What is menopause? Don’t ignore menopausal symptoms!

Menopause refers to a series of symptoms caused by fluctuations or decreases in sex hormones in women before and after menopause, which can lead to changes in women's menstrual cycles, irregular menstrual cycles, and cessation of menstruation, as well as loose and aging skin.

Symptoms and signs

The most typical symptoms of menopausal syndrome are hot flashes and flushing. Menopausal syndrome mostly occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. 90% of women may experience symptoms of varying severity. Some people begin to experience symptoms during the menopausal transition period and the symptoms last for 2 to 3 years after menopause. For a few people, the symptoms may not be alleviated or disappear until 5 to 10 years after menopause. Women who undergo artificial menopause often experience menopausal syndrome 2 weeks after the operation, which peaks 2 months after the operation and lasts for 2 years.

Menstrual changes

Changes in the menstrual cycle are the earliest clinical symptoms of perimenopause. There are three types:

(1) The menstrual cycle becomes longer, the menstrual volume decreases, and eventually menopause occurs.

(2) Irregular menstrual cycles, prolonged menstrual periods, increased menstrual flow, and even heavy or continuous bleeding, which then gradually decreases and stops.

(3) Sudden cessation of menstruation is less common. Because the ovaries do not ovulate, estrogen levels fluctuate, making endometrial cancer more likely to occur. For patients with abnormal bleeding, a diagnostic curettage should be performed to rule out malignant transformation.

Vasomotor symptoms

The main manifestations are hot flashes and sweating, which are manifestations of unstable vasomotor function and the most prominent characteristic symptoms of menopausal syndrome. It can occur in about 3/4 of women who experience natural menopause or artificial menopause. Hot flashes start in the chest, move to the head and neck, and then spread throughout the body. In a few women, hot flashes are only confined to the head, neck, and breasts. Patients experience burning sensation and redness of the skin in the area of ​​the flush, followed by explosive sweating. The duration varies from a few seconds to several minutes, and the frequency of attacks ranges from several times to 30 to 50 times a day. It is easily triggered at night or under stress. This vascular instability can last for 1 year, sometimes up to 5 years or longer.