Menopause most often occurs when women are in their 40s or 50s, but symptoms can show up months or years beforehand, a time called perimenopause. Symptoms of this time period include hot flashes and irregular periods. About half of the women in the US experience menopause before the age of 52, but this age can be younger, especially if the woman has had surgery to remove their uterus or ovaries or have gone through treatment for cancer.

Most common symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, chills, loss of breast fullness, and can vary in severity. Hot flashes can last as little as 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. Night sweats can be a more intense form of a hot flash, being enough to wake you from your sleep and cause perspiration. Slight forgetfulness also begins to occur around the same time that menopause does. Both men and women can experience memory lapses during middle age. Later symptoms can include vaginal dryness and decreased sex drive. Some women also notice that their hair and skin becomes drier and thinner or they gain weight.

Symptoms usually subside within a few years or months after menopause, a time called post-menopause. However, some women report experiencing hot flashes for decades afterwards.

At Cheyenne OBGYN, we treat patients experiencing the most common symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, mood swings, and night sweats, all of which can vary in severity.  Later symptoms can include vaginal dryness and decreased sex drive.  There are various menopause treatment options available at our Cheyenne clinic for relief of these menopause symptoms.