How does a person know when there going through menopause

Hi

When a woman’s ovaries r no longer producing eggs & hormones as they did when they were younger, this is menopause. The main organs that regulate when this will happen r the ovaries. They r situated in the pelvis with one on each side of the uterus. Each ovary is approximately the size & shape of an almond. The job of the ovaries is to produce eggs (ova) & several types of hormones that regulate the female cycles that happen through out her life. During a woman is monthly menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one of the ovaries. This where the production of estrogens & progesterone r made & what gives women their female look. These hormones control the development of the breast tissue, a woman’s body shape, & body hair. These hormones also regulate the menstrual cycle & pregnancy. Estrogen is the number one chemical in women that helps protect her against osteoporosis (thinning of bone) later in life when her ovaries do not produce adequate estrogen any longer.

Menopause is not something that happens overnight, but is a gradual process of transition that can last up to fourteen years or more for some. This transition period, perimenopause, is different for each & every woman on the planet. After a period of time & many months of an abnormal bleeding pattern, the woman is periods will completely stop She will now begin the actual process of menopause & be in the final stages that can last many years. The average period of onset of menopause or its symptoms is the early fifties. However, there is no way to predict when a woman will enter menopause. You cannot tell either from when a woman started getting her menses as an indicator of when menopause will come on. As rough rule of thumb women tend to undergo menopause at an age similar to that of their mothers, this is a genetic influence that is inherited.

It is said throughout the medical community that a woman has entered menopause if she has not had a period for more than 12 months. She should also have no other medical reason for the absence of her periods medically & be in the right age bracket for early or normal menopausal onset. Once she meets the standard criteria, she would then go be seen by her doctor for further testing to help determine if menopause id the real reason for her symptoms. A series of hormone tests will be done through blood work. They r not the most reliable since a woman’s hormone levels can fluctuate greatly each day & even through one day. Diagnosis menopause solely through hormone evaluation is not a reliable method. At this time there is no sure fire diagnostic blood test that can confirm or deny that a woman is going through the change. Even if levels r low one day, the same woman can have extremely high levels the very next day. The only way to no for sure that u might be headed into menopause is the lack of a period for at least twelve months & other signs & symptoms that normally occur at a specific age range.

Abnormal bleeding a common symptom to the onset of menopause but does not happen for all women & can also occur in varying degrees. Bleeding patterns can easily range from heavy, prolonged bleeding to scant short bouts of spotting. Many women also can experience longer or shorter cycle & cycles that r missed as well. Usually women will experience these bleeding irregularities through out perimenopause & menopause. Menstrual periods will most likely now become either shorter in length with fewer cycle days in between menses or longer in length with more cycle days between periods. Periods can also completely stop all together for long periods of time. It is absolutely impossible to state that there is a normal bleeding pattern observed in menopausal women. Bleeding patterns vary from woman to woman. The complete menopausal transition is also a varying thing from woman to woman with no absolute time, as all women r different. In fact many woman who believe they r in menopause because they have not gotten a period in a long time will get a menses out of the blue. Once the menstrual cycle starts to become obviously irregular, she will need to be evaluated by her doctor.

Hope that helps?

Take care

Paul

first sign is usually irregular periods. heavy bleeding, skipped periods, late periods, etc. usually hot flashes & night sweats . everyone is system is different. i went through menopause when i was 44 (pretty young) i had a lot of flashes & night sweats. my friend is 55 & just stopped having her period. she had a few flashes & sweats - no big deal !! she was very lucky. if u really want to know, go to ur doctor & have ur estrogen checked. if its low, u will know for sure .

35 Possible Symptoms Of Premenopause

1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
2. Bouts of rapid heart beat
3. Irritability
4. Mood swings, sudden tears
5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
6. Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
7. Loss of libido (see note)
8. Dry vagina, a general drying out that can include eyes, mouth, joints & skin. (see note)
9. Crashing fatigue
10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom (see note)
12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
13. Disturbing memory lapses
14. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence (see note)
15. Itchy, crawly skin (see note)
16. Aching, sore joints, muscles & tendons (see note)
17. Increased tension in muscles
18. Breast tenderness
19. Headache change: increase or decrease
20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
21. Sudden bouts of bloat
22. Depression (see note)
23. Exacerbation of existing conditions
24. Increase in allergies
25. Weight gain (see note)
26. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
27. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
28. Changes in body odor
29. Electric shock sensation under the skin & in the head (see note)
30. Tingling in the extremities, (see note)
31. Gum problems, increased bleeding
32. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, change in breath odor
33. Osteoporosis (after several years)
34. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
35. Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing' buzzing etc.

Mine started w/hot flashes...My OBGYN Dr. did bloodwork & it showed I was in middle of menapause/2003. Since then its gotten worse.
Although not all women have it bad!

hot flashes, periods that are very heavy and irregular, moody, dry vaginal area

when parts of your body swell up..it is a sign of your period wearing off...when you feel heavy/hot flashes...