Women in perimenopause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The peri-menopause  is the stage in a woman’s life when she begins the long journey into the menopause. The menopause is also called the transition or the change of life.

The peri-menopause ,  when the production of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone begins to decline starts from the age of forty and can last for as short as 5 years or as long as 10 years. Though the menopause is a new phase in a woman’s life and every woman should look forward to it, the perimenopause  however is something else because it comes with a lot of symptoms that  could be both disturbing and  debilitating if not well managed.

Some of the symptoms associated with the perimenopause are well known, such as the irregular or missed periods, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, and mood changes. Many of these symptoms are however not common and will come as a surprise to even women themselves.

Symptoms of the Peri-menopause

·         Irregular/missed periods

The pattern of your menstrual circle changes so that your circle becomes shorter  or longer, lighter or heavier, longer in duration or shorter than it had previously been.

·         Women with uterine fibroid may experience increased bleeding, and may feel as if she may hemorrhage to death.

·         Hot flushes

This is an outbreak of sudden heat with sweating. This may be mild for some women and severe for others.

·         Dizziness

This is a feeling of lightheadedness and loss of  physical balance. You might even wobble at times and will have to pause your movement to prevent yourself from falling.

·         Vaginal dryness

Irritation of the vagina, as well as a consistent unusual discharge which is odor  free.

·         You may feel a bit spastic, clumsy, awkward and less graceful.

·         Any chronic illness or condition you had before may become exacerbated as your hormones decline or deviate from their normal balance.

·         Insomania, difficulty falling asleep, and dropping off to sleep for a few hours and then awakening and finding it difficult to fall back to sleep.

·         Lethargy

This is a persistent feeling of sluggishness that does not allow you to do much.

·         Physical Exhaustion

Very terrible fatigue that can come on you suddenly and grips you, so that you feel you might collapse.

·         If you are a woman in your forties and you  suffer  splitting headaches, it could be a sign you are in perimenopause. Headaches, migraines may become debilitating before, during or at the end of your menses.

·         Snoring

Many  women  start  snoring more seriously in perimenopause and once they  hit the change of life. The onset of  snoring is partly due to falling levels of female sex hormone oestrogen which plays a role in keeping the muscles and soft tissues around the windpipe strong. When these be come more lax, the tissues collapse and women start snoring.

·         You have trouble remembering things even when your other thought processes remain as strong as ever. When estrogen levels fall, it is more difficult to build connections between brain cells and to store and recall things.

·         Scalding feeling on the lips, gums, tongue, or other parts of the mouth. Oestrogen’s  effect on the nerves that control taste causes the burning mouth syndrome which is a type of mouth discomfort, as well as having a metallic taste in the mouth.

·         Your orgasms are less intense

When oestrogen levels start to fall during the perimenopause, the blood supply to the genital area also diminish, making for less powerful  orgasms. The tissues and muscles around the clitoris become weaker, making orgasms harder to achieve and shorter in duration.

·         Formication

This is a feeling or sensation that ants are crawling all over the body, or an itchy skin attack. This tingling is caused by zig-zagging oestrogen levels affecting receptors in the skin’s nerve endings.

·         Night sweats

This may occur a couple of days before the menses. A woman wakes up from sleep to find herself drenched in sweat.

·         Inability to recall dreams.

·         Low progesterone level causes cramps on th  leg, back, neck, or any part of the body.

·         Low hormone level brings on low back ache which worsens before or during the menstrual period.

·         Your inability to sleep may be as a result of nightmares, night sweats, or just from pure restlessness which keeps you awake.