Below is a list of symptoms that many women experience in peri-menopause or in the months or years leading up to menopause.

Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, or nervousness, decreased libido, vaginal dryness and atrophy, vulvar thinning, disorders such as insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently, or restless sleep, leading to fatigue

Menstrual changes, including heavier periods, uterine fibroids, spotting between periods, or skipped cycles, as well as worsening PMS (premenstrual syndrome) or PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)

Fuzzy thinking, decreased or impaired memory and attention, weight gain, food cravings, increased insulin resistance, difficulty controlling blood sugar, digestive problems, such as irritable bowel, bloating, or acid reflux, Breast tenderness, breast cysts, or nipple discharge, hair loss, unwanted facial hair growth, dry eyes, skin, or hair, midlife acne

Pelvic or urinary complaints, including incontinence, urinary tract infections (UTI’s), pelvic prolapse, cystocele, rectocele, increased age onset of allergies and food or environmental sensitivities

Cardiac complaints, such as heart arrhythmia, chest pain, or palpitations, joint and muscle symptoms, including inflammation, stiffness or pain, dizziness, decreased balance, headaches or menstrual migraines.

Women

 

SYMPTOM GROUP 1

PMS

Insomnia

Early miscarriage

Painful and/or lumpy breasts

Unexplained weight gain

Cyclical headaches

Anxiety

Infertility

Cause: Progesterone deficiency: this is the most common hormone imbalance among women of all ages. You may need to change your diet, get off of synthetic hormones (including birth control pills), and you may need to use some progesterone cream.

 

SYMPTOM GROUP 2

Vaginal dryness

Night sweats

Painful intercourse

Memory problems

Bladder infections

Lethargic depression

Hot flashes

Cause: Estrogen deficiency: This hormone imbalance is most common in menopausal women; especially if you are petite and/or slim. You may need to make some special changes to your diet; take some women's herbs; and some women may even need a little bit of natural estrogen (about one-tenth the dose prescribed by most doctors).

 

SYMPTOM GROUP 3

Puffiness and bloating

Rapid weight gain

Breast tenderness

Mood swings

Heavy bleeding

Anxious depression

Migraine headaches

Insomnia

Foggy thinking

Crying

Red flush on face

Gallbladder problems

Cervical dysphasia (abnormal pap smear)

Cause: Excess estrogen: In women, this is most often solved by getting off of the conventional synthetic hormones most often prescribed by doctors for menopausal women.

SYMPTOM GROUP 4

(A combination of the symptoms in #1 and #3)

Estrogen dominance: This is caused when you don't have enough progesterone to balance the effects of estrogen. Thus, you can have low estrogen but if you have even lower progesterone, you can have symptoms of estrogen dominance. Many women between the ages of 40 and 50 suffer from estrogen dominance.

SYMPTOM GROUP 5

Acne

Infertility

Ovarian cysts

Mid-cycle pain

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Thinning hair on the head

Excessive hair on the face and arms

Hypoglycemia and/or unstable blood sugar

Cause: Excess androgens (male hormones): This is most often caused by too much sugar and simple carbohydrates in the diet.

SYMPTOM GROUP 6

Debilitating fatigue

Unstable blood sugar

Foggy thinking

Low blood pressure

Thin and/or dry skin Intolerance to exercise Brown spots on face

Cause: Cortisol deficiency: this is caused by tired adrenals, which is usually caused by chronic stress. If you're trying to juggle a job and a family, chances are good you have tired adrenals.

Please note that there can be other causes. This is for education only. It is not intended to treat, prevent or cure a medical disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult a health care professional.