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.
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)
The above information thankfully comes from the project-aware.org at the following link.
