33 Incredible Ways Menopause Impacts Your Body

33 Incredible Ways Menopause Impacts Your Body

 

When you are born, you actually already have all the eggs you are ever going to make, about 1 to 2 million of them, unmatured and encased in follicles in the ovaries.
At around the age of 8 to 10 the hypothalamus, a region in your brain, starts releasing hormones that essentially wake up these dormant eggs, beginning the monthly cycles of ovulation.
Your menstrual cycle is regulated by the luteinizing hormone and follicle- stimulating hormone which are manufactured in the pituitary gland and stimulate the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone.

Once a month this results in the most mature egg leaving its follicle and travelling down a fallopian tube.
The body builds up the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, to house the egg and if the egg isn’t fertilized the lining sheds and you have your period.
Over the decades, on average sometime in the mid-40s, ovulation starts to become erratic, and you do not have as many eggs leftover and the ones that do remain may not be as healthy as before.
During perimenopause and menopause your hormones fluctuate.
This is the menopause transition.
Just like puberty only this time when estrogen levels stabilize, they will be much lower than they were before.
Sources
rogelcancercenter.org – normal ovarian function
healthline.com – how many eggs does a woman have

Menopause is a natural biological process that happens roughly between 45 to 55 years of age.
The majority of women will fit into this age group, however, there are a number of women that will start earlier.
This can be hereditary. Often, if your mother or granny started menopause earlier, then it can be a good indication that you might also start earlier.
Other health issues that can contribute to an earlier onset of menopause, include:

• You are a smoker
• You are extremely overweight
• Have had a hysterectomy or oophorectomy
• Have undergone cancer treatments

On the other hand, there is a very small percentage of women who will only start menopause in their late fifties.
The process of menopause does not occur overnight but is more of a gradual process.
There are different stages within menopause that need to be explained.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause occurs when a woman’s body begins the transition.
The approach of menopause is roughly 45 to 55.
Also known as the menopause transitional phase mostly begins about four years before the last period.
During the final stages of perimenopause, your body produces less and less estrogen.
However, despite the sharp drop in estrogen, it will still be possible to get pregnant.
A small number of women start their perimenopausal transition 10 years before their menopause.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

The perimenopausal transition is characterized by:

• Irregular menstrual period
  The period will skip a month and then return or may skip for several months and then the regular cycle resumes for a few months
• Menstrual flow may be irregular
• Worse PMS before periods
• Breast tenderness
• Weight gain
• Heart palpitations
• Headaches
• Loss of sex drive
• Concentration difficulties, such as forgetfulness
• Muscle aches
• Urinary tract infections (UTI’s)
• Fertility issues for women who are trying to conceive
• Increased hair on some part of the body like the neck, face, back and chest.

Menopause

Menopause officially starts when the ovaries produce so little estrogen that eggs are no longer released, causing your periods to stop.
At this stage the function of the ovaries ceases and there is no chance of pregnancy.
It is the time when your period stops permanently and is often referred to as “the change of life”.
For the majority of women two years after the periods have actually stopped, the symptoms should start to tail off.

Some of the symptoms of menopause are:

• Hot flushes are a feeling of warmth that spreads over the body and is more pronounced in the head and chest
• Lack of period
• Night sweats
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dry skin
• Vaginal dryness
• Frequent urination
• Incontinence

The intensity of your symptoms can depend on a number of factors:

• Your general health – how well did you look after yourself through the perimenopause
• Your diet – how well have you been eating leading up to menopause and your diet habits during menopause
• Stress factors – Stress can prolong menopause significantly

Therefore, it is vital that you take good care of yourself now, because how you look after yourself at the beginning of menopause may well determine how long it takes for you to get through it.

 

Diagnosis to confirm menopause

There is no single test for diagnosing menopause, however your doctor can carry out a test that will measure the level of FSH (follicle-stimulating hormones).
FSH are the hormones that help control the menstrual cycle and the production of eggs by the ovaries.
An elevated FSH blood level of 30 milliliters or higher combined with 12 consecutive months of no menstrual cycle is usually a confirmation of menopause.

