For most women, menopause is an inevitable part of life. This stage, which typically happens in your 40s or 50s, marks the end of the menstrual cycle. Your body starts to use energy differently, and your ovaries stop producing estrogen and eggs, which are sex hormones that are closely involved in a wide range of body functions. As a result, your body may begin to look, feel and behave differently. Anyone who’s experienced menopause will tell you that hot flashes might get the most attention, but they aren’t the only bothersome menopause symptom.
According to Kyle Graham, an OB-GYN and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group, the drop in estrogen levels is felt by the entire body, including the heart, brain, skin and reproductive organs like the uterus, vagina, and ovaries. Symptoms vary from person to person, particularly in terms of severity and duration, but evidence consistently shows that the majority of women experience some type of physical or emotional change during menopause that impacts their quality of life. Here are some unexpected symptoms of menopause outside of hot flashes.
Persistent fatigue.
According to women’s health expert and OB-GYN Sherry Ross, many people feel exhausted throughout menopause because the dip in progesterone and estrogen can disrupt circadian rhythms and mess with the part of the brain that regulates sleep. Additionally, the night sweats and hot flashes menopausal women are prone to can keep them tossing and turning at night. Chronic fatigue can trigger an overflow of negative health consequences, including memory loss, brain fog, and poor concentration. All of the collateral damage caused by fatigue has a negative impact on a person’s overall quality of life. To boost your energy levels, you should try to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The reason why is that diets high in overly processed foods, inactivity, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can intensify fatigue. Regular physical activity, like 30 minutes of exercise three times a week, can improve your energy levels and metabolism. Lastly, good sleep hygiene, like avoiding caffeine before bedtime and following a regular sleep-wake cycle, can improve your quality of sleep throughout menopause, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Vaginal dryness.
The vagina is filled with estrogen receptors, so when there’s a decrease in estrogen levels, it becomes more challenging for the organ to stay lubricated. Estrogen also plays an important role in preserving strong levels of bacteria in the vagina, which, in return, keeps the surrounding skin moisturized and healthy. Graham said with all these changes, the skin of the vaginal area becomes painful, irritated, and even inflamed, and some people might notice that their vagina appears pinker or redder than usual. The good news is that it’s possible to keep the vagina looking and feeling healthy throughout menopause.
Vaginal moisturizers can be applied to the vulva and vagina every few days to keep the tissue healthy. Low-dose estrogen therapy, in the form of a tablet, ring, or cream, can also be prescribed by a healthcare professional to combat dryness.
Painful intercourse.
For some people, having more intercourse might not be an easy task. The decrease in estrogen can thin vaginal tissues and reduce the vagina’s natural lubrication. Vaginal dryness, irritation, burning, itching, and soreness can lead to an inability to have intercourse at all, according to Dr. Madeline Dick-Biascoecha, a urogynecologist at the University of Maryland. If intercourse is off the table, she recommends using silicone-based lubricants, vaginal moisturizers, and vaginal estrogen therapy in some cases. An intercourse therapist can also help identify any external stressors that might be affecting your sex life and help you feel comfortable and confident in your body again. No one should have to deal with the irritation and pain that might make it impossible to continue enjoying intercourse.
Mood changes.
Mood changes can also be attributed to the loss of estrogen during menopause. After all, the hormone is directly linked to the production of dopamine and serotonin, which are neurotransmitters that influence mental health. One medical professional explained that mood-regulating neurotransmitters decrease during menopause, worsening depression and mood changes. Stressful life issues and sleep troubles that tend to happen during this age, including career pressures, chronic health issues, and aging parents, can further impact one’s emotional well-being. Several helpful practices can lift your mood. Exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and limiting alcohol consumption have been linked to lower rates of depression.
Stress reduction techniques like tai chi, yoga, and mindfulness can also protect against developing depressive symptoms. Antidepressants, cognitive behavior therapy, and anti-anxiety medications have been shown to treat depression and anxiety effectively. Some people should consider taking hormone replacement therapy, a medication that replaces lost hormones. HRT can control depression, mood swings, and anxiety by adding back the much-needed estrogen hormone.
Bladder problems.
You might find yourself suddenly experiencing incontinence or running to the bathroom all the time. Many people also develop recurring urinary tract infections, sometimes getting three or more times in a year. Once again, the decrease in estrogen is the culprit. These symptoms can affect their desire and ability to participate in social gatherings, work, and even relationships with family, friends, and significant others, which can also decrease their quality of life, as research suggests, and cause people to feel depressed and lonely.
Only half of menopausal women experiencing urinary changes will seek help, which means the bladder problems persist and worsen in some cases. If you experience any of these symptoms, talk with your doctor, like your PCP or OB-GYN. Menopausal symptoms are infamous for impairing people’s quality of life, but they don’t have to.
