It’s not just hot flashes and missing periods that signal you’re quietly transitioning toward menopause, there are other subtle signs that you might not be aware of that you should definitely pay attention to.
HealthNews wants to show you some important signs of menopause that no one has ever told you about.
Chin hair
Ironically while the hair on your head might be thinning, new unwanted hair might spring up on your chin, upper lip, or cheeks. This happens because of the changes in the ratio of androgen to estrogen levels in the body. While both androgen and estrogen levels drop during menopause, they do so at different rates. While estrogen levels drop acutely, androgen levels drop more slowly over time.
Body odor
A drop in estrogen levels in the body makes the hypothalamus gland think that you’re overheated, thereby signaling your body to sweat more to cool down the body temperature.
Bone loss
Bone density loss occurs due to a drop in estrogen levels in the body. You can lose up to 20% of your bones during the first five years of menopause. This might increase the risk of osteoporosis or bone thinning.
Urinary urgency
Weakened pelvic floor muscles, often a result of a vaginal childbirth, coupled with thin urethral lining due to lower estrogen levels cause stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or urge urinary incontinence, making holding in the urge to pee difficult.
Forgetfulness
Hormonal changes during premenopause can make you stressed and cause sleep problems. This might lead to you becoming less focused and more forgetful.
Insomnia
Progesterone is a calming hormone, so when its level in the body drops it makes you feel more anxious. Anxiety can cause sleeping problems.
New cases of allergies
Our hormones and our immune systems work in tandem with one another. Women transitioning through menopause are more susceptible to severe reactions to their current allergies or they can develop whole new allergies. This is due to the weakened immune system caused by the natural fluctuation of hormones during this period.
Sudden change in vision
Hormones regulate various body functions that can affect your eyes, so when they change, so can your vision. Decreased hormone levels in women during perimenopause can cause vision changes and in some cases cause one to go from near-sighted to far-sighted, for example.
Which sign did you find the most unusual? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to share this article with your friends so that more and more people come to know about the quieter signs of menopause that they might not be aware of.
