Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to be answering the question: does the menopause get worse before it gets better?
Does menopause worsen over time?
So, does the menopause get worse before it gets better? I'm asked this quite a lot because many women find that the menopause can start off quite slowly, maybe with not a lot of symptoms, and then, suddenly, things start to get worse over time.
The problem with this question is that it's different for everybody. Some women find that symptoms just arrive out of the blue and knock them for six but, once their bodies got acclimatised to that, things can get easier.
So, this is one of these questions where it's going to be absolutely different for everybody. And I know for myself, looking back in hindsight, that the peri-menopause was definitely worse for me, certainly emotionally and mentally-wise, than the menopause itself. So, as you can see, it can be very, very different for everybody.
Do menopause symptoms get worse?
Having said that, a lot of women find that, at some point during the menopause, their symptoms start to get worse, and it's almost as if they want to know the reason why. Is there anything behind this rather than it just being the progression of the menopause itself?
So, yes, symptoms can get worse and the common questions tend to be, "Why have my flushes got worse? Why has my anxiety got worse? Why have my joint aches and pains got worse? Why has my sleep got worse?" So this is something that can happen, regardless of whether you start off in a slow mode or in a fast mode.
What can cause menopause symptoms to worsen?
So why does this happen? Well, there are a number of reasons for this.
Diet
The first one is your diet. It can be certain food triggers. Unfortunately, as we go through the menopause, we can become much more sensitive to certain groups of foods. And I know, specifically, things like wheat, dairy and, very often, citrus fruits are big ones that women can suddenly start reacting to.
And, remember all the energy changes that are going on in the body as it struggles to cope with decreasing hormones. Your body can almost give little warning signs of help. It's saying, "I am struggling here". So, if you're suddenly getting worse symptoms or new ones developing then, very often, it is a good idea to just sit down and review what's going on, especially with your diet.
So, as I said, you can suddenly develop sensitivity to certain foods. It could be that you're having more of the baddies, if you like. And I know, especially during the summer, we're sitting out a lot more, maybe we're having an extra glass of wine in the evening, or we're having more barbecues. So, we might be in a situation where we are eating and drinking more of the foods that cause problems to start with, and then we are wondering why our symptoms are suddenly getting worse.
So, that's the first port of call - check your diet. See if you have changed anything. See if you are eating and drinking more of certain foods, and that's certainly a really big clue if your symptoms are getting worse.
Dehydration
It can be dehydration. Especially when the weather is warm, if you're not increasing your water intake, your body can quickly get dehydrated. That stresses the nervous system, which will trigger more symptoms such as your flushes, your headaches, palpitations, nausea, fatigue, and brain fog – so definitely check to make sure that you haven't lapsed on drinking water.
If it's lovely and hot, or if you're on holiday, that's another area where this can occur – just make sure that you're drinking plenty of water.
Stress
Stress is a huge one. Our bodies are already under a lot of stress, and then we might be stressed even more because of outside influences, like a stressful family life. It could be that things are happening at work which are making you more stressed or it could be, you know, moving house which is very, very stressful.
So, anything that's putting added pressure on your nervous system is going to have a direct and, often, a very swift effect on the symptoms that you're already experiencing.
Fatigue
Fatigue can make things worse as well. We suffer from fatigue in the menopause anyway. And if, like the majority of women, you are running round ragged, you're trying to do much, trying to cope with everything, you can end up being extra fatigued.
And, at that point, your body just can't cope with everything, and your symptoms can get worse. Included in fatigue is sleep. And yes, you know, if you're getting night sweats, these are going to wake you up. Low oestrogen itself will affect the quality of your sleep. And we know that if you have even a few nights of bad sleep, that will affect your pain perception, your energy perception, and that tiredness will pull you down, and that can make your symptoms worse as well.
Alcohol, caffeine & smoking
I've talked before about food. Certainly, alcohol, caffeine and smoking are important as well. And, although I haven't looked into it yet, I have a sneaky feeling that maybe even these vapour cigarettes may have some kind of detrimental effect. So just be aware of these things that you are doing as well.
So if your symptoms get worse, regardless of what the symptoms are, write a little diary. I find diaries so helpful, and these can really help you to pinpoint exactly what's going on. So, do the diary for a week or two on things like your stress levels, what you're eating, what you're drinking, anything else different that's going on in your life and, very often, you can get a clue.
When to consult your doctor
So, your symptoms getting worse in the menopause isn't always the fault of the menopause. Just one thing to mention here: when is it appropriate to go to the doctor if your symptoms get worse? When it gets to the point when you cannot cope, when you can't cope with day-to-day life, when you are so fatigued you can't get out of bed.
If you find that your mood is really plummeting, so any situation where the symptoms are affecting the quality of your life, that is when you should go to the doctor. Please don't hang on. We have so many women who are suffering with symptoms and just trying to put up with it when, really, they need to have just a quick chat with their doctor. So, please don't put that one off.
I hope this was helpful for you. If any of you have any other tips on how to cope with symptoms when they get worse, I would love to hear about them.
