5 Signs of Menopause for Women

Regardless of the amount of exercise you incorporate in your life and the healthy balance of your diet, no matter the amount of plastic surgery you undertake or the spiritual journeys you attempt, aging in inescapable. It’s a natural part of life, and thanks to modern medicine, more and more people in every generation experience life at an advanced age. Because of that, menopause has become a process experienced by the vast majority of women. At its most basic, menopause is when your ovaries no longer produce eggs. It’s the end of your fertile stage, and for most women that’s an acceptable change. Yet the side effects that accompany menopause are anything but welcome. Menopause doesn’t happen overnight, and could take several years to complete its process. Here are five signs that will tell you menopause has arrived.

First on the list is an increase in the irregularity of your menstrual cycle. Obviously, once the ovaries no longer produce eggs menstruation will cease entirely. As it approaches, you’ll notice your menstrual cycle becoming irregular. When this occurs you should make an appointment with your doctor. Although it is a natural part of the life cycle, irregular menstruation is also the symptom of several medical ailments, so you should always ferret out the cause before chalking it up to menopause.

Another key sign of menopause is a reduction of your sex drive. As the body changes, the balance of hormone production shifts. Estrogen levels lower, and the result is less interest in sex. At some point, you might even experience a complete loss of any sex drive. This is one of the signs that can actually occur overnight, and it’s pretty impossible to mistake the cause.

Menopause also frequently brings on complicated mood swings. Mood swings are often the very first sign of menopause, and the cause is that imbalance in hormone production. Although it is an emotional change, you shouldn’t think it’s a mental fault or deficiency. In severe cases depression can occur, but usually it’s just a mix of nervous feelings, anger or irritability. As your doctor helps you through this process, and potentially treats the situation with a hormone regimen, the mood swings should balance out.

Almost half of all women who go through menopause experience trouble sleeping. In most cases, this is because of night sweats. As menopause runs its course, the level of estrogen in your body plummets overnight. Heavy sweating can keep you awake, and therefore leave you overtired during the day. Hot flashes might follow as well.

Another significant side effect of menopause is an increase in weight. You’ll experience this as unexpected weight gain that doesn’t seem to be impacted by any change in diet or increase in exercise. Again, this is due to a hormone imbalance, as well as a slowing down of your metabolic system. You might notice it at the onset as bloating in the abdominal region. Aside from hair growth (which can be treated without medication with one of the products found on epilatorcentral.com), this is often the sign of menopause that women despise the most.