66 Peri menopause / Menopause Symptoms you may experience which may help some ladies
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SIXTY-SIX PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Part one 1 - 49
These are very real physical changes and conditions. Some symptoms alarm a woman that she may be suffering from a serious disease. Perhaps you know the more common ones related to menopausal symptoms in this list. But many of these may surprise you, as they have not been typically associated with this normal physiological transformation.
1. Change in Menstrual Cycle, Cycles may get closer together or farther apart, lighter and shorter in duration or much heavier, lasting longer than one has been accustomed to. Menses may seem to take forever to begin with dark spotting for days until you actually flow, or you might feel like you have your menses every two weeks.
2. Menstrual Flooding can come on with sudden onset and feel like you may hemorrhage to death. Or it can be a gradual build up just when you think your menses will end and you start gushing for days. Flooding commonly accompanies the woman with uterine fibroids as she transits into menopause.
3. Headaches, Migraines, especially before, during or at the end of your menses debilitate and radically interferes with normal functioning.
4. Decreased Motor Coordination, Clumsiness, almost begins to make the woman who experiences this feel like she is certainly less than graceful during perhaps an already awkward period in her life.
5. Lethargy, a persistent feeling sluggishness physically and mentally, that seems to negate ones ability to do much.
6. Physical Exhaustion , and Crushing Crashing Fatigue that can come on so suddenly and grip you into feeling like you will collapse unless you stop this instant.
7. Exacerbation of any Chronic Illness or Existing Condition transpires as hormones decline or deviate from their normal balance.
8. Insomnia, this includes a new or unusual pattern of either difficulty falling asleep, or dropping off to sleep for a few hours and then awakening with the inability to return to sleep.
9. Sleep Disturbances sometimes are from nightmares, night sweats, or just a vague sense of restlessness keeping you up or disrupting your precious revitalizing retreat from this realm of responsibilities.
10. Night Sweats often begin between a woman?s breasts, initially a night or two before her menses, waking her from sleep, later more profoundly disturbing with up to total body saturation, followed by damp or sweat drenched chills.
11. Interference With Dream Recall interrupts the sense of normal sleep, if you are someone accustomed to vivid or at least some detailed memory of your dreamtime.
12. Muscle Cramps can occur anywhere in the body from legs to back to neck, and sometimes reflects the need for more calcium, or simply that your progesterone levels are too low.
13. Low Backache often worsens before or during menses, but if your hormones remain at low levels, you can experience it on a regular basis.
14. Gall Bladder Symptoms of pain, spasms and discomfort felt in the right upper abdominal quadrant under the ribs, which may be accompanied by belching, bloating, and intolerance to certain foods reflect the increased liver load with declining hormones.
15. Frequent Urination, or sensations that mimic urinary infections is a disturbing symptom often unrelieved by actual urination. It is often experienced as the sensation of needing to urinate all the time, even immediately afterwards.
16. Urinary Incontinence, the uncontrollable and spontaneous loss of urine, or the Urge for Incontinence, can occur suddenly or feel continuous, and not only in response to coughing, sneezing, jumping or running.
17. Hypoglycemic Reactions happen when suddenly your blood sugar crashes and you must have food now.
18. Food Cravings, often for sweets or salty foods, but can include sour or pungent foods.
19. Increased Appetite, especially at night and after dinner contributes to that unusual and unwanted weight gain.
20. Dark Circles Under Eyes can also be caused by adrenal exhaustion and thyroid dysfunctions, but no amount of sleep seems to eliminate it.
21. Joint and Muscle Pain, Achy, Sore Joints, Muscles and Tendons, which sometimes develop into actual carpal tunnel syndrome, or give rise to the questioning of other disease possibilities.
22. Increased Tension in Muscles demonstrates itself in those hunched up shoulders as you work or talk about anything uncomfortable, along with promoting lower back pain and a stiff neck.
23. Increased Hair Loss or Thinning anywhere on body, including your head, armpits, pubic area.
24. Increase in Facial Hair especially under your chin, or along your jaw line. It may be defined by generalized hair growth, or a specific and coarse single strand of hair that pokes out, even curls.
25. Unusually Hair Growth, around Nipples, between Breasts, down your back, places where your hair was finer, less coarse.
26. Acne, quite disturbing to any woman who dealt with this in adolescence and never thought it would recur.
27. Infertility causes grief in the woman who postponed pregnancy in her earlier years and now wishes to conceive, carry to term a healthy baby, and discovers she is unable to do so.
