Climacteric complaints (menopausal symptoms) are experienced to varying degrees by patients. At the forefront of the complaints are disturbances in well-being, changes in the menstrual cycle, changes in organs and, in particular, cardiovascular complaints – for example, paroxysmal tachycardia (episodes of palpitations), palpitations (heart palpitations) – as well as a decrease in bone density. The following is an overview of typical menopausal symptoms:
Mental disorders
- Anxiety
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Depressive moods
- Insomnia* (sleep disorders) (about 50%).
- Mattness, fatigability
- Tendency to cry
- Psychological lability
- Irritability, nervousness*
- Bad mood
- Sexual problems (e.g. decreased libido/lack of desire)
- Forgetfulness*
- Vertigo (dizziness)
* These disorders are more commonly reported than vasomotor disorders such as hot flashes or organic disorders such as vaginal dryness (vaginal dryness).
Vasomotor vegetative disorders
- Hot flashes
- Sweating, possibly also night sweats (night sweats).
- Circulatory instability
- Cold sensation
Organic disorders
- Decrease in HDL cholesterol and increase in LDL lipoproteins, resulting in increased risk of atherosclerosis (atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries) (→ increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), myocardial infarction/heart attack).
- Alopecia (hair loss; due torelative hyperandrogenemia).
- Facial hypertrichosis/increase in facial hair (due torelative hyperandrogenemia).
- Fluor vaginalis (vaginal discharge).
- Weight gain
- Urinary tract symptoms
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Bone complaints, arthralgias (joint pain), myalgia (muscle pain).
- Low back pain
- Libido disorders (decreased desire for sexual intercourse).
- Upper lip hair
- Constipation (constipation)
- Osteoporosis (bone loss)
- Palpitations (heart palpitations)
- Menstrual disorders (hypermenorrhea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, menometrorrhagia).
- Postmenopausal bleeding
- Back and joint problems
- Polyarthritis ( inflammation of five or more joints; especially the small joints).
- Urogenital atrophy:
- Atrophic senile colpitis/vaginal dryness (vaginal dryness/dry vagina).
- Dysuria (difficult and painful urination).
- Increased risk of infection → recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI).
- Urinary incontinence (bladder weakness due tooveractive bladder).
- Xeroderma (drying of the skin) with wrinkling (due tocollagen loss).