What Are the First Symptoms of Menopause?
The first symptoms of menopause will vary from one woman to another, but by understanding about the most common symptoms of menopause, you will be more knowledgeable and know what to expect when you hit menopause.
First Symptoms of Menopause
One of the most commonly experienced first symptoms of menopause is hot flashes. Hot flashes are caused by the hormonal changes taking place in the woman's body, and they are a feeling of warmth that spreads over the entire body but which is most strongly felt in the upper part of the body and throughout the chest.
Hot flashes are often accompanied by perspiration and flushing and they can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Some women even have hot flashes that last for over an hour.
Another of the most common first symptoms of menopause involves an irregular menstrual cycle. Many women notice that they have either lighter or heavier periods, or that their menstrual cycle ceases altogether. The reason that this happens is related to the ovaries and how they are functioning. Before a woman reaches menopause, each month her ovaries produce and send out an egg in a process that is known as ovulation.
Then if this egg is not fertilized and implanted the excess hormones are not needed and the woman will have her period. Once menopause begins this process may become altered or stop entirely.
Talk to Your Doctor
If you ever notice any of these first symptoms of menopause it is important that you get in to see your doctor as soon as you can and get yourself checked out. They will be able to perform a few routine tests to determine whether you are actually going through menopause or not, and if you are, they may suggest certain ideas or drugs to help you with the symptoms, depending on how severe they are and how much they are bothering you.
Menopause can be an incredibly difficult time in a woman's life, mainly because it is a serious sign of the aging process and it can be hard for women to deal with this. Any women going through menopause should know that menopause is not the worst thing that could happen and that it is only a phase and it and the symptoms associated with it will go away and you will get back to feeling like your regular self again in no time.
