Many women experience menopause symptoms in the few years before actual menopause, or when menstrual periods stop completely, and these symptoms can be too uncomfortable that they may affect your daily routine and lifestyle. Read on to learn the various ways how, along with suggestions on how to manage these symptoms.

Menopause: the Symptoms Caused by Changes Within the Body

It’s important to know that menopause is a unique experience and may vary from woman to woman. This is due to a variety of factors such as pre-existing health conditions and lifestyle choices. But in general, menopause comes with a cluster of symptoms and changes. The most common include: 

• Insomnia (sleeplessness)
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Weight gain
• Anxiety
• Difficulty focusing
• Memory problems
• Reduced sex drive
• Frequent urination
• Headaches
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Reduced muscle mass
• Stiff joints
• Reduced bone mass
• Hair loss or thinning
• Dry skin, mouth and eyes
  

These symptoms are caused by changes in hormones as the body transitions or enters menopause. Specifically, the body sets off several actions in response to lower levels of these hormones:

• Estrogen
• Progesterone
• Testosterone
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) 
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
  

How Menopause Can Get in the Way of Your Daily Routine

While menopause is natural in all women, it’s symptoms can be a handful and may affect your day-to-day. Here are a few examples how.

Moodiness can affect your relationship with those around you

Thanks to naturally occurring shifts in hormone levels, mood swings can be a constant with menopause. And this can put a strain on your relationships with other people and yourself. How? Small misunderstandings tend to blow up, issues tend to be dragged, and there’s always the chance of you being tagged as too sensitive or hard to deal with. 

What you need to keep in mind is that being in control of your emotions can be tough, especially when hormones within your body are a mess. If you get mood swings frequently, it’s important to be mindful of those moments. Pause when you can, before engaging in a triggering conversation. And when you have acted irrationally, own it but don’t dwell on it. You are not your mood, especially during menopause. 

Sleeplessness affects your mood, as well as your mental performance

Hormonal imbalance may also mess with sleep quality. The reduced production of estrogen and progesterone may even cause insomnia, or a disorder that prevents you from getting adequate sleep. It’s when:

• falling asleep takes 30 minutes or more 
• regular sleep becomes fewer than 6 hours
• wake too early despite getting little sleep
  

Over time, poor sleep can affect your health and well-being. You may frequently feel anxious, stressed, and irritable. Mental tasks may be challenging which could affect most of your daily activities. 

Hot flashes and night sweats could limit movement and cause you to lose more sleep

The body’s internal temperature control is influenced by hormones. That’s why when a woman is going through menopause, hot flashes and night sweats are one of the most common and noticeable occurrences. Much like period cramps, hot flashes are not something that you can set aside. They can be severe, lasting from a few seconds to minutes, leaving women sweaty and uncomfortably warm. Hot flashes may also lead to heart palpitations and dizziness. 

On the other hand, night sweats are hot flashes that occur at night, and may disrupt your sleep. To manage, make a nightly routine of taking a cool shower, wearing light nighties and easing into sleep with relaxing activities such as reading a book or listening to calming music. 

Vaginal dryness can affect your performance in bed

During menopause when testosterone and estrogen levels both decrease, women may find it difficult to channel desire for sex. And this could (and should) trigger a discussion with your partner.

Because there is a drop in estrogen, there could also be a decrease in blood supply in the vagina. This can negatively affect vaginal lubrication, leading to conditions such as vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy (thinning of the vaginal wall). Both conditions are a source of discomfort during sex.

The Ways You Can Manage Menopause 

Menopause is not a health condition that you can spread cream on for treatment. As already mentioned, it’s a natural condition that every woman goes through at a specific age range. What you can do about it is to manage its uncomfortable symptoms with a balanced treatment plan involving proper medication and lifestyle modifications. Consider these suggestions:

• Dress in cool and comfortable clothes
• Be consistent with a daily exercise regimen
• Start eating healthy with more nutritious choices
• Supplement your daily diet with calcium, vitamin D and magnesium (for bone health)
• Communicate and practice being open about your experiences with loved ones
• Take on relaxation techniques such as meditation
• Control or avoid unhealthy habits such as smoking and excessive drinking
  

It’s important to know that while these lifestyle improvements help with easing menopausal symptoms, severe cases will need a treatment plan that’s complete with medication and professional help. Especially when menopausal symptoms get in the way of your daily interactions and activities, consider consulting with a doctor. Prescription medications and menopausal hormone therapies are also available to help manage with menopausal symptoms.

To know more about menopause and how to address its symptoms, please consult your primary care physician.

SOURCES:

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-menopause
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820128/
https://www.arobgyn.com/7-side-effects-of-menopause/
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-and-insomnia