What Are the 35 Symptoms of Menopause?

It's finally come. You've reached middle age and you've started noticing a change in your menstrual cycles. Maybe you've even skipped one or two only to get hit with a flooding, gushing period to end all periods. And those blood clots? Oy.

Like most women, you've probably expected the hot flashes and the night sweats, maybe even the mood swings. But, how about that vertigo or those heart palpitations? Are they menopause symptoms too? The answer is, yes. Those and a whole lot more.

As researchers continue to study menopause they are learning that not only are vertigo and heart palpitations associated with menopause, but so are allergies, digestive problems and achy sore joints.

In fact, there are 35 symptoms that have become commonly associated with menopause thus far and the list continues to grow. If you have been wondering if your symptoms could be menopause, check this list. They could very well be.

1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling

2. Irregular heart beat

3. Irritability

4. Mood swings, sudden tears

5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)

6. Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles

7. Loss of libido

8. Dry vagina

9. Crashing fatigue

10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease

11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom

12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion

13. Disturbing memory lapses

14. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence

15. Itchy, crawly skin

16. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons

17. Increased tension in muscles

18. Breast tenderness

19. Headache change: increase or decrease

20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea

21. Sudden bouts of bloat

22. Depression

23. Exacerbation of existing conditions

24. Increase in allergies

25. Weight gain

26. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair

27. Dizziness, vertigo, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance

28. Changes in body odor

29. Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head

30. Tingling in the extremities

31. Gum problems, increased bleeding

32. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor

33. Osteoporosis (after several years)

34. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier

35. Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing,' buzzing etc.

If You Think You are Beginning Menopause See a Doctor

As is always the case, self-diagnosis is never a good idea. While education and personal responsibility for one's health is a wise course of action, it's extremely important that you see a doctor with all of your symptoms.

If you are in your 40s or 50s and suspect you are beginning menopause, it is very likely that many of your symptoms are in fact the result of your changing hormones. However, because so many symptoms are common among different health conditions, see your physician to be sure.

Sources:

"Perimenopause Hot Flashes: Cool the Heat with Soy" June 10, 2010. Associated Content December 29, 2010. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5443600/perimenopause_hot_flashes_cool_the.html?cat=5

"Screaming to be Heard: Your Brain, Hormones and those Moody Blues" December 29, 2010. The Perimenopause Blog December 29, 2010. http://www.theperimenopauseblog.com/?p=2301

"35 Symptoms of Menopause" December 29, 2010. The Perimenopause Blog December 29, 2010. http://www.theperimenopauseblog.com/?p=2936