If you have not experienced a menstrual period for at least a year, you're by definition entering post menopause. Many signs of menopause that women experience once hormones in the body begin to shift continue well into post menopause. Some women will pass through perimenopause without many symptoms, only to find themselves more symptomatic during post menopause. By learning to recognize post menopause symptoms and treatment options, women can better tend to their physical and emotional needs during menopause and post menopause.
Symptoms of Post Menopause
Post menopause symptoms can run the gamut, and often mirror symptoms present during perimenopause. Post menopause symptoms can be troubling both psychologically and emotionally, with issues surfacing such as depression, phobias, paranoia, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and mood swings. Physical maladies can also occur during post menopause, and include vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and lowered libido. Appearance can be affected by symptoms like brittle nails, skin problems, and weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Digestive and urinary difficulties may be compounded by bone density issues (including osteoporosis concerns), muscular tension and joint pain.
Here are the most common post menopause symptoms:
- Insomnia;
- Post-menopause mood swings;
- Occasional hot flashes;
- Weight gain;
- Bleeding;
- Stress Incontinence;
- Vaginal dryness;
- Urinary tract infections;
- Postmenopausal depression;
Many symptoms can begin during perimenopause and linger past the point of menopause itself, while other symptoms may emerge solely during the post menopause years.
When Do Post Menopause Symptoms Start?
When women approach menopause, their periods may become less regular –in timing, duration and flow. After women have not experienced a period for 12 months (for reasons other than pregnancy or lactation), they have officially entered menopause. A woman must be completely free of any period and spotting for a consecutive 12 months to be considered postmenopausal.
Because a "last period" is difficult to discern except within hindsight, many women can test for post menopause with a specialized test known as the FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) test (particularly useful for those who have had their uterus removed prior to post menopause). At some point, when menopause has been reached, the ovaries no longer are considered “active,” and women are technically considered postmenopausal from that point onward.
When Do Post Menopause Symptoms End?
While most women eventually achieve evened-out hormones and the subsiding of postmenopausal symptoms, it may take years before post menopause symptoms fully disappear. However, with or without symptoms, post menopause describes the time period between menopause and all of the days ahead. Post menopause begins from the point menopause ends and stretches out for the duration of a woman’s life.
Learn how to treat post menopause symptoms naturally and avoid HRT.
