In her ob-gyn practice at Mintview OB-GYN, Dr. Alyse Kelly-Jones is particularly interested in women’s sexual health and in their health & wellness issues in the menopause decade. This period begins when your hormones begin to drop (in your late 30s!!), and continues through to your post-menopausal 50s. According to Dr. Kelly-Jones, women usually begin to exhibit some of the symptoms of perimenopause in their 40s.
You can look for:
Weight gain, especially around the midriff
Sleep disturbances, either falling asleep or staying asleep
Hot flashes and/or drenching sweats
General heat intolerance
Intolerance to extreme heat or cold temperatures
“Brain fog” & muddled thinking
Poor mental focus & concentration
Decreased word retrieval
Decreased memory
Feeling of being overwhelmed; can’t multi-task
Depression and feeling blue for no reason
Anxiety, irritability and mood swing
Decreased interest in sex
Vaginal dryness
Painful intercourse
Change or skipping of periods
Periods with heavy bleeding, flooding or clots
Crying spells: the “weepies” sometimes for no reason
Breast tenderness
Fluid retention
Fatigue and lack of motivation
Headaches or increase in migraine headaches
Leakage of urine with sneezing, cough or exercise
Constant sense of needing to urinate
Constipation, indigestion and/or bloating
Loss of scalp hair
Increase in facial hair
Acne
Joint pains
Stiff or aching muscles
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Irregular heart beat or palpitations
Intermittent loss of balance
Decreased vision
Ringing in the ears
Itchy, crawly skin
Dry, thinning skin
Premature wrinkling
Thin, breaking or brittle fingernails
Wow. Ain’t nothin’ but a party, ladies.
Stay tuned for our article on how to deal with and remedy some of these concerns, and remember, no matter what, getting older is always better than the alternative.
