Menopausal symptoms often start before your periods have stopped completely and typically last for about 4-5 years after your last period. The severity of these symptoms tends to decrease during this time but in some cases they can continue to be bothersome for as long as 10-15 years after the menopause.
How Women are Affected by the Menopause
The hormonal changes during and after the menopause have radical changes on the woman. The timing of when each system is affected not only varies dramatically between women but also the degree of how the changes influence each woman is remarkably unpredictable. The reasons for these variations are not clearly understood but there is some evidence that genetic influences play a part.
Whilst most effects of the menopause have long term implications, the effects of menopause are commonly categorised as having an early onset or an onset in the medium to long term (Table 3.).
| Time of Onset | Effect |
|---|---|
| Immediate (0–5 years) | Vasomotor symptoms, e.g. hot flushes, night sweats
Psychological symptoms, e.g. labile mood, anxiety, tearfulness Loss of concentration, poor memory Joint aches and pains Dry and itchy skin Hair changes Decreased sexual desire |
| Intermediate (3–10 years) | Vaginal dryness, soreness
Dyspareunia Urgency of urine Recurrent urinary tract infections Urogenital prolapse |
| Long term (>10 years) | Osteoporosis
Cardiovascular disease Dementia |