Common treatments options to manage menopause

• Hormone therapy may be an effective way of treatment especially in women under 60.
  It helps in the reduction and management of some symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats.
• Some medications are used in treating some of the other symptoms such as hair thinning, insomnia and vaginal dryness.
• Lubricants to treat vaginal dryness and painful intercourse.
• Regular exercise for 20 to 30 minutes per day, helps in increasing energy levels as well as improved mood and feeling of well-being.
• Regular supplementation with magnesium and vitamin D

Postmenopause

Generally, this occurs 24 to 36 months after your last period, and your symptoms begin to subside.
This is the name given to the period of time after a woman has not bled for 12 months.
At this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, may ease for many women.
However, some women continue to experience menopausal symptoms for 10 years or longer after the menopause transition.
As a result of a lower level of estrogen, postmenopausal women are at an increased risk of several health conditions, such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
Medication, such as hormone therapy as well as healthy lifestyle changes, may reduce the risk of some of these conditions.
It is important to talk to your doctor to learn what steps you can take to reduce your individual risk.
Very low estrogen levels after menopause can also affect your health negatively and can cause symptoms such as hot flushes.
Once you have passed the one or two years with no periods, your symptoms should start to tail off and you should start to feel better
Your body has learned to adapt without the hormones.
Sources
clevelandclinic.org – menopause, perimenopause and postmenopause
webmd.com – menopause definition, symptoms, causes, treatment
medicalnewstoday.com – menopause symptoms, causes, and treatments
womenshealth.gov – menopause

33 Incredible Ways Menopause Impacts Your Body

1. Brain Issues

Estrogen is not only involved in reproduction but also in brain function and is key for energy production in the brain.
At a cellular level, estrogen pushes neurons to burn glucose to make energy.
If your estrogen is high, your brain energy is high and when your estrogen declines, your neurons start slowing down and age faster.
For instance, serotonin helps control mood and impulse control and since estrogen plays a part in the production of serotonin, as estrogen levels decline serotonin levels are also affected.
Brain issues during menopause are one of the more common symptoms and most women will experience this to some degree.

Symptoms may include:

• Brain fog
• Anger & rage
• Mood swings
• Loss of motivation
• Loss of confidence
• Feeling of losing one’s mind

2. Headaches & Migraines

If you suffer headaches due to hormonal changes, you may find relief after menopause.
This may mean that you have fewer headaches or less severe headaches.
This can be due to your lower levels of estrogen, with little fluctuation, after your period stops for good.
On the other hand, you may have more frequent or worse headaches during perimenopause.
mayoclinic.org – headaches and hormones

Read more about how menopause can affect your brain:
7 Emotional symptoms to drive you crazy : you’re not alone

 

3. Breast Tenderness

Hormonal changes cause fluid to build up in the breasts, making them feel swollen, tender and sore.
During perimenopause, it is also common for breasts to get bigger or smaller or to change in shape.
Breast tenderness occurs in the phase leading up to menopause and may also feel like a burning or throbbing pain.
Breast pain should pass after periods stop completely and menopause starts.
Source: medicalnewstoday.com – menopause and sore breasts

4.Nipple Pain

Your nipples can get so sore and tender that you can’t actually bear to wear a bra or have clothing touching them.
It usually occurs during perimenopause, when your hormones are fluctuating quite a lot and is often triggered by a sudden estrogen spike.

5. Hot flushes and night sweats

Estrogen affects the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature.
Low estrogen causes hot flushes and night sweats, two of the more intrusive symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.

6. Fatigue & Sleep Issues

Estrogen influences parts of the brain that control emotion, one of them being increasing the “feel good” neurotransmitter, serotonin.
Serotonin in turn makes melatonin, which is the primary sleep hormone. Low estrogen can cause you to sleep less and feel fatigued.
Source: webmd.com – estrogen and womens hormones

7. Irregular Menstrual Cycles

The primary function of estrogen is the development of female breasts, the endometrium and the regulation of the menstrual cycle, however during perimenopause estrogen levels fluctuate, causing irregular cycles.

