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Signs! Symptoms! Menopause! is the title I chose for this article because we all want to know, “Are we really here? Is this IT? The long awaited curse of the mature woman?” Well let me tell you, if you are experiencing the following signs and symptoms…..
IT’S MENOPAUSE!!!
I decided to address the topic of menopause because typically, a woman goes through menopause around the age of 50. Obviously, this varies. My partner will be 59 this year, and she hasn’t gone through yet. As a matter of fact, she still has her period!!!
OK… So the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind when menopause is brought up, is a woman sweating and ripping off her clothes. That is, unless you are a husband of a woman going through menopause; he will envision a women sweating and ripping his head off!
Yes, a tell tale sign of menopause is hot flashes. We all know this! Some women begin having hot flashes in the premenopausal years, and others don’t start until after their final menstrual period. Either way, !! dun dun dun !! menopause is probably here or close by!
Signs! Symptoms! Menopause! ………………….Oh My!
Our periods change. They come closer together and can last more than a week. We can experience spotting and heavy bleeding. When we are period-free for an entire year, we are finally THROUGH!
According to the National Institute on Aging, and anyone who’s been THROUGH, we also experience vaginal dryness and bladder control issues! This is not fun. I can remember being on the dance floor at a friend’s daughter’s 30th birthday party, laughing so hard I couldn’t move. I couldn’t move because the pee was running down my legs and forming into a pool beneath my drenched sandals. Yes! Signs! Symptoms! Menopause! I’m THROUGH, but was sorely tested.
Sleep patterns can be affected and our desire for sex can change. Some want it more, some want it less. Our bodies undergo some major changes also. It seems like puberty in reverse. Instead of things firmin’ and perkin’, they’re saggin’ and draggin’.
Other symptoms include irritability, inflammation, mood swings of the volatile variety, fatigue, and anxiety (Quadagno, 2014). Other than those, we’re lots of fun to be around! Take some advice from Maxine! OK… Maybe not!
Please leave a menopause story or share some ways you’ve learned to get THROUGH these trying times in the comments section below. Other women will benefit, and you could even save a life! 🙂
Thrive! OK? ….. 
Quadagno, J. (2014) Aging and the life course: an introduction to social gerontology(6th ed.) New York, NY:Mc-Graw-Hill
