Menopause symptoms go beyond hot flashes. They can affect your sleep, thinking, mood, joints, and bladder and genital health. Treatments can help.
What symptoms can you have?
Symptoms can begin in perimenopause. They can be mild, moderate, or severe. You may have:
- Not feeling like yourself (NFLM)
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Sleep problems
- Brain fog and memory changes
- Mood changes, anxiety, and depression
- Joint and muscle pain
- Genital and urinary symptoms, called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)
- Changes in your periods
- Changes in sexual desire
Hot flashes and night sweats
A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat, often with flushing and sweating. Night sweats are hot flashes that happen during sleep.
FDA-approved treatments for moderate to severe hot flashes include hormone therapy and nonhormone medicines. Each has benefits and risks. Talk with your provider about which option is right for you. See treatment options.
Sleep problems
Night sweats, bladder symptoms, and mood changes can disrupt your sleep. Tell your health care provider about trouble sleeping. Menopause can also cause insomnia or sleep apnea. Treating night sweats can help you sleep better. Talk with your provider about trouble sleeping.
Brain fog and memory changes
You may forget words or find it hard to focus. These changes are common in perimenopause and often improve after menopause.
Hormone therapy is not used to treat brain fog or memory problems alone. Researchers do not yet know if hormone therapy lowers the risk of dementia.
Mood changes, anxiety, and depression
You may feel more irritable, anxious, or experience depression symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction may help with depression and anxiety during perimenopause and menopause. Talk with your provider about treatment options.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available at any time.
Joint and muscle pain
Aches in your joints and muscles are common. In a review of 37 studies, 57% of women in perimenopause had muscle or joint pain, compared with 40% of women before perimenopause. Tell your health care provider about new or worsening pain.
Genital and urinary symptoms (GSM)
Lower levels of estrogen can affect the tissues of your vagina, vulva, bladder, and urinary tract. Health care providers call this genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM. Symptoms include repeat urinary tract infections (UTIs); pain during sex; burning, itching, or irritation of the vagina and vulva; a sudden or frequent need to urinate; and vaginal dryness.
GSM can be treated. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is one option. See treatment options.
Period changes and bleeding
In perimenopause, your periods may be shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, or skipped.
Vaginal bleeding after 12 months with no period is not normal. See your health care provider right away if you experience this.
Changes in sexual desire
Your interest in sex can change during menopause. Treatments can help. Learn about menopause and sexuality.
Talk with your health care provider
Tell your provider which symptoms bother you most. Bring this information with you to your appointment:
- Your symptoms and how much they bother you
- Your health history, including cancer, blood clots, and heart disease
- Any hormone therapy you have used
- How long it has been since your last period