Indicators of Menopause

Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's life. It is as normal as aging. There are a series of physiological as well as psychological changes during menopause.

1. An irregular menstrual cycle is considered to be the primary indication of menopausal phase in a women's biological state of life. For majority of women, the monthly periods miss at irregular intervals. 
2. It is quite normal to have some memory problem during the phase of Menopause. Simple things like recalling a name of someone who met few days back or even recalling a mobile number can pose difficulty. The Menopause brain fog generally fades with time. The women also tend to forget the correct geographical direction and that may also lead to confusion.
3. Mainly symptoms occur due to falling levels of estrogen. This is a phase of life when there is imbalance of hormone levels in the body. There can be weight gain, vaginal dryness due to vaginal atrophy. Not many people talk about the changes in skin and hair during Menopause. The elasticity of the skin tends to drops because of which the skin starts to show wrinkles. In women of menopausal age, the dryness of scalp and dry hair mostly happen because of lowering of the levels of thyroid hormone. There is loss of hair, thinning of hair strands mainly because of increased levels of androgen. 
4. The ovaries produce less of the two hormones progesterone and estrogen. Due to dropped levels of estrogen the very characteristic feature of Menopause is the irritability and extreme cases of mood swing.
5. During the menopausal years, women often feel release of extreme body heat. This also results in excessive amount of sweating. These are termed as hot flashes and are known to occur suddenly. If such a condition is appearing during night, it is termed as night sweat. It is a very uncomfortable feeling that women undergo and may last for few years. It is best to stay calm and practice techniques like deep breathing and meditation. It is commonly advised to wear layered clothing so as to absorb the excessive sweat. 
6. Osteoporosis or bone loss is a very common situation that women are put to when they undergo the menopausal phase. Over the years due to calcium depletion from the bones, they become fragile. So women need to supplement their diet with extra calcium. The bones loose density and become porous. Hence, the term osteoporosis. The menopausal phase is characterized by frequent fractures of ankle, spine, hips, ribs and wrist.
   
7. Sleep disturbances is part of Menopause. Women face difficulty in sleeping at first place, then they tend to wake up in the middle of the night and get disturbed frequently in the sleep. The sleep patterns get very unpredictable. After waking up, it gets all the more difficult to fall back to sleep. Insomnia, lack of sleep and early waking leads to fatigue and symptoms like depression.