15 body signs no one tells you will come before menopause

Sex-stifling vaginal dryness was one of the most difficult symptoms for Dolgen. “Your vagina takes a trip to the desert and takes your eyes and skin along with it,” she says. Menopause changes, such as lower oestrogen levels, cause thinner, drier and less-elastic vaginal tissue and decrease blood flow to the area. The result: vaginal dryness, itching and painful sex.

We debunk the myths about sex after 50.

Sure you’ve heard about hot flashes, but you may not know that they can be different for every woman. Some even experience them for decades, starting in perimenopause. Caused by a drop in oestrogen levels, which affects the gland that regulates body temperature, hot flashes can happen during the day or at night – or both. They can be mild, lasting seconds, or severe and stick around for a half hour or longer.

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Whether you call it meno-pot, meno-pudge, or middle-age spread, extra fat in the abdominal region is a reality for many women in perimenopause. “A woman’s weight throughout her menopausal journey is impacted by five factors: hormones, diet, exercise, stress and genetics,” Dolgen explains. And you can also lose muscle mass – 0.6 percent per year or more if you’re not physically active and don’t get enough protein, Dr Pinkerton adds.

Is your period shorter and lighter one month and heavy with cramping the next? This is part of perimenopause, explains Pinkerton. In addition to being a nuisance, irregular periods also up your pregnancy risk. “The second highest unintended pregnancy time for women is during your 40s,” Dr Pinkerton says. “And pregnancy remains a risk until you haven’t had a period for a year.”

The less oestrogen your ovaries produce, the more bone loss may accelerate. This can put you at a greater risk for osteoporosis, or bone thinning, which increases your risk of fracture. “You can lose up to 20 percent of your bones during the first five years of menopause,” Dr Pinkerton says.

Discover 40 ways to slash your risk of osteoporosis.

Hormonal changes – along with premenopausal symptoms like mood swings and sleep problems – may make you more forgetful and less focused. Stress also plays a role. “It’s hard to relax, especially when you’re going through the trials of perimenopause,” Dolgen says, “but it’s important for your mind and body to decompress.”

Next, check out the answers to these embarrassing questions about menopause you’re too afraid to ask.

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Source: RD.com