28. Loss of Breast Tissue begins with the decrease of progesterone production. Women often feel as though their breast have become empty sacs devoid of their normal fullness, with or without sagging.
29. Breast Soreness/Tenderness/Pain/ Engorgement and swelling, occurs particularly a few days to one week before bleeding actually begins, which usually potentiates complete relief of any pain or swelling.
30. Painful, or tender nipples have been described as this exquisite localized pain only in the nipples and suggests estrogen excess.
31. Cold Extremities feels quite strange especially in the presence of a hot flash, the combination of which is not impossible.
32. Being Accident Prone, bumping into things, not even realizing it until the bruise reveals itself later and then lacking the ability to recall the causative incident feels perplexing and a little scary at the prospect of something more damaging.
33. Hot flashes initially may be described as mild to severe flushes of heat waves, and for some women these evolve into intense outbreaks of sudden heat with sweating and turning bright red all over.
34. Loss of Sexual Energy, our Libido, can be marked by a gradual or sudden disinterest in sex, to the development of an actual aversion.
35. Painful Sex often described as if one?s vagina would tear open at the point of penetration along with feelings of abrasion during intercourse.
36. Vaginal Dryness, Irritation, sometimes accompanied by a consistent unusual discharge - typically odor free, negates a woman?s ability to be sexually active, or able to enjoy or be comfortable in her body.
37. Dizziness, feeling lightheaded and the loss of physical balance, and even a bit wobbling at times, requires pause in movement to prevent falling over or deepening into vertigo or feeling faint.
38. Ringing in the Ears, Tinnitus, can be experienced as a pulsing sensation, a whooshing sound, an almost musical or buzzing sound with a fuzzy sensation.
39. Abdominal Bloating comes on suddenly often after eating, or seems to be all the time, and can be visibly evident making you feel that you look like you are pregnant.
40. Weight Gain disturbs most women, particularly when it seems to happen over a couple of days, settles in the waist, buttocks and thighs, promoting a visceral thickening from the waist down, the classic middle-aged figure.
41. Fluid Retention, Edema, commonly with swelling in the legs and ankles, though not limited to this area and it is unrelieved by urination.
42. Palpitations or Heart Racing usually comes on suddenly, without warning or provocation, and dissipates spontaneously. The experience can be so wild and intense that a woman may become alarmed and wonder if she is having a heart attack.
43. Irregularities in your Heart Rate may feel more like your heart has just done a flip-flop or skipped a beat.
44. Constipation/Diarrhea, intermittent or alternating, results from declining hormone levels, which increase the demands on liver function and alters intestinal motility.
45. Tendency towards Candidiasis can increase, even if you have no prior known history ? and if you do, it may worsen.
46. Gastrointestinal Distress, Increased Flatulence, Unrelieved Gas pains, Indigestion, Nausea all can reflect intestinal changes due to hormonal imbalances.
47. Slow Digestion often goes along with the bloat ? what previously took four to five hours to digest, now seems to take all night. It seems worse in the evenings.
48. Lack of Appetite may be experienced as more of a lack of interest in food, going to the frig and standing there with the door open and staring blankly. Feeling completely uninspired, you busy yourself with something else and forget that you need to eat.
49. Changes in Body Odor especially disturbing when it seems to focus in the groin area, but can be anywhere on the body.
50. Puffy Eyes, not only from sleep disturbances, but also can accompany low progesterone.
51. Facial Pallor alternating with Facial Flushes is often intermittent with hot flashes.
52. Flare up of Arthritis worsens with low progesterone levels and increase sugar intake.
53. Loss of Bone Density, Osteoporosis, is not only an elderly woman?s disease, though it seems to develop over an extended period and is triggered by the decline of hormone production.
54. Dry Hair, Change in Skin Tone, Integrity, and Texture, becomes more wrinkled, and may begin the thinning process.
55. Changes in your Fingernails characterized by easy breakage, bending, cracking and getting softer.
56. Itchy, Crawly Skin with a strange sensation like insects crawling around under the skin ? quite different than the dry skin feeling.
57. Muscle tone seems to slack and sag, and loose its previous response to normal exercise.
58. Pelvic Pain can be random and independent of cycles and may feel continuous for some women.
59. Dry, Itchy Eyes felt in the deep posterior aspect of the eye socket, as well as superficially.
60. Teeth Aching or the experience of a strange sensation in one?s teeth or gums, often accompanied by an increase in bleeding gums.
61. Change in the normal Tongue sensation, which can be accompanied by a feeling of burning in your tongue and roof of mouth, malodorous breath or change in breath odor, and/or a bad taste in your mouth.