8. Disappearing Menstrual Cycles

Ultimately if you don’t have enough estrogen during your period, your cycle starts to disappear completely.
This is a normal symptom during perimenopause, and of course, menopause.
Source: womeninbalance.org – hormone imbalance

9. Decrease In Libido

As you go through menopause, you might notice that your sex drive or libido changes.
Most women will experience a decrease, while some women may experience an increase in libido.
In most cases, a lower sex drive during menopause is caused by a decrease in hormone levels.

10.Changes In Cholesterol

As you get older, your risk for heart disease increases, especially after 55.
Before menopause, estrogen helps to maintain adequate levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
Menopause brings on an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

11. Headaches

Estrogen impacts brain chemicals responsible for pain control.
Having steady estrogen levels can lessen headaches, while fluctuating estrogen levels can make headaches as well as migraines worse.
Source: mayoclinic.org – headaches and hormones

12. Tingling, Pins & Needles & Electric Shocks

This is not a very common symptom, but it can be quite disconcerting because the tingling and the shocks can happen at any time.
Pins and needles can often start during the night and can be sore enough to actually wake you up.
This tends to be caused by falling estrogen affecting the nerves themselves.

13. Frequent Urinary Tract Infections

Estrogen helps the lining of your urethra to keep unhealthy bacteria out.
Low estrogen can cause a thinning of this lining, making it easier for bacteria to enter, resulting in urinary tract infections.
Sources: cdc.gov – urinary tract infections

14. Bone Loss

Lower estrogen levels can bring on bone deterioration.
Your bones need estrogen to maintain strength and density and can fracture more readily if estrogen levels are low.

15. Vaginal Atrophy

Vaginal atrophy is the thinning of the walls of the vagina caused by a decrease in estrogen levels.
Inflammation often takes over and sex can become uncomfortable and painful.
Source: healthline.com – risk of vaginal atrophy

16. Vaginal Dryness & Itchiness

One of the major symptoms of menopause is vaginal dryness.
If mucus production is reduced, it will affect the friendly bacteria as well as reducing the mucosity of the vagina even further.

17. Change Of Smell & Colour

A change of smell is very often due to a change in the levels of bacteria in the vagina.
You might find that your vaginal mucus or discharge gets stickier and there might be a change in colour.
This often is due to a change in hormone levels and is very common during perimenopause where your estrogen and progesterone levels are still in a bit of a cycle.

18. Candida & Thrush

If the mucus in the vagina decreases, it will cause the level of acidity to decrease as well.
This means that it allows other bacteria to get in, which can lead to thrush and candida.
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – candida infections

19. Skin Changes In The Vaginal Area

The appearance of the skin of the vagina can become lighter in colour and almost paler
The pubic hair changes as well during menopause
You may have grey hair in the pubic area but a potentially welcome change that you might observe, is that the pubic hair becomes sparse.

20. Weight Gain

During the perimenopause phase your estrogen levels begin to fluctuate.
Your body starts looking for a replacement to estrogen and finds one in fat, which produces estrone, the weakest version of the three types of estrogen.
Your body deposits this fat very easily, especially in the dreaded mid-section.
Source: Healthline
Read more about all the digestive issues related to menopause: Menopause weight gain

21. Acid Reflux & Bloating

Studies have shown that menopausal women are three times more likely to suffer from acid reflux or more specifically, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
Falling estrogen in menopause can affect the production of acid in the stomach, either producing too much or too little acid.
This can lead to indigestion, flatulence, bloating, as well as discomfort.
Source: medicalnewstoday.com – cause and treatment for menopause bloating

22. Leg Problems

Leg problems of various kinds are quite common during menopause.
These can include:

• Restless legs
• Aching legs
• Swollen ankles
• Hot, puffy feet
• Cramps in your leg muscles

Magnesium deficiency is very common during menopause.
This is caused by falling estrogen that can affect the absorption of magnesium.
Also, Estrogen can cause your circulation to deteriorate during menopause making it more sluggish, resulting in swollen feet and ankles.
Source: menopause.livebetterwith.com – menopause and leg cramps

