Menopause: Symptoms...

As the body adapts to the changing levels of natural hormones, vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and palpitations, psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings and lack of concentration, and atrophic symptoms such as vaginal dryness and urgency of urination appear. Together with these symptoms, the woman may also have increasingly erratic menstrual periods.

The clinical features of menopause are caused by lessening amounts of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the woman's body.

Vasomotor instability

• hot flashes, hot flushes, including night sweats
• sleep disturbances

Urogenital atrophy

• itching
• dryness
• bleeding
• watery discharge
• urinary frequency
• urinary urgency
• urinary incontinence

Skeletal

• osteoporosis
• joint pain, muscle pain
• back pain

Skin, soft tissue

• breast atrophy
• skin thinning
• decreased elasticity

Psychological

• mood disturbance
• irritability
• fatigue
• memory loss
• depression

Sexual

• decreased libido
• vaginal dryness
• problems reaching orgasm
• dyspareunia (pain during sex)