62. Memory Loss or Lapses in time, makes one feel disoriented and less focused, especially when you go into another room to get something specific and seconds later cannot remember what you went to retrieve.
63. Feeling Faint for no known reason (this does not include standing up too quickly)
64. Tingling in Extremities not only feels weird and like your hands or feet are falling asleep, but if persistent can be a symptom of diabetes, B12, potassium or calcium deficiency, or a compromise in blood vessel flexibility.
65. Sensation of Electrical Stimulation,or Shock occurring in the tissue under the skin, and may signal you that a hot flash will begin.
66. Increase and worsening of Allergies occurs as hormones become imbalanced, so can our immune system.
153 likes, 3046 replies
Lockey jayneejay
Posted
thank you for this information. you fill in the blanks that my gyn did not deem necessary to convey. 😃
sharon58950 jayneejay
Posted
Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!
Helovely Ladies,
It's been a while i have been back on this chat.
I am truly appreciative for this chat and all of you ladies.
Last night i had an awful experience and of course i had to come and check the list.
I was sound a sleep and woke up to my head and heart pulsating and then tingling feelings. I'm 52 and 3/4 now and it's been over a year since i have my period. Does anyone knows the best remedy to calm this feeling down?
I really want to feel normal again.
Kindest regards,
Sharon from Belize
lisa95354 sharon58950
Posted
Hello Sharon, if you cough really hard, it stops them, it’s called the Valsalva movement. I read it somewhere and then my nurse practitioner confirmed it. Also stay away from caffeine, caffeine makes them 100 times worse. Do you consume caffeine, if you do, you will want to stop immediately. Blessings to you in sunny Belize 😃
sharon58950 jayneejay
Posted
Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!
Helovely Ladies,
It's been a while i have been back on this chat.
I am truly appreciative for this chat and all of you ladies.
Last night i had an awful experience and of course i had to come and check the list.
I was sound a sleep and woke up to my head and heart pulsating and then tingling feelings. I'm 52 and 3/4 now and it's been over a year since i have my period. Does anyone knows the best remedy to calm this feeling down?
I really want to feel normal again.
Kindest regards,
Sharon from Belize
llotenz55 jayneejay
Posted
HI Sharon
I get the palpatations too, usually wake me up at night but occasionally during the day also.
i try deep breathing exercises and if that doesnt work i bear down like your having a bowel movement or cough really hard. i actually went to the ER a week or so back as my heart rate was so fast couldnt catch my breathe, they had me bear down also. they can be very scary or just plain annoying but are very common in menopause/perimenopause
Flossymc jayneejay
Posted
Hi Jayneejay, I am 50 going on 51. I started my last period on the 18/11/2018 and it is till going - light bleeding with a few heavier days. I also had 2 days where there was no bleeding at all. This is really concerning and was wondering if this is part of peri-menopause. I have also had some clotting throughout this time (but no flooding as such). Previous to this I missed a period in October. Other than that periods were always 28 days with the last several being 2 to 5 days early or late.
tonya13787 Flossymc
Posted
Hi Flossymc, Jayneejay put it up there about irregular periods and there have been women who have gone months with no period only to have it return and not want to stop. It is a worry of mine each time I have a cycle to think about it continuously going. I turned 48 in September and had been skipping two months but so far now, it has come each month with me expecting it to keep going.
When I read about older women having issues, it is depressing to think I still have many years left to go through this stuff. I hope it stops for you and things get better.
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya, Try not to think of it that way, try not to look too far into the future, because everybody’s different and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be going through it that long or longer. I know it’s very difficult and I know what you mean, but don’t put yourself under that pressure .... you’re already going through enough 😉 Sending you love:)
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Thanks Lisa. I can't help but think like that because this stuff lasts a long time.
tonya13787 jayneejay
Posted
Well here I am again on Wednesday the evening of February 6th 2019. I hope everyone had a great new year and my thoughts and prayers are with everyone still suffering. I just got out of the hospital where I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. I went in yesterday morning due to feeling as if I was having a heart attack and while there, my bp went down to normal and I thought it may be gall stones but it looks like my gallbladder is clear. My husband keeps reminding me of my menopausal symptoms and I do think it is behind these things. Best wishes to everyone.
