Research shows that most women will experience symptoms and certain health conditions during the time around menopause and beyond[1]. 

Symptoms 

Common symptoms experienced during perimenopause include changes in your ‘normal’ menstrual cycle, such as more frequent or irregular cycles and heavier or lighter periods, as well as other physical and psychological symptoms, such as: 

• Fatigue 
• ‘Brain fog’ 
• Heart palpitations 
• Headaches and migraines 
•  Muscle and joint aches 
• Insomnia and difficultly sleeping 
• Hair and skin changes 
• Changes in metabolism which can result in weight gain/change in body shape 
• Mood swings, including anxiety and irritability and other psychological symptoms  
• Hot flushes and night sweats (one of the most common symptoms and is experienced by up to 80% of women) 

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of symptoms. 

Health conditions 

Whilst the symptoms experienced during perimenopause might reduce as you reach postmenopause, a range of other symptoms and health conditions might be present because of low sex hormone levels, including: 

• Increased risk of osteoporosis (women can lose up to 20% of their bone strength in the first five to seven years post menopause, putting them at a higher risk of conditions such as osteoporosis) 

• Increased risk of heart disease (during postmenopause, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women – with women being nine times more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer) 

• Issues with memory, including an increased risk of dementia 

• Pelvic floor dysfunction, such as urinary incontinence 

• Vaginal dryness, and atrophy 

*Reminder: Tracking any symptoms and health changes you experience daily will be useful for discussing any concerns with your doctor/GP. 

It’s essential that we’re aware of these different symptoms and health-related conditions experienced during this life stage as well as strategies we can use to help reduce their impact on our day-to-day lives.