8 Common changes in menopause

1. Hot flashes

The hot flashes are one of the characteristic symptoms of menopause. They are perceived as a sudden sensation of heat that arises from the chest and produces an increase in blood flow to the neck, face and chest, accompanied by sweating and palpitations. They usually last a few minutes although they can last longer. The body temperature can increase between 1-2 ºC and when finished it gets used to producing a sensation of cold. The onset of hot flashes during the night is associated with interrupted sleep, difficulty in concentration and forgetfulness.

2. Irritability

The irritability It is very frequent, headaches and fatigue together with altered mood with a tendency to depressive states, sadness, apathy, difficulty in concentration and decreased libido.

3. Organ atrophy

In the medium term there is decreased trophism of some organs by the drop in the level of circulating estrogens in the blood. The vagina, urethra, and urinary bladder undergo these hormonal changes. For this reason they produce symptoms such as dyspareunia (pain in sexual intercourse) due to lack of lubrication due to atrophy, dysuria what is the pain when urinating, the urinary incontinence and increased frequency of infections such as cystitis and vaginitis.

4. Vaginal dryness

Besides of pain in relationships, vaginal dryness causes vulvar itching and a burning sensation.

5. Osteoporosis

In the long term, the effects of menopause are basically osteoporosis and increased cardiovascular risk. Osteoporosis is caused by a increased normal bone destruction without increasing your training in the same proportion. The consequence is the decrease of calcium in the bones, which increases their fragility and their ease for fractures. It is a disease that does not produce pain, it develops asymptomatically until the appearance of a fracture.

6. cardiovascular problems

The lower incidence of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris that the woman has with respect to the man before menopause is equal after this. The decrease in estrogens in the blood produces a change in fat metabolism that leads to an increase in total cholesterol with a decrease in HDL cholesterol (the 'good') and an increase in LDL (the 'bad'), therefore arteriosclerosis is favored. The tendency to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are also factors that negatively affect the health of the arteries.

7. Obesity

The figure changes, the body fat that at 20 years is approximately 25% is 33% at 40 years and 42% at 50 years. In many women there is a weight gain and difficulty losing it while in others in which this increase does not occur, there is a change in the distribution of body fat. The breasts suffer an increase in the fat component that causes a change in texture, size and consistency.

8. Skin and nails

Skin and hair They also change due to the decrease in estrogens, producing a decrease in collagen fibers. The skin becomes thinner and weaker, loses elasticity and becomes dehydrated, thus increasing wrinkles. Pubic hair decreases, underarm hair and there is a loss in the amount of hair.