Missing or Irregular Menstrual Cycle

Missing a menstrual cycle is one of the first signs as your body goes through menopause. The reason for this interruption is that your body begins to change hormones, which affects your ability to release an egg every month. These hormones change your menstrual cycle, making it longer, shorter or even causing breast tenderness from menopause. In addition, skipping your cycle for two months at a time is another sign of this transition. However, if you reach the third month with no cycle or abnormally heavy cycles, discuss these changes with your physician, especially if you are over 40. 

Experiencing Hot Flashes

Along with a missed menstrual cycle, hot flashes are common in women going through menopause. These dreaded hot flashes vary in intensity, duration and occur at any moment. Often, hot flashes happen at night, which disrupts your sleep. This occurrence happens anywhere from two to 15 years during your transition.

One of the best ways to lessen the severity of symptoms is to stay hydrated and wear loose, breathable clothing. Do this in addition to staying away from caffeine, alcohol and spicy food, all of which trigger hot flashes.

Dealing With Mood Swings

When your hormones have highs and lows, you notice a change in your body's normal temperature, causing you to feel irritable throughout the day. Another contributing factor to these mood swings is lack of sleep. Therefore, if you are usually a happy-go-lucky person but find yourself irritable most of the time, this might mean you are through menopause. One way to combat these mood swings is to eat a healthy diet and exercise.

Having Urinary Infections

Generally, women are prone to urinary infections because of their body build. Some women experience urinary problems throughout their life. On the other hand, these infections start suddenly and more frequently for some women. So, if you notice painful urination, you need to see your doctor right away. Additionally, holding your urine might become increasingly troublesome over time. This happens because of your age, tone and elasticity of your vaginal walls.

Fluctuating Weight

Keep in mind there are several reasons behind weight gain pertaining to menopause. First, all the hormone changes cause your metabolism to slow down, burning fewer calories. When you combine this with the stress of menopause and lack of sleep, you get fluctuations in your weight.

Not to mention, all the hormone changes quickly cause women to gain weight in different areas of their bodies due to menopause. Just like dealing with mood swings, diet and exercise are ways to help with these changes. 

Hurting in Your Muscles and Joints

With the decrease of estrogen during menopause, your body has a more challenging time replacing your bones efficiently. These changes leave you with pain in your muscles, bones and joints. Be sure to keep up your vitamin D and calcium intake to help strengthen your bones and muscles.

Menopause comes with a lot of different unfortunate side effects. Even though this change is a part of every women's life, it is still a difficult transition. Use these tips to help reduce your symptoms associated with menopause and get back to life how you knew it before.

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