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.

• Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
• 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
• Dry vagina
• Crashing fatigue
• Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
• Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
• Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
• Disturbing memory lapses
• Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence
• Itchy, crawly skin
• Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
• Increased tension in muscles
• Breast tenderness
• Headache change: increase or decrease
• Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
• Sudden bouts of bloat
• Depression
• Exacerbation of existing conditions
• Increase in allergies
• Weight gain
• 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
• Tingling in the extremities
• 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.

Okay, I'm not going to share which symptoms I have because frankly, they're embarrassing! But I will say that there are at least 12 of them that I have. I wonder how many you have to have before it's official?

I'm excited actually. To be done with all of this...forever? That sounds absolutely wonderful! I did this quiz on one site (I was looking for a site that had you answer yes or no to symptoms and told you how far along you are in the process. I found one once and it said I was still premenopausal.) and it said that perimenopause (where you actually have symptoms) only last 2 to 5 years. That's not what I've heard...but then I know a lot of women who have been on HRT so that would probably make the process longer.

I don't want HRT. Do you know what they do to get Estrogen??? I'm not taking that! I want to do this with proper diet & exercise.

I started looking because I've had COLD FLASHES & the extreme Fatigue...and it seems to be cyclical. I would probably know if I kept better track of these things.

Sorry to the guys & gals who aren't dealing with this yet. And to that gals who are there or close, any sharing would be great. Thanks!