What does the menopause feel like?
The menopause is a very personal experience. While some women have mild symptoms, others experience unpleasant and persistent effects, both physically and psychologically. Knowing what to expect as you transition through the menopause will help you understand and manage your body’s natural changes.
The menopause transition starts with perimenopause, where periods become irregular, and symptoms can arise. The menopause is defined as the point at which a year has passed since your last period.
Read more about stages of the menopause
The symptoms of the menopause may include
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Low mood
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Migraine or headaches
- Sleep disturbances
- Weight gain
- Loss of interest in sex
- Irregular periods (eventually stopping completely)
- Vaginal discomfort
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Urinary incontinence or repeated urine infections (UTIs)
- Joint pain and aching muscles
- Bloating
- Forgetfulness
- Breast tenderness
Many women have different experiences of the menopause and find that symptoms can come and go.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause begins about eight to 10 years before menopause. It usually starts in your mid-40s, but it can start earlier.
You will notice your periods starting to become irregular, and you might begin to experience symptoms of the menopause.
8 out of 10 women experience at least some symptoms of the menopause.
As you progress through perimenopause, your periods become less frequent, and some symptoms can get worse.
Each woman experiences the menopause differently. It can be helpful to try to find a doctor with a special interest in supporting women through the menopause to help you manage distressing symptoms.
If you find hot flushes particularly hard to manage, you are not alone.
Up to 80% of women experience moderate or severe hot flushes that negatively affect their quality of life.
The exact cause of hot flushes is not entirely understood.
Mental health and the menopause
Studies have shown that women have increased risk of developing feelings of anxiety and depression during the menopause.
It isn’t clear exactly why women experience low mood during the menopause. It is thought to be caused by a combination of reduced estrogen levels, sleep disturbances and experiencing uncomfortable symptoms.
Postmenopause
Symptoms of the menopause typically persist for up to four years after your last period. For some women, they can last much longer.
Through the postmenopausal years, a lack of estrogen can cause physical and psychological changes and have long term impacts on health.
Long term health impacts of the hormonal changes of the menopause
A lack of estrogen through the postmenopausal years can cause physical and psychological changes and have long term impacts on health. You may be at increased risk of developing some conditions, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and dementia.
Your doctor can advise about relevant screening programmes and preventative measures to keep you healthy as you age.
Lifestyle choices
In some cases, changing your lifestyle under supervision from your doctor can be enough to manage mild symptoms of the menopause. Maintaining a good level of fitness and a healthy body weight helps your body work at its best. Eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, like dairy products, fish, and green vegetables, can help your body maintain bone strength.
Talking therapies
Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), can help you develop coping mechanisms to manage low mood and anxiety as you pass through the menopause.