Women & Menopause
Symptoms
What symptoms can you get with menopause?
Most women will experience some menopausal symptoms. These will probably start some time before you have your last period during the ‘perimenopause’. These symptoms can be uncomfortable and sometimes very troublesome. Some symptoms include:
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Hot flushes (suddenly feeling very hot) on the face, neck and chest
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Night sweats
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Tender breasts
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Irritability and emotional feelings
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Memory problems (forgetting things or not concentrating well)
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Mood problems (feeling anxious or depressed)
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Battling to sleep well or to stay asleep
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Weight gain
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Muscle and joint pains
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Dryness of the vagina and eyes
The time it takes to become menopausal can be short (up to two years), or long (up to 14 years).
All women are different, so how you experience menopause may not be the same as your friends. Although you and many other women may struggle in the years leading up to menopause, some women have no problems at all.
Once you are fully into menopause the hot flushes and other symptoms usually stop, although some women, especially those who experience a sudden menopause due to having an operation to remove their womb or who receive certain rarely used medicines, may experience symptoms into their 80’s.