23. Changes In Blood Pressure

Blood pressure does generally go up during menopause, this could be due to changing levels of hormones as well as a general weight gain that affects most menopausal women.
Changes in hormone levels and weight gain can make your blood pressure more sensitive to salt in your diet, leading to higher blood pressure.
Source: mayoclinic.org – menopause & high blood pressure

24. Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations are a result of falling estrogen levels, which leads to an overstimulation of the heart.
This is because it affects the “electrical system” of the heart.
The system gets jammed and your heart starts to race a little, resulting in the heart skipping a beat or fluttering.
Source: medicalnewstoday.com – what’s to know about heart palpitations and menopause
Read more in blog: 5 ways menopause can play havoc with your heart

25. Nose Bleeds

Falling estrogen affects the mucous membranes of the nose, drying it out, resulting in your nasal membranes thinning out, resulting in more brittle nasal passages.

26. Varicose Veins & Spider Veins

Hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone can be responsible for developing varicose veins.
As your estrogen levels decline, so do your progesterone levels, which is vital for overall vein health and its decrease can cause the weakening of the vein valves affecting circulation and blood pressure.
This in turn leads to them becoming enlarged and overfilling with blood, causing varicose veins and spider veins.

27. Increased Risk Of Diabetes

Typically, women start the menopause in their 40s or 50s.
The onset of Type 2 diabetes usually starts after age 45.
Your body makes less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone which also affects how your cells respond to insulin, the hormone that moves glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.
A drop in estrogen and progesterone levels can trigger fluctuations in your blood sugar levels.
Source: mayoclinic.org – diabetes and menopause a twin challenge

28. Joint Pain

Very often falling estrogen affects the stability and the hydration of the joints.
Over time this will trigger joint pain most typically a grinding pain, that is especially noticeable first thing in the morning.
Source: prolianceorthopedicassociates.com –  menopause and joint pain link
Read more about menopause related joint conditions

29. Muscle Aches & Pains

Muscle problems such as aches and pains, cramps and stiffness can often occur during menopause as your estrogen levels fluctuate and fall.
As your estrogen hormone levels drop, the level of cortisol in your body can increase.
High levels of cortisol can lead to muscle mass loss and an accumulation of fat, causing muscle tension and muscle pain.
Lastly, high levels of cortisol will increase your sensitivity to pain and you might feel pain more keenly.
Source: therapitylino.co.uk – why do I have muscle pain

30. Acne & Increased Facial Hair

Hormonal changes are one of the biggest reasons for acne, so it comes as no surprise that acne can occur during perimenopause and menopause.
Menopausal acne’s symptoms can be different from regular acne in that it mainly occurs around the mouth, chin, and jawline.
Another side note to menopausal acne is that it often manifests along with excess facial hair, especially on the chin and upper lip.
Read full blog: 3 Surprising skin problems during menopause

31. Allergies & Hay Fever

Although a more obscure menopausal symptom, occurrences of allergies can occur during menopause.
The exact link between menopause and allergies is not known, but it is believed that hormonal fluctuations, particularly with estrogen, can increase the production of a body chemical, called histamine, which can trigger an allergic response.
This is why women who have never suffered from allergies before, can do so, during menopause.
Source: positivepause.co.uk – can menopause make allergies

32. Oral Health

Women tend to have more oral health problems due to the unique hormonal changes they experience.
A change in estrogen not only affects the blood supply to the gums, but also the body’s response to the toxins that result from plaque build-up.
A drop in estrogen levels can also result in the loss of bone density, leading to:

• dry mouth
• altered taste
• menopausal gingivostomatitis
• bone loss
• burning mouth
• gum tissue recession
  Source: my.clevelandclinic.org – hormones and oral health

33. Hair Loss

Hair loss in women over 50 is a common problem, the most significant cause being female-pattern hair loss (FPHL), which affects about one third of women.
During menopause, the cause of hair loss can be linked to a lowered production of estrogen and progesterone.
Estrogen and progesterone help hair grow faster and stay on the head for longer.
As the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, hair growth slows down and hair becomes thinner.
Read the full article: Women hair loss & 10 hair habits to avoid