Possible Premenopause Symptoms
• Weight gain
• Bloating
• Depression
• Migraine headaches
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Breast tenderness
• Hypothyroidism
• Uterine fibroids
• Decreased libido
• Extremely heavy or extremely painful periods
• Moderate to severe PMS
• Endometriosis
• Infertility
• Repeated miscarriage |
Hazards of Oral Contraceptives
Birth control pills contain the same synthetic hormones that have been linked to serious health risks when used after menopause. They have been found to increase risk of cardiovascular disease (strokes, heart attacks and blood clots that can become lodged in leg vessels or vessels that feed the lungs), as well of the risk of developing cancer of the breast, cervix and liver.
The cardiovascular risks of the Pill use are often underestimated. It's likely that the increasing use of oral contraceptives for the symptoms of premenopause will lead to more cardiovascular adverse events, because women in the premenopausal age bracket already have elevated risk of such problems.
In some women, oral contraceptives cause depression, anxiety and mood swings. These side effects can be severe enough to affect quality of life and the ability to have healthy relationships. |
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Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
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Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
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Bouts of rapid heart beat
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Irritability
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Mood swings, sudden tears
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Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
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Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
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Loss of libido (see note)
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Dry vagina, a general drying out that can include eyes, mouth, joints and skin. (see note)
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Crashing fatigue
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Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
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Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom (see note)
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Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
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Disturbing memory lapses
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Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence (see note)
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Itchy, crawly skin (see note)
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Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons (see note)
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Increased tension in muscles
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Breast tenderness
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Headache change: increase or decrease
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Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
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Sudden bouts of bloat
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Depression (see note)
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Exacerbation of existing conditions
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Increase in allergies
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Weight gain (see note)
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Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
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Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
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Changes in body odor
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Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head (see note)
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Tingling in the extremities, (see note)
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Gum problems, increased bleeding
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Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, change in breath odor
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Osteoporosis (after several years)
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Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
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Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing' buzzing etc.
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Arthritis
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Autoimmune disorders such as lupus erythematosis and thyroiditis, and possible Sjogren's disease
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Breast cancer
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Breast cysts
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Gallbladder disease
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High blood pressure
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Hypoglycemia
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Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes)
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Infertility
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Magnesium deficiency (sugar cravings)
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Osteoporosis
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Polcystic ovaries
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Skin: Rosacea, rashes, dermatitis
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Uterine cancer
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Yeast infection
NOTES:
Symptom 7 (loss of libido)
For some women the loss is so great that they actually find sex repulsive, in much the same way as they felt before puberty. What hormones give, loss of hormones can take away.
Symptom 8 (dry vagina) results in painful intercourse
Symptom 11 (doom thoughts) includes thoughts of death, picturing one's own death
Symptom 14 (incontinence) reflects a general loss of smooth muscle tone
Symptom 15 (itchy, crawly skin) feeling of ants crawling under the skin, not just dry itchy skin
Symptom 16 (aching sore joints) may include such problems as carpal tunnel syndrome
Symptom 22 (depression) different from other depression, the inability to cope is overwhelming. There is a feeling of loss of self. Hormone therapy ameliorates the depression dramatically.
Symptom 25 (weight gain) often around the waist and thighs, resulting in 'the disappearing waistline
Symptom 29 (shock sensation) "the feeling of a rubber band snapping in the layer of tissue between skin and muscle. It is a precursor to a hot flash"
Symptom 30 (tingling in extremities) can also be a symptom of B-12 deficiency, diabetes, alterations in the flexibility of blood vessels, or a depletion of potassium or calcium
Some of these signs may also be symptoms of one of the following:
* hypothyroidism*
*diabetes*
*depression with another etiology*
* Multiple Sclerosis*
*other medical conditions*
*If you have reason to believe you may have one of these conditions, please see your doctor for treatment.
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