Menopause will hit each and every one of us sooner or later. But the process of hormonal changes doesn’t just begin when you miss your period. American researchers have now found that the first signs appear many years in advance.
Menopause begins when you miss your period – right? In fact, the hormonal change in menstruating people begins much earlier – and even shows itself through certain signs.
In fact, menopause is only described as the time when the period has been absent for twelve months. Before that, there was talk of perimenopause – a woman is going through menopause – and that ends with menopause. The first early signs of menopause apparently start even earlier , an American study now shows.
Early signs of menopause start earlier than many think
The late stage of reproduction begins in women from the age of 35 – and with it, the first symptoms that herald menopause appear. American researchers have now examined these early signs more closely. One study looked at women between the ages of 35 and 55 to determine the type, frequency, and severity of their symptoms. This made it possible to compare symptoms between the late stage of reproduction and menopause.
Symptoms from mid-thirties
When does menopause begin? Mostly it is noticeable that the menstrual period is irregular or that the cycle lasts longer and longer. However, the study shows that many women already have their first symptoms while their menstrual periods are still regular. In other words: The hormone cycle is still running normally, but the first signs are already noticeable. With these symptoms, which also occur during menopause:
- Night sweats
- Cold sweat
- sleep disorders
- Sad mood
- Rapid overload
- anxiety
- Quick irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- forgetfulness
- fatigue
- Joint and muscle pain
- Thinning hair
- Itchy skin
Meanwhile, the most typical of all menopausal symptoms is reserved for those who have actually entered the menopause: the hot flashes. In the late stage of reproduction, the subjects in the study hardly had to contend with it.
Female authors plead: take the complaints of younger women seriously!
In an interview with forbes.com , one of the study authors, Nina Coslov, reports: “I know from my own experience and that of others that many of us have changes similar to menopause before our cycles change noticeably and while our periods still occur monthly.”
It also addresses the expectation of women: Many do not expect menopause until they are 50 and do not even know that menopause can begin around eight to ten years earlier. “The difference between our expectations and the real symptoms often creates surprise or concern,” explains Coslov.
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Another reason for this, according to one of the study’s other authors , Nancy Fugate Woods, former director of the University of Washington School of Nursing, is that many health insurers tell younger women with the problems mentioned that the problems might not be due to menopause because they are too be young for it. Unfortunately, the early signs of menopause are largely unknown. This leads to women being surprised by early symptoms – and above all feeling left alone. The study may help change this now. Coslov makes it clear, “Menopause is more than hot flashes.”
Many women do not even know what changes during the menopause. When it starts, however, depending on the symptom, it can be overwhelming.
And always remember: Any person read as a woman will go through menopause at some point .
