Menopause Symptoms

Included on this page are 20 essentials covering the symptoms of menopause. These essentials cover four categories of menopause symptoms including physical and physiological, Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), cognitive and thinking, and mood and psychological.

1. Menopause symptoms arise primarily because of hormonal fluctuations and decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body.
2. Women can experience menopause symptoms across physical and physiological, GSM, cognitive and thinking, and mood and psychological dimensions.
3. Common physical and physiological symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, and weight gain.
4. Women may also notice physical changes in digestion, vision, balance, and sleep patterns.
5. Many options are available to treat physical symptoms, including natural and prescription therapies.
6. Hormone replacement therapy is often prescribed to treat hot flashes, with some women choosing plant-based phytoestrogens as an alternative.

7. GSM symptoms are related to the reproductive and urinary systems, and affect sexual, urinary, and vaginal function.
8. Sexual symptoms including painful sexual intercourse, low sex drive, orgasm difficulty, and sexual arousal difficulty.
9. Urinary symptoms include urinary tract and related infections, urinary incontinence, and painful urination.
10. Vaginal symptoms include a burning, dry, inflamed and itchy vagina and vulva, a painful vulva, patchy vulva skin, vaginal discharge, and vaginal tears.
11. Pelvic floor muscles are important for sexual activities, and bladder and bowel control, and can be strengthened with pelvic floor or Kegel exercises.
12. There are hormone replacement therapies specially designed for more sensitive areas like the vagina.

13. Estrogen plays a vital role in brain health, and its decrease during menopause can affect cognitive function.
14. Specifically, the decrease in estrogen can affect attention, focus, verbal and working memory, and recall capabilities.
15. Symptoms include finding it hard to concentrate, focus, multi-task, remember and recall things, as well as brain fog.
16. Dietary supplements like fish oil, resveratrol, and Ginkgo biloba can support brain health.

17. Mood and psychological symptoms are common during menopause, and can express themselves in many ways.
18. Symptoms include impatience, irritability, lethargy, anger, anxiety, depression, mood swings, low self-esteem, overwhelm, and stress.
19. Therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acupuncture can help change negative thoughts and behaviors, and calm the mind and body.
20. Each woman’s menopause symptoms are different, so the way they treat and manage symptoms should be tailored to their unique situation.

To learn more, visit the Symptoms of Menopause page.