If your other family members are shivering, you might have to get them a sweater in the middle of summer.

By the way, if you have the opposite problem and feel cold, then you might be anemic or suffer from a thyroid imbalance. Either way, it’s worth looking into.

Experiencing Vaginal Dryness

During menopause, sexual intercourse might occasionally be painful for you due to vaginal dryness. While it’s not very pleasant, vaginal dryness is one of the easier symptoms to address. You can either use an over-the-counter lubricant during intercourse, or you can consider taking prescription medication.

Feeling Irritable

It’s common for people to feel irritable at times. However, a woman who is going through menopause may feel irritable most of the time. If this is not a temporary thing caused by other problems (such as stress at work), then you may want to consider hormone replacement therapy.

Do You Need Treatment?

Menopause is not a disease. In fact, it’s a natural stage that every woman will go through at some point in her life, some sooner than later. But menopause can take several years to complete. If your menopausal symptoms are difficult to cope with, then you could probably benefit from hormone replacement therapy.

At the Revive Health Center, we focus on optimizing your overall health. This can be done by correcting hormone imbalances, addressing nutrition, and implementing an exercise program. Hormone replacement therapy is not for everyone, but it has certainly helped a lot of women cope with this stage in life.