Women that observe first symptoms of menopause will also notice that such symptoms are very much like those of early pregnancy and so it behooves them to take the advice of a doctor to find out what such symptoms really are since that will help find out whether something serious is amiss with you.
Irregular periods are often the early signs of menopause and may fluctuate in terms of bleeding from heavy episodes to virtually non-existent ones. In addition, a period may last for one day or it might last for ten days just as there might be breakthrough bleeding in between menstrual cycles that are slowly becoming more irregular.
Hot flashes, one of the first signs of menopause, are also the most joked about of all the symptoms of this biological change. As many as seventy-five to eighty percent of all women experience this uncomfortable feeling which can last as short as thirty seconds or as long at thirty minutes or more. The average time for a hot flash moment is about five to ten minutes for these first signs of menopause. These hot flashes can be a warm flushing sensation on your face and upper body or it can present themselves as red blotchy skin.
Urinary problems may also be early signs of menopause but should always be checked out by a doctor to re-affirm the cause. Frequent need to urinate, development of a urinary tract infection and even leakage of urine when sneezing, coughing or exercising can also be attributed to perimenopause.
Irregular periods, of course, are also early signs of menopause as well. However, because perimenopause can last years, whenever you start exhibiting signs of irregularity, you should be examined by a doctor to rule out other health issues like tumors, fibroids, cancer and more. There are many things that can cause irregular periods and should not be the “end all to end all” signals of menopause.
The first signs of menopause are quite a bit to handle but many of them gradually present themselves as a way to ease into the transition. These signs can also include mood swings, fatigue, sleeping problems and even changes in your body like not being able to lose weight as easily as you once could.
The actual event itself will likely come with little fanfare as you have been experiencing the early signs of menopause for years. You are in true menopause when you have not had a period for at least one year. Of course, those symptoms will likely continue for a while longer past the perimenopausal stage. The real kick in the pants comes with the fact that you can still get pregnant while still exhibiting the early signs of menopause. As long as you are still having periods, that means you are still ovulating and thereby there is always a small chance of pregnancy.
