Unless you have a full hysterectomy, you don't just wake up one day with menopause. Your body tries to gradually get you acclimated to the idea. Since every woman is different, they will go through menopause in different ways. Some women hardly notice their menopause at all, except for the lack of periods. And then there are the rest of us. You can be as young as your 30's and begin early menopause symptoms.
Physical Changes
The odds are, you will not through ALL of the physical and emotional changes associated with early menopause symptoms. You might even have just a few. So in reading this long list of early menopause symptoms, don't think you have been given a dire sentence. But it is good to know early menopause symptoms to help you determine if you need to see a doctor.
There will be obvious early menopause symptoms such as irregular periods and vaginal dryness. They are big giveaways. But there are also some more subtle changes, such as patches of itchy skin, more facial hair and a change in body odor. Other subtle early menopause symptoms include dry mouth, hair loss, bloating, insomnia and sudden weight gain around the abdomen.
More serious symptoms include a lot more headaches, tingling skin, bladder control problems, night sweats and hot flashes. Some women also get dizziness who have never had problems with lightheadedness before. Some women will become infertile, even though they have a few years of periods left. Go to the doctor if these early menopause symptoms interfere with the quality of your life significantly.
Emotional Changes
Some of the symptoms you may (or may not) go through are a little hard to figure out. Your hormones are going through a lot of changes, which inevitably means your emotions will change. If you have a history of depression, you need to know that your depression may worsen (but at least you know it won't be with your forever!)
Other emotional changes include mood swings, memory lapses, low or no sex drive, anxiety for no apparent reason, difficulty concentrating and more irritability than usual. You may also go through confusion or periods of not really being aware of what's going on (sometimes referred to as "brain fog"). Perhaps the most severe emotional change is depression and feelings of worthlessness.
Any of these feelings can be alarming, but they often can be treated by going to your doctor.
