Signs to look out for
So, let’s take a look at some of these key signs…
Sign 1: You're still experiencing symptoms years after your last period
Are you still experiencing symptoms and it's well after two years since your periods stopped?
Normally, what happens two to three years after your periods have stopped, symptoms start to tail off. Some symptoms will continue, especially ones that are more associated with the physical degeneration of ageing. So you'd be talking maybe joint aches and pains and vaginal dryness.
These are quite common symptoms that can continue for quite a long time afterwards, unless they're treated and resolved.
Sign 2: Your symptoms are getting worse or coming back
Are your symptoms worsening, or have they gone away and come back again?
Now, a really good example of this would be excessive sweating. So you're thinking, oh, the hormones are up and down again and I'm getting hot flushes or I'm getting night sweats.
If symptoms are getting worse or they've reappeared after maybe three or four years of nothing, very often these are not hormonal and they can be due to other health issues, which I talked about last week. So you're looking at things like vitamin D or B12 deficiency. You're looking at thyroid imbalance, diabetes, and heart disease.
All of these can cause sweats and night sweats. So these really do need to be checked out by your doctor, especially if they're getting worse or they've definitely reappeared.
Sign 3: You're getting new ‘menopause-like’ symptoms years after
Do you find that you've got completely new symptoms?
So you may find that good few years down the line, you're getting anxiety, maybe a bit of stress, you're getting the fatigue, you're not sleeping particularly well. These ones tend to be associated with maybe vitamin deficiency; they can be purely signs of ageing, unfortunately; but they can also be due to things like stress.
Have you suddenly started changing your diet? Have you gone on a very strict diet? Have you maybe started a really heavy-duty exercise regime? These things can all put extra pressure on our body and that can then lead to other symptoms that look very similar to menopause ones.
In this situation, what I usually say is, if symptoms have suddenly appeared, look back to the point when these happened, and look at what was going on in your life. Were you extra stressed? Is there something else going on?
And very often you will get a really good clue and then it will be much easier to treat it.
Sign 4: Periods coming back after 2 years of no periods
Are you bleeding again or spotting, or think maybe you're getting your periods back?
Now, unless you have started HRT, which can sometimes bring bleeding or spotting back, if you start bleeding after two years post-menopause, it is really important to go and see your doctor.
There can be a number of reasons. It can be a prolapse, it could be polyps, it could be fibroids, it could be cysts. So it's really important with this one that you get it checked out.
Other factors that can cause ‘menopause-like’ symptoms
Other factors that can affect you physically post-menopause are things like dehydration or not sleeping well. It's always a good idea just to do a little bit of a lifestyle overhaul. And you may find that these symptoms are easily treated and you start to feel better.
I hope you found this one helpful. As usual, if you have any questions, please ask and tell me all your lovely stories.
I love reading about them. Have a lovely week and I'll see you soon.
Other topics that may interest you:
Staying healthy post-menopause: My tips and simple strategies
10 things you need to know about post-menopause
