Are you feeling out of control? Are you frustrated at not being able to lose weight? Do you feel like you’re losing your mind, want to cry, walk around like a zombie because you’re so tired, and you just want it to stop?
You could be going into menopause. And menopause can be so challenging that Suzanne Somers described her symptoms as…
The 7 Dwarfs of Menopause:
- Itchy
- Bitchy
- Sweaty
- Sleepy
- Bloated
- Forgetful and
- Psycho
I describe them slightly differently. To me the easiest way to understand the symptoms of menopause is to divide them into two types:
- Silent symptoms and
- Noisy symptoms
Silent menopause symptoms are the ones you usually don’t realize are happening or don’t realize they are due to menopause. Those are symptoms like heart disease, bone loss, bowel changes irregular heart rates, periods changing, weight gain, and more difficulty getting pregnant. These symptoms take special testing to diagnose.
I call the second group noisy menopause symptoms because they make you so aware that they are happening you can’t miss them – they’re noisy.
Examples of noisy menopause symptoms are hot flashes, sensitive bladder, mood swings, irritability, brain fog, vaginal dryness. They are mostly caused by changes in hormone balance due to menopause.
Menopause is defined by 12 straight months without a period. If you have had your uterus removed by a hysterectomy, you may have to depend on the symptoms to talk with your doctor about drawing a blood test for the hormone FSH or follicle stimulating hormone.
When FSH levels rise, it usually means that estrogen levels are falling due to menopause or perimenopause, which is the window of time leading up to menopause.
One of the commonest symptoms is hot flashes. They make you feel warm or hot all of a sudden for no apparent reason. The not only make you feel bad physically, they can keep you up at night, and they can be embarrassing if they happen in public and people ask you why your face is so red or why there is sweat dripping off your nose.
The most important thing is to ask questions so you can figure things out and not have to tough things out. Once you gain clarity, you can explore your options and make the best plan to help you feel better and stop feeling out of control.
To see how much your symptoms are affecting you visit MenopauseQuiz.com. If you’d like to find out if you qualify for a free strategy session to discuss working with me, visit MenopauseCoaching.com.
