Menopause: symptoms, signs, and natural solutions for managing this phase
Menopause is a natural physiological phenomenon that generally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, resulting in the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle and the loss of fertility. However, the reproductive function is not the only one affected: menopause is a significant hormonal upheaval that triggers or exacerbates disorders affecting the entire body.
What are the signs of menopause and how do they impact your daily life?
One of the characteristic signs confirming that a woman has entered the period of menopause is undoubtedly the cessation of the menstrual cycle. The definitive diagnosis of menopause is based on the absence of periods for 12 months in a woman around 50 years of age.
Other signs follow, also known as climacteric disorders. Of course, it is extremely rare for a woman to experience all the symptoms described below, and especially not all at once: the process unfolds over years, with varying degrees of intensity unique to each woman. Furthermore, they are not systematic, and some women escape them entirely. For others, there are many solutions to alleviate them.
Physical signs of menopause
During the hormonal fluctuation that precedes menopause, several symptoms can manifest. To better understand this natural phenomenon, here is a non-exhaustive list of the most commonly observed physical ailments.
- hot flashes (present in seven out of ten women).
- night sweats
- dryness of mucous membranes
- genitourinary disorders (urinary tract infection, sexual issues, urinary leakage, frequent urge to urinate)
- skin disorders (skin tends to become drier and wrinkles more pronounced).
- headaches
- weight gain
- joint pain (diffuse and shifting, particularly in the morning)
Psychological symptoms of menopause
The period surrounding menopause also seems to be a time of greater emotional vulnerability. Indeed, menopause occurs at a stage of life often accompanied by other changes: children leaving home, semi-retirement, etc.
Other psychological symptoms may therefore manifest (whether or not related to menopause), such as:
- mood disorders, such as anxiety, irritability, hypersensitivity, depression...
- sleep disturbances (difficulty falling asleep, insomnia)
- difficulty concentrating, memory loss...
At what age do the first signs of menopause occur?
When we speak of menopause, it means a total absence of menstruation for 12 consecutive months.
Menopause results from the depletion of the ovarian follicle reserve. At birth, a baby girl has about 1 million oocytes. This stock gradually decreases throughout life: the majority of oocytes are destroyed through apoptosis (programmed cell death), and others are released each month throughout the reproductive period.
According to INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), menopause occurs around age 45, with an average age of 50. However, depending on the woman, certain signs of menopause appear well before or after age 55 (depending on family history, lifestyle, hormone treatment use, etc.).
The first signs of menopause: perimenopause
The period of 2 to 7 years preceding menopause is called perimenopause (and not premenopause).
It is during this transition period that one may feel the first warning signs: the menstrual cycle becomes more irregular with heavier or almost non-existent periods, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, mood swings, etc.