Menopause
Background Information
Menopause: is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.
It can sometimes happen earlier naturally. Or for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy), cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason. Sometimes the reason is unknown.
Perimenopause: is when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped. You reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.
Menopause and perimenopause can cause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes and irregular periods. These symptoms can start years before your periods stop and carry on afterwards.
Physical symptoms
Common physical symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:
hot flushes, when you have sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy
difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
palpitations, when your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable
headaches and migraines that are worse than usual.
NHS information about the menopause