Oh look what awaits a woman – Menopause!

On August 16, 2006

I passed by my ob-gynae’s clinic the other day and a poster on his wall caught my attention. They seem to be promoting HRT or hormone replacement theraphy. While reading through, I learnt about peri-menopause.

*shivers* Peri-menopause refers to the years before one gets menopause. And aiks, I am in that age group and have a couple of the symptoms.

I have copy and paste the below from ProjectAware website:

The 35 Symptoms of Menopause

This list of common symptoms that occur during perimenopause and menopause was developed from the real-life experiences of hundreds of women. All symptoms were experienced by numerous women and were either cyclical in nature, or responded to treatments (both traditional and alternative) known to address hormonal imbalances.

Click HERE for the credits to the women who developed this list.

Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling (see note)

Irregular heart beat

Irritability

Mood swings, sudden tears

Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)

Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles

Loss of libido (see note)

Dry vagina (see note)

Crashing fatigue

Anxiety, feeling ill at ease

Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom (see note)

Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion

Disturbing memory lapses

Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence (see note)

Itchy, crawly skin (see note)

Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons (see note)

Increased tension in muscles

Breast tenderness

Headache change: increase or decrease

Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea

Sudden bouts of bloat

Depression (see note)

Exacerbation of existing conditions

Increase in allergies

Weight gain (see note)

Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair

Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance

Changes in body odor

Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head (see note)

Tingling in the extremities (see note)

Gum problems, increased bleeding

Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor

Osteoporosis (after several years)

Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier

Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, ‘whooshing,’ buzzing etc. (see note)

*chew nails* Looks like I am going to head towards menopause in another 10 years, maybe? It is no fun being a woman, ya? On second thought, before I am bombarded with all 35 symptoms, I will go knocking on my ob-gynae door for some miracle relief.