Short Term Health Implications
There are a number of symptoms that many women may experience with the onset of menopause. It is possible that you have experienced some or all of those listed below:
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Insomnia/disrupted sleep
- Palpitations
- Weight gain (especially around waist and abdomen)
- Skin and hair changes (dryness, thinning)
- Headaches
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings and anxiety
- Lowered libido
- Difficulty concentrating and memory lapses
- Fatigue/low energy levels
- Vaginal dryness
- Joint/muscle pain
Whilst these aren’t life threatening they can have a dramatic effect on your quality of life and it’s important to try to alleviate them as much as possible either by taking HRT or alternative remedies, as well as making lifestyle changes. You may have to try several varieties of HRT to find one which deals with your symptoms effectively. It may be that even then HRT doesn’t get rid of all of these symptoms for you and you may consider using complementary treatments as well.
Note
For more information on this subject and members’ accounts of their experiences an Alternative Therapies Fact Sheet is available.