Help with Menopause Crazy Behavior

 

If you’re a woman, you’ve probably heard someone talking about menopause crazy behavior, and if you’re in your 30s or 40s, you might feel confused about its meaning. We wanted to do some more research on how menopause affects women before deciding what is crazy and what isn’t. 

There is little discussion of menopause, which is unavoidable for aging cis women. Even if you ask young women, most of them will not know what to expect when that time comes. Read on if you are a woman curious about menopause or has just entered it and wants to know if your symptoms are common.

What Is Menopause? 

A woman enters menopause twelve months following her last menstrual cycle. The menopausal transition, also known as perimenopause, is the period before that happens when women may have hot flashes, irregular monthly cycles, or other symptoms.

The onset of menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. This period of time can range from 7-14 years. The length of time may vary depending on lifestyle choices, including smoking, age at onset, and race/ethnicity. The ovaries produce the hormones progesterone and estrogen, which the body produces in varying amounts during perimenopause.

Every woman experiences the menopausal transition differently and in different ways. Women may acquire weight more quickly, and their bodies use energy differently and in various ways in fat cells. Your physical function, body composition, and structure, as well as your heart or bones, may all alter.

Stages of Menopause

Menopause is the natural end to menstruation. There are three stages of menopause that you’ll need to be aware of to be able to tell them apart.

Perimenopause

Your ovaries progressively start to generate less estrogen eight to ten years before menopause, which is when perimenopause starts. It generally begins in your 40s. The final year or two of perimenopause is when estrogen begins to decline. Many women may be experiencing menopausal symptoms at this point. However, you can still become pregnant during this period and still have menstrual cycles.

Menopause

When you reach menopause, your menstrual cycles stop. Your ovaries have finished generating the majority of their estrogen and are no longer releasing eggs at this point. When you have missed your monthly cycle for 12 months in a row, a medical professional will diagnose you with menopause.

Postmenopause

This is the term used to describe the period following a year without a period. Menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, may improve during this phase. Nonetheless, a decade or more after the menopause transition, some women still have menopausal symptoms. People in the postmenopausal period are more susceptible to several health issues, including osteoporosis and heart disease, due to a decreased level of estrogen in their bodies.

Menopause Symptoms

If you start to have some or all of the following symptoms, you could be entering menopause:

• Hot flashes (a sudden sense of warmth that spreads across your body)
• Chills and/or flashes of cold
• Dryness of the vaginal walls 
• Pain during intercourse
• Urinary urgency
• Sleep problems
• Emotional changes 
• Chapped lips, eyes, or skin
• Soreness in the breasts
• Abnormally heavy, light, or irregular periods

Some women might also experience:

• Heart palpitations
• Headaches
• Pain in the muscles and joints
• Sex desire changes
• Concentration issues
• Memory loss
• Weight gain
• Thinning or loss of hair

Changes in your hormone levels bring on these symptoms. While some people experience minor menopausal symptoms, others may experience severe symptoms. Not every person going through menopause will experience the same symptoms. 

Contact a healthcare provider that specializes in menopause. There are different boards depending on what country you live in. If you are in the United States, check them out. 

Why Do I Feel Like This? 

In menopause and perimenopause, varying emotions are common. Changing progesterone and estrogen levels cause many changes in your life like mood swings, insomnia, and hot flashes.

Your ability to sleep may suffer, libido problems may negatively impact your sexual life, and vaginal dryness may make things seem unpleasant. You could think you’re insane because of all these changes, yet we’re here to reassure you that you’re not. Hormonal changes happen! You don’t have to suffer and you can reach out to a longevity specialist. 

Hormone fluctuations occur throughout perimenopause and diminish during menopause, which can lead to abrupt and inexplicable mood swings or seemingly insane behavior. You could think you’re going crazy if you experience increased levels of impatience, anxiety, or melancholy, yet there’s no reason to freak out.

Menopause is a natural aspect of aging for all women, and it brings with it a host of mental and emotional changes that can cause disruptions to day-to-day activities. You should be aware that you are not experiencing menopausal symptoms alone, since around 75% of women encounter emotional issues during this time.

The Bottom Line

Your progesterone and estrogen levels vary during perimenopause and drop sharply during menopause. Due to low hormone levels affecting mood-regulating neurotransmitters, mood swings are common.

Hot flashes, which exacerbate tiredness and irritation and make it hard to fall asleep, are another effect of a fall in estrogen. Without enough sleep, as we all know, everything feels worse, and our emotional stamina is at its lowest.

While most women do not experience severe depression or anxiety after menopause, it is normal for them to have modest mood changes, irritability, and a lack of energy. Additionally, women who have had anxiety or depression in the past are more likely to encounter severe emotional symptoms throughout menopause.

If you’re struggling with your menopause symptoms or have any questions related to them, reach out to your doctor. If you’re noticing mood swings and are not able to function due to emotional bursts, you should consider reaching out to a therapist, as there might be other issues you need to address and work on. 

 

BLISS: Proven Methods for Improving the Female Orgasm

 

About Life Coaching and Therapy

Life Coaching and Therapy (LCAT) is a therapy and coaching practice that transforms our clients lives through our flexible. Multi-technique approach and pleasure-skills training provided by systematically-trained and licensed therapists!

Get to know our founder and owner, Amanda Pasciucco, (a.k.a. The Sex Healer) PhD, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) that has developed innovative therapy programs and therapy videos that get results.

Our team of compassionate, licensed therapists and certified sex therapists help all clients who visit us for a variety of personal, relationship, intimacy and sex problems.

LCAT provides on-site appointments, as well as video chat and text therapy programs.

Learn more about how LCAT can help improve your life at What We Do.