Hot flashes may occur during perimenopause or menopause due to a change in hormones. This inconvenient feeling is an intense heat lasting anywhere from a few seconds to minutes, often affecting your face and neck, that comes on suddenly.
They could also affect your arms, hands, and chest. In addition to the warmth, you might notice your skin appears red or flushed. Once your body cools down, you might experience the chills.
Night sweats are hot flashes that happen at night. You might wake up sweating.
As your estrogen and progesterone levels change, your period may change as well. Some women notice they menstruate less often or not as regularly. It’s also possible they’ll have a change in flow.
One of the symptoms a woman may dread most is weight gain. It happens as hormones change and alter metabolism. The drop in hormones may shift fat distribution.
Estrogen helps with vaginal lubrication. When it decreases, you might notice less lubrication as well. The tissue may also thin. Sex might become uncomfortable as a result.
Your declining hormones may lead to irritability, night sweats, anxiety, and depression, which make it difficult for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Progesterone and estrogen both impact sleep in different ways, so when they decline, you might notice a shift in your sleep patterns or experience disturbances.
Even if you’re getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, you might still feel tired or fatigued throughout the day. When you have night sweats and sleep disturbances, it’ll exacerbate the problem.
Estrogen plays a role in brain function, potentially causing you to develop memory issues and have trouble concentrating. You might also not be sleeping well or have anxiety, which can contribute to difficulty thinking and remembering.
Changes in hormone levels can affect your mood because these chemical messengers affect the neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for your emotions. When levels change, you might become more irritable than usual or just have rapid changes in mood for no definite cause. You could also experience depression or anxiety.
Estrogen impacts your sexual desires, so as your level decreases, you might not have as high a libido. It doesn’t help that you might have vaginal dryness that makes sex uncomfortable.
