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Top 10 Menopause Symptoms
Learn what symptoms can you expect during perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause
Sep 29, 2022
Jul 31, 2023
Menopause & Aging WellErica Rimlinger has spent her 25-year career writing for clients ranging from nonprofit organizations to corporations, from magazines to America's Most Wanted. She considers it a privilege to learn and share her client's stories.
When she's not writing, reading or spending time with her family in Towson, MD, she's backpacking in the western United States — while making plenty of noise to scare off the bears.
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Learn what symptoms can you expect during perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause
Medically reviewed by Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP, FAANP, NCMP
All women will go through
menopause, but not every woman experiences it the same way. We spoke with Laurie Jeffers, DNP, co-director of NYU Langone Health’s Center for Midlife Health and Menopause and member of HealthyWomen’s Women’s Health Advisory Council, and asked her what, exactly, we can expect before, during and after menopause.
Menopause has three phases. The first phase, perimenopause, is the time leading up to menopause when your periods become irregular. It can begin up to 10 years before your periods stop. Menopause refers to the phase that women reach when they haven’t had their period for a full 12 months, and this generally happens around ages 51-52. The rest of your life is spent in the final phase: postmenopause. The symptoms that span these phases are different for each woman and can affect many parts of the body.
“Symptoms appear to have nothing in common, but they have estrogen in common. Every cell in the body responds to the rise and fall of estrogen,” Jeffers said.
Jeffers shared the top 10 symptoms of menopause and noted that they can all be managed or treated. If you have any of these signs, she recommends finding a healthcare provider (HCP) who specializes in menopause treatment through resources such as the North American Menopause Society.
The important thing to remember, according to Jeffers, is that symptoms are treatable, and menopause can provide a valuable opportunity to take stock of your overall health.
“You can emerge on the other side of menopause healthier than you were before,” Jeffers said.
This resource was created with support from Alora.