Physical & Psychological Effects of Menopause

Menopause is a woman's natural transition out of her childbearing years. In the United States, women are an average age of 51 when menopause officially occurs, denoted by the absence of menstruation for a minimum of one year.

Time Frame

• Some women report having symptoms one to two years before their periods cease, during the period known as perimenopause. For others, these symptoms can develop many years before actual menopause.

Hot Flashes

• Hot flashes are spontaneous episodes of feeling suddenly overheated for no particular cause, and they occur in 85 percent of women during menopause, reports Breastcancer.org. Hot flashes occur because the decrease in estrogen that causes menopause affects the hypothalamus, which sends messages to the brain about temperature.

Sleep Problems

• Because the hypothalamus also regulates sleep cycles, menopausal women might experience periods of sleeplessness or insomnia. Hot flashes that occur at night often exacerbate this problem.

Sexual Symptoms

• The decrease in estrogen often leads to vaginal dryness, which can make sexual intercourse painful. Some women also experience decreased interest in sex even without any discomfort during intercourse.

Other Physical Symptoms

• Menopausal women often experience an increase in abdominal fat with a decrease in breast size. In addition, many women report that their hair thins during menopause.

Emotional Symptoms

• Mood swings and depression are often caused by changing levels of estrogen throughout menopause.