What is menopause? It is 12 months since your very last period. At this point your ability to reproduce will come to an end. The term menopause primarily refers to a date rather than the variety of symptoms that occur at this particular time. The average age of menopause is 51 with normal menopause ages ranging between 45 to 55. Early menopause is characterized prior to age 45 and premature menopause before age 40. Once you have reached the moment in time of menopause, you are considered post-menopausal for the rest of your life. Symptoms can be life altering, frustrating and challenging to navigate. Vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and palpitations were reported most common in 80% of women, lasting anywhere from 7-9 years or greater than 10 years in some women.
The following reported symptoms can coincide with some or all of these listed that you may be experiencing:
Unusual period 17.7%The natural progression of aging affects the sleep process in all individuals including men and women, although women are impacted greatly during the peri-menopausal and menopausal stages in their life.
Biological functions such as mood swings, anxiety, depression, stress and sleep disturbances are affected by these naturally occurring processes and can increase with the rapid fluctuating levels of hormones that occur in the transition from the reproductive stage.
The amount and quality of sleep is greatly impacted causing a chain reaction in other symptoms that fuel the fire so to speak.
The SWAN study focused on the symptoms of menopause and the women that interviewed reported the following. The most common vasomotor symptom was hot flashes reported by 80% of women in the SWAN study. Poor sleep reported by 76.7% of women, fatigue and low energy reported by 81.5% , weight changes occurred at 78.1%, joint and muscle discomfort at 63.3 %, and brain fog 75.5%. All of these things contribute to poor sleep which can lead to other symptoms that were reported. Anxiety and depression was reported at 61.8%, mood swings 59.5% it is no wonder women who have known their body their entire life start to wonder what is going on with all these changes. Not to mention changes in their skin, hair, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, painful sex, and urgent trips to the bathroom. A variety of uncomfortable symptoms and change that affects the body physically and emotionally.
What is menopause? It is 12 months since your very last period. At this point your ability to reproduce will come to an end. The term menopause primarily refers to a date rather than the variety of symptoms that occur at this particular time. The average age of menopause is 51 with normal menopause ages ranging between 45 to 55. Early menopause is characterized prior to age 45 and premature menopause before age 40. Once you have reached the moment in time of menopause, you are considered post-menopausal for the rest of your life. Symptoms can be life altering, frustrating and challenging to navigate. Vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and palpitations were reported most common in 80% of women, lasting anywhere from 7-9 years or greater than 10 years in some women.
Menopausal Symptoms
Fatigue/Low Energy 81.5%
Hot Flashes 80%
Weight Changes 78.1%
Poor Sleep 76.7%
Brain Fog 75.5 %
Joint & Muscle Discomfort 63.3%
Anxiety/Depression 61.8%
Mood Swings 59.5%
Genetics has a primary influence on your transition to menopause. The determination of early, normal or late menopause is highly influenced by your family history of women in your family. You will likely follow a similar path unless it is predetermined by other factors that may influence early menopause such as smoking, suppression of ovulation with use of oral contraceptives, history of substance abuse, premature ovarian insufficiency, surgically or chemically induced menopause.