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya.... First and foremost... I am very sorry that your going through this very stressful time. More importantly, my pharmacist thought I had congestive heart failure, several months back, and I did not. If I were you, I would be getting a second opinion with an excellent doctor. The hospital in my town, I don’t know about yours, but our hospital is literally a joke. People get misdiagnosed all the time ! Also 250,000 people a year die from medical error, I’m NOT saying you’re going to die, my point is, my gut feeling is that you do not have congestive heart failure. My mom had that, do you even have the true quintessential signs of congestive heart failure, does it run in your family, are you a healthy person? What led them to believe you have congestive heart failure, did you have SVTs, is that why you went in? Are your ankles swelling, do you have swelling and water retention bad? Did they put you on Lasix, what med did they give you? Sorry for all the questions, but you really need to delve into this, I would not be resting solely on that diagnosis. Years ago I was misdiagnosed every time I went to the ER with those SVTs/heart palpitations. I was told it was anxiety. You definitely have to get with an excellent heart doctor to have that confirmed. I am going to keep you in my positive thoughts and prayers ....remember we are all here for you 😃 SENDING HUGS!
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Hi Lisa,
My feet and legs swell and they have been for years. My maternal grandmother and all the women thru her side of the family had edema/dropsy. I have the symptoms of being out of breath at the least thing and I had to quit my last job in 2012 due to my hands swelling up on me. I do have panic attacks too and digestive problems. My husband says it is coming from my perimenopause.
I won't know more until my dr's appt next Wednesday.
Thanks.
kjvands tonya13787
Posted
So sorry Tonya you are going through this. It must be so scary. I hope your Wed appt goes well. You are in my thoughts. Please keep us updated if you can.
I was hoping with this group quiet the last bit that the new year was off to a great start for everyone. I don't have heart symptoms but a host of others I'm still dealing with and the latest is waiting to see an obgyn in May(!) to check for endometriosis. I have so much abdominal, back and leg pain. So I can relate to what seems the never ending symptoms. Always so thankful for this group and the support xo
kjvands lisa95354
Posted
Lisa, how are you? I hope your 2019 is off to a great start:)
As always your posts are so helpful and full of good info!
I got results back from the rheumatologist late last year for scleroderma and they came back negative. So relieved.
The gluten free diet since Nov has helped my gut health tremendously with next to no bloat. I also cut refined sugar and greatly reduced dairy and that's been helpful too.
In other news I found out early Jan my 82 year old dad has cancer and will need major surgery early Mar. I'm very worried and my stress levels are quite high which of course isn't great for the cortisol/progesterone:(
I hope you are doing well and feeling good xo
tonya13787 kjvands
Posted
Hi kjvands,
Thanks and I will try to update after my appointment. Right now, I am waiting for my cycle to start. I hope things go well for you and I know about the pains. The leg pain and low back pain is annoying as can be. Right now, I'm having light headedness going on. It is like my PMS has a different list of symptoms each month now. Sighs. It has been pretty quiet around here and I hope that is a good sign.
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya... is this doctor a heart doctor, just don’t let them throw a bunch of pills at you, without really researching what is truly wrong. Not to be personal, but do you have good enough insurance to get referred to a heart specialist? I saw this documentary called “bleed out“ if you watch it you truly realize how messed up the medical field/ community is, it gave statistics that really blew my mind, see if you can rent that movie. Have you ever gone to a massage therapist, if you find an excellent massage therapist that can really help. Since it sounds like it’s generational with you, the swelling, is there emotional work that you need to do that’s been passed on in your family. I really think this time in our lives there’s a lot of emotional work that we have to work through. I’m keeping you in my prayers and sending you my best 😉
lisa95354 kjvands
Posted
Hey KJ... I proclaimed 2019 was going to be my year of positive change, not seen much of that yet… LOL How is your new year going, you’re always so sweet, thank you for the positive words. Thank God the scleroderma was negative, I've been wondering about that. I think the only thing the new year brought was more symptoms for everyone 😉 Congratulations to you for cutting out all that crap, I went to a natural path years ago and she said gluten is poison and so is sugar, too bad the FDA hasn’t gotten that memo 😃 I need to cut out all that, but I’m not there yet, my mother always had fresh baked goods and coffee every day at three, I think it’s in my SWEDISH blood. I do notice on days when I don’t eat that stuff it is a world of difference. My Fibro has really flared up with the cold we have had and I just read in a Fibro article via email that fibromyalgia gets much worse at menopause, or actually once the bleeding stops. And I noticed once my bleeding stopped The gates of hell opened like rampaging elephants, with fatigue and