What are the early warning signs of menopause?
Some women will experience menopausal symptoms before 45. They will notice their periods becoming infrequent or stopping altogether. They should consult a GP as this is called early menopause.
Whilst menopause is an individual process, there are some early warning signs. These early warning signs vary depending on your age, and we will break them down for you today. Understanding the early warning signs of menopause can help you know what to expect and better manage your symptoms whenever they occur.
What is perimenopause? When symptoms begin
Perimenopause means ‘around menopause’ and describes what happens to your body in the lead up to menopause. Perimenopause starts about 4-8 years before menopause.
This is the first stage. You will notice some early signs of menopause. This will reveal itself with symptoms such as changes to your periods or a mood swing. This results from your body’s oestrogen and progesterone levels naturally declining with age.
Early Warning Signs
- Irregular Periods: Periods come more often or less often, be heavier or lighter or last longer or shorter than before.
- Hot flashes & night sweats: Your skin turns red, and your heart rate increases. Hot flashes at night lead to night sweats. They can last between 1-5 minutes.
- Troubling Sleeping: If you don’t typically have problems sleeping, sleeping issues can be a definite early warning sign. Sometimes sleeping troubles can come as a result of night sweats.
- Mood Issues: Changes in hormone levels can cause mood swings and bouts of anxiety and depression.
- Forgetting Things: Forgetfulness can stem from menopause but is often ignored as a side effect of ageing.
- Sex Drive (Libido) changes: Women may become less interested in intercourse or have trouble getting aroused. Whilst other women will see an increased sex drive.
- Hair & weight: You will also notice your hair getting thinner and your skin drier. Some women will also notice weight gain with more fat around the waist. You may also notice stiffer joints.
These warning signs can occur at different ages, so we have broken down at what age you can expect to see these symptoms on average.
Menopause Symptoms at 40
If menopause symptoms are happening around or before age 40, it is called premature menopause. If it happens between 40 and 45, it is known as early menopause. 10% of women experience premature or early menopause.
At this age, symptoms may include changes to your period’s timing or flow, mood changes, hot flashes and sleeping problems.
Menopause Symptoms at 45
At this age, many women enter menopause and start to notice the first signs. Symptoms can be mild and short-lasting for some women, while others find them disruptive and long-lasting.
One of the big signs here is changes to your period. This is usually the first sign. Your period may happen every six to eight weeks, or you may start missing months. Your flow will also begin to get heavier and lighter from time to time.
As your hormone levels change, you might notice yourself being more irritable, anxious, down and forgetful than before. Your sex drive (libido) could also fluctuate.
Furthermore, sleeping problems such as insomnia may sprout up. This can lead to difficulty getting to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, constantly feeling tired and getting moodier.
Menopause Symptoms at 50
The most common signs of menopause for older women are hot flashes and night sweats. During hot flashes, you may feel heat around your face and neck. They usually last a few minutes and can spread to other body parts. You may notice your skin getting red, increased sweat levels and increased heart rate.
When these same hot flashes occur at night, they’re called night sweats. Night sweats stop you from getting a good night’s sleep and can affect your mood the next day.
Menopause Management at Bodyvie
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or want to seek a GP’s advice, please get in touch with us today.
Our expert medical team is here to help you through this period …. or rather, our expert team is here to help you through these missed periods.
