What to expect

Falling levels of female hormones can cause a variety of symptoms, both physical and emotional, including:

• Irregular periods
• Hot flushes
• Night sweats
• Dry hair, skin and nails
• Disturbed sleep
• Vaginal dryness, itchiness, soreness during sex
• Urinary problems
• Moodiness
• Anxiety and depression
• Problems concentrating and memory loss
• Brittle bones

The first sign a woman may be entering the menopause is usually a change in her monthly period. These may become more frequent, or occur further apart before eventually stopping altogether.

By far the most common symptoms of the menopause are hot flushes. A woman can feel perfectly normal one minute and before she knows it a hot feeling starts in the upper part of her body such as her face, neck and chest.

Her skin may turn red and blotchy and she may find herself sweating profusely. As if this wasn’t enough, her heart rate may become irregular (palpitations) or increase (tachycardia).

When these flushes happen in the middle of the night, they are known as night sweats.

Night sweats also contribute to disturbed sleep. But they are not the only cause. Low oestrogen levels also play a role, as does anxiety.

Anyone lacking sleep may become more moody, and women going through the menopause are no exception. On top of this they may also have a job and children to cope with.

As oestrogen levels fall it becomes more difficult for a woman’s skin to retain moisture, leading to dry skin, hair and nails.

And those falling oestrogen levels may also cause the lining of her vagina to thin and become dry, making sex uncomfortable or even painful.

Fortunately, these symptoms don’t last forever! So if you think your life has taken a turn for the worse, think what your partner is going through and give her a break!

This article was published on Wed 16 September 2009