Effects of Menopause

Estrogen and progesterone hormone levels begin to decline in our early 40s. The onset of menopause can begin as early as four years before true menopause sets in (the peri-menopausal phase). In the peri-menopausal phase, ovaries no longer ovulate systematically and estrogen levels begin to fluctuate. Unfortunately, the timeframe for dealing with menopausal symptoms can continue years after menopause has begun, affecting up to one third of a woman's life.


Some women experience only a minor nuisance, while other women find menopause extremely uncomfortable and difficult. "The Change" is really many changes that can happen throughout the menopausal years:
Menstrual Cycle in Peri-menopause: Unpredictable periods (until they cease at the end of menopause). Throughout this time, women may experience interchanging periods with heavier flows and longer duration, or lighter flows and less duration.
Bladder: Inability to hold urine during activities such as exercise or even sneezing, as well as urgency in having to urinate.

Vaginal: Painful intercourse or decreased desire due to vaginal dryness or thinning of the skin.
Temperature: Thirty seconds to five minutes of hot flashing, cold shivers, or night sweats, possibly producing a flushed face or red patches on the skin.
Sleeping: Breaks in sleeping patterns, sleeping too much or too little.
Mood: Reports indicate a link between mood shifts and estrogen.
Cognitive: Intermittent breaks in memory, focus, and decision making may occur.
Bodily: Increase in weight, decrease in muscle mass, lack of muscle and joint flexibility, skin irritations, thinning skin and tissue, or excessive skin and tissue. Decreased connective tissue and bone density.

Behind the Scenes: Decreased estrogen levels may produce other metabolic changes, possibly leading to bone tissue loss (which leads to osteoporosis), high cholesterol (stroke and heart attack risk), changing glucose levels (diabetic risk), among other metabolic changes.