inflammation. I fell walking our dog, twice, a month apart. Did you know that when you fall it’s the same thing as whiplash in a car accident. Have you tried a Massage Therapist, if you find out really really good massage therapist that can help immensely. Have you also googled possibly, gluten and Scalera derma symptoms, I know you don’t have it, but sugar, gluten, dairy are the worst. just curious if there was a link there. If my friend even eats a scrambled egg with residue of butter in the pan she’ll still get sick. I am so sorry to hear about your dad, where is the cancer, is it pancreatic? That is very stressful and you are correct, that is so bad for the hormones and body in general. Is he strong enough to have the surgery? How does he feel about this. Men are very difficult to get to the doctor and get on board, how is he doing with it? Please keep me posted about this, I’m sorry for this difficult time friend. I will keep you and your dad in my prayers, sending you love 😉
kjvands tonya13787
Posted
Thanks Tonya. Can totally relate to waiting for cycles to start. And then some months for me it comes after 12 or 13 days. All over the map really. Sorry too to hear you have light headedness. I get that periodically too. Chat soon xo
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya, I saw you mention the lightheadedness to KJ, is that from your period or is it from Peri menopause? lightheadedness and feeling dizzy is a major major part of perimenopause. i’ve had it so bad that sometimes I would not drive on days when I had it as I thought I would literally get in a car accident. Other times I thought people thought I was drunk or on drugs because I literally would lose my balance at the grocery store, marshals, anywhere. I apologize if I asked you before, do you take a good probiotic, it makes all the difference in the world with the digestive issues. Sending you hugs 😉
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Hi Lisa,
This is just a general doctor and around here, they always throw pills at a person. I don't think my insurance is that great. Yes, the edema runs in family on the female side. Things are happening that have me reliving my past. I know that the drs cheat insurance companies by sending patients for tests that are not needed and keeping a person in a hospital longer than needed. I live in an area that isn't up to date with therapists. I don't think I could go a massage therapist anyway because I am just weird like that. Thank you for the prayers. Those are needed and appreciated. 😃 I pray that all of us can get relief.
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Hi Lisa,
Yes, I was feeling light headed the other day, and it is from Perimenopause and due to I hadn't eaten too much. Yes, I lose my balance all the time. I couldn't get the probiotics because they are so expensive. But I am working at changing my diet. Sighs. I feel defeated. But since that day I went to the hospital on the 5th, I have not had any more bad attacks. [SO FAR.] Any time I say something, I get proven wrong not long after. But these symptoms keep changing from month to month. And I am still awaiting my cycle. Go figure.
Thanks and hugs back.
tonya13787 kjvands
Posted
KjVands, you're welcome and yes, it is like Russian Roulette with these symptoms that last a while and then stop and change. I am still waiting and don't know what will happen next. I hope you feel better. 😃
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya, do you have a dollar general in your area, I actually get my probiotic there and it’s only I think $4.50 and it works. Anxiety also starts in our guts as well, I find that when I don’t take that for a few days I can tell. I know it sounds strange that good vitamins would be at the Dollar General, but they are. I also get my milk thistle there and melatonin as well. There are two probiotics, one in a big blue bottle, but the one I get, is it a white bottle with a yellow lid, and it says, I believe, probiotics/acidophilus:) Best wishes and prayers for your doctor appointment this week !
lexie41068 tonya13787
Posted
Hi Tonya, I am so sorry, know its always best to get a second opinion.
Hugs!
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Thanks for that Lisa. We do have a Dollar General and when I can, I will go looking for the probiotics. I definitely need something for my gut. But I have not had any attacks since Feb 5th and have not had to take antacids or gas pills since the 4th. But I am cutting back my food intake and have cut the sugars, salts, & fats dramatically. I have noticed a huge difference since doing this. Those hospital meals have helped get me started. I will update with what my dr tells me tomorrow. 😃
tonya13787 lexie41068
Posted
Thank you, this will be my 3rd doctor in the past 3 years. My others docs just told me to move more and watch what I eat. I didn't want to change my food habits until I had this attack on the 5th of Feb. Learning to eat slower as well.
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya… Check to see if you might have a dairy allergy. Dairy products are actually very bad for us, especially the digestive system. Sending you blessings on this journey 😃
tonya13787 lisa95354
Posted
Thanks Lisa, I eat yogurt and cheese and it doesn't bother me. I don't drink white milk, I can't stand it except in cereal and puddings. But I haven't eaten cereal in over two years. I haven't drank chocolate milk in a long time because I hate the low fat version. Lol. 😉
lisa95354 tonya13787
Posted
Hey Tonya… Have you ever tried unsweetened Almond Milk, it’s wonderful 😃