8 Symptoms of Menopause and What To Do About Them

You’re officially in menopause once you’ve stopped menstruating for 12 consecutive months. But you can experience the frustrating symptoms associated with this time of change for years before you transition into menopause. 

At Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare in Fayetteville, Newnan, and Stockbridge, Georgia, our board-certified providers want you to understand that menopause isn’t a disease or an illness to be cured. It’s a natural part of a woman’s life.

We also know that menopause symptoms can disrupt your life and even cause you pain. That’s why our team offers different treatments and management techniques to help you cope. 

Keep reading to learn about eight common symtpoms of menopause and how we can help you manage this time of transition.

1. Not getting your period

The most obvious menopause symptoms is not getting your period. In the years leading up to menopause, your period may come at irregular intervals, and you may spot more or less frequently. 

Other women’s health issues, such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), can also lead to missed or irregular periods. Be sure to talk with your Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare provider if you experience changes to your cycle. 

2. Hot flashes and night sweats

Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause. If you get a hot flash at night, they’re called night sweats and may necessitate a change of your nightclothes and sheets. Researchers believe hot flashes and night sweats are related to a decline in the hormones that help regulate body temperature. 

3. Mood changes

In the years leading to menopause, your hormones shift and change. This can trigger significant mood changes, including depression, anxiety, mood swings, extreme PMS, and more. Be sure to talk with your provider if mood issues affect your quality of life, because safe and effective treatments can help.

4. Changes to your libido

Menopause can bring changes to your libido. Many women find they’re less interested in sex, because they feel self-conscious about the changes to their body. Others can have a lower sex drive due to the hormonal changes associated with menopause. 

5. Headaches and migraines

As you enter menopause, your estrogen levels drop dramatically. This can trigger an increase or unpredictable shift in headaches and migraines. Or it could cause them to start if you never struggled with them before.

6. Hair loss or thinning

Menopausal women may also notice changes in their hair. Changes or imbalances in your hormone levels, especially estrogen and progesterone, can affect your hair growth cycle and cause hair loss and thinning. 

7. Vaginal changes

Estrogen, a hormone produced by your ovaries, helps keep your vaginal tissues moist, thick, and elastic. With menopause comes a significant decline in estrogen production, which can cause changes to your vagina called vaginal atrophy.

Vaginal atrophy causes frustrating and often painful symptoms, which include:

• Lack of lubrication and dryness
• Frail, thin vaginal tissues
• Loss of elasticity and tone
• Pain during/after sex

• Vaginal burning and itching unrelated to sex
• Changes in vaginal discharge
• Spotting or light bleeding after sex

Many women struggle with these symptoms. In fact, vaginal changes are so prevalent in menopause that they’re called the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). 

8. Urinary incontinence

Lack of bladder control is one of the most common complaints women over age 50 have. If you’ve noticed you sometimes leak urine when you sneeze or laugh, be sure to talk with your provider, because there are treatments that can help you get well.

How we can help you manage menopause symptoms

At Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare, our providers use a combined treatment approach to help you manage menopause symptoms. For example, your provider may recommend making lifestyle changes, such as:

• Adopting a healthy diet
• Taking nutritional supplements
• Using lubrication
• Taking up meditation and mindfulness practices
• Getting regular exercise
• Having good sleeping practices

Since many of the problems associated with menopause relate to changing hormone levels, your provider may also suggest hormonal contraceptives, topical estrogen creams, hormone replacement therapy, or medications for managing hot flashes and night sweats. 

Laser therapy for GSM

For women struggling with the symptoms related to the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, our practice offers treatment with the nonsurgical MonaLisa Touch®. 

This system uses laser energy to gently heat your delicate vaginal tissues, stimulating increased collagen and estrogen production and promoting skin cell turnover, so you can enjoy:

• More vaginal lubrication
• Thicker, moister vaginal walls
• Less vaginal laxity, dryness, and itching
• Rejuvenated vaginal and vulvar skin
• Increased sensation during sex
• Improved libido and orgasm
• Reduced urinary incontinence

To learn more about how we can help you manage the symptoms of menopause, call 770-991-2200 or book an appointment online with Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare today.