A recent study has found that 80 percent of women experience menopausal symptoms early in their life. The menopause usually occurs in women around the age of 50 and over.
The four to eight years leading up to the menopause is called the perimenopause. During this time woman notice some classic tell-tale symptoms such as:
- Irregular/fluctuating periods
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Increased feelings of anxiety
- A lack of confidence or feeling invisible
- Low libido/lack of sexual desire
- Unexplained aches and pains in your joints
- Worsening PMS symptoms such as feelings of irritability and frustration
These symptoms are all relatively normal for a woman in her 40’s. However, an increasing amount of women are experiencing a range of moderate to severe physical and psychological symptoms.
According to research published in Women’s Midlife Health journal, its imperative to not overlook these symptoms. Addressing the symptoms as early as possible will reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life.
Dr Siobán Harlow, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Michigan and head author of the study said: "We were surprised to find that a quarter of women in this relatively healthy cohort, reported a broad range of often severe symptoms prior to the onset of the menopausal transition, which influenced their perception of their own health as being fair to poor,”
Dr Harlow went on to say that some women's symptoms get worse, while others improve as they transition through menopause rendering intervention essential during that stage of their life.
"Unlike in previous studies, symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, and flushes did not stand out as the most severe symptoms in our broader analysis of women's symptom experience. Rather, they were present in most women at all stages of menopause; often together with other symptoms, especially sleep disturbance and fatigue." she said.
3,289 women, aged 45-52 years were involved in the trial. The test studies gave information on 58 symptoms of menopause at the start of the study and then seven symptoms over 16 years. The participants’ socio-demographic, lifestyle and genetics were also taken into consideration.
The researchers concluded that obvious patterns of symptom clustering were present early in midlife, tended to be stable over time, and were strongly associated with self-perceived health.
Considering that one-quarter of midlife women were highly or moderately symptomatic across all domains in the pre-menopause, addressing burdensome symptoms in early midlife is crucial to decreasing the risk of disease and disability later in life, especially in more vulnerable populations.
