How to Tell If Your Mom's Going Through Menopause

Menopause occurs when women permanently stop having menstrual periods and cease to be fertile. This is sometimes referred to as "the change of life." The staff at the Mayo Clinic states that the average age for a woman to reach menopause in the United States is 51. Menopause officially occurs when a woman's period has been absent for twelve consecutive months. Multiple symptoms often occur in the years leading up to menopause. If your mom is near the typical age to enter menopause, you may have questions and concerns about her health and well being. Do you wonder if she has begun this change of life? Here are a few tell-tale signs of menopause.

Instructions

Physical Signs

• 1

  Facial flushing. This is a spontaneous reddening of the face. Hormonal changes associated with menopause can cause sudden warmth, called "hot flashes."

• 2

  Weight gain. Increased abdominal fat is another symptom of menopause. An increased appetite paired with a drop in metabolism may cause weight gain.

• 3

  Hair loss. Thinning hair during menopause is a byproduct of thyroid changes which can occur during this time.

Emotional Signs

• 4

  Depression. A sudden drop in estrogen levels may cause your menopausal mother to feel some level of despair or hopelessness. For some women, the finality of their childbearing years will bring upon feelings of sadness or inadequacy.

• 5

  Mood swings. While hormonal imbalances are enough to cause mood swings during menopause, other bothersome physical symptoms, such as night-time hot flashes, may be causing your mother to lose sleep at night. Fatigue is a common source of mood swings.

• 6

  Anxiety. Menopause anxiety can cause your mother to act nervously or on edge. She may be feeling anxious about the lack of control over her body as the change of life happens to her.

Behavioral Signs

• 7

  Forgetfulness. Hormonal changes, lack of sleep, and plummeting estrogen levels can cause memory loss during menopause. You may notice your mom doing such things as forgetting her purse or keys. She may have difficulty completing her sentences due to forgetting the proper word she wishes to use.

• 8

  Confusion. While confusion has often been joked about in association with aging and senility, confusion can be a very real and distressing symptom of menopause. Beyond simple forgetfulness, confusion can impair judgment and increase anxiety.

• 9

  Irritability. With all aspects of menopause considered, irritability is almost a given symptom of menopause. You may notice your mother losing her patience more quickly than before. She may snap at people or suddenly lose her temper.