subject: Menopause Symptoms Spelled Out [print this page] As much as many women may complain about their monthly menstrual cycles, the fact is that it is rare that a woman looks forward to going through menopause. The simple fact is that menopause is a very hard time for women to go through. In many respects it is like having a second puberty only, in this case, the woman is very aware of her menopause symptoms and how they affect her and the people who surround her. It is important that everybody understands the different types of menopause symptoms so that they can help the women in their lives get through the transition as smoothly as possible. Here are some symptoms to keep an eye out for if your wife, mother, girlfriend or daughter is around the age that menopause usually starts.
Mood swings are pretty much the most easily identified of the menopause symptoms. In this respect, menopause looks quite a lot like puberty and, most ironically, like the early months of pregnancy. A woman who is going through "the change" will have a lot of irrational and unexpected mood swings. She can be absolutely calm one moment. The next minute she will have burst into tears over something that wouldn't have bothered her at all before. If you know a woman who has started acting like this and hasn't recently gotten pregnant and is not going through puberty then she might be going through menopause. Be sensitive!
Women who are going through menopause often say that one of the hardest symptoms to get used to is losing their ability to sleep through the night. If you have gotten used to sleeping all the way through the night and are suddenly having problems falling and staying asleep it's possible that you could be going through menopause. Often this inability to sleep is paired with night sweats and hot flashes. Other times it isn't. Many times this symptom gets overlooked as nothing more than trouble sleeping. It is a good idea to have your doctor check out this symptom, especially if you are of a certain age.
An increase in itching is a symptom of menopause that most people don't recognize. Some women who are going through their "change of life" report their skin feeling constantly itchy or like their skin is crawling. Dry skin does not feel this intense.
The best description is "it's like ants are crawling through my skin." This can feel very icky for women who don't know what it is that they are experiencing. You should call your doctor if your skin is particularly itchy or you can't seem to stop scratching. It might be a simple skin condition. It might also be one of the signs that you are about to go through menopause (or have started going through menopause already).
Many people liken menopause to puberty. The body is going through massive changes that women have little control over. Many women, however, report that menopause is worse than puberty because the symptoms are more varied and severe.
Learning how to pinpoint menopause symptoms will allow you to have a better understanding of what is going on in your own body and as you work through your life's changes. If you aren't a woman you should still learn about menopause symptoms so that you can better support the women in your life who have to deal with the symptoms first hand.
