As women age, they may experience changes in their menstrual cycles and other physical and emotional symptoms. In this article, we will discuss five signs that may indicate you are entering perimenopause, the transitional period before menopause.

1. You are experiencing hot flashes regularly

As a woman enters middle age, her body begins to change. In this case, her female sex hormones are going to experience a massive decline in the next 8, maybe 10, years of her life.

This period is called perimenopause—a phase leading up to menopause, which happens when a woman sheds her last drop of menstrual blood.

During perimenopause, many symptoms that are often associated with menopause will be experienced by some women.

Hot flashes are the most common symptom, although not all women automatically experience these unpleasant bouts of bodily temperature changes.

The National Institute on Aging explains that as women go through the menopausal transition, their ovaries gradually become less efficient, leading to a decline in the production of hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These changes are thought to be responsible for the emergence of symptoms like hot flashes and other manifestations of menopause.

Hot flashes can definitely contribute to mood swings and they are not pleasant at all. If you think PMS is bad enough, mood swings caused by hot flashes are like 1000 times worse.

Unlike PMS, hot flashes typically last for seconds to a few minutes only. But they do happen a few times a day!

2. Heavy sweating and night sweats keep you up at night

Due to hot flashes, it is also quite common for a woman to experience heavy sweating during perimenopause. During this period of a woman’s life, her hormonal changes cause the hypothalamus to get really confused.

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that regulates your bodily temperatures. Since the changes in your hormone levels are too rapid and short-term, the hypothalamus does not have the capacity to catch up!

Therefore, you may often feel a flush of heat in your cheeks (and entire face), back, neck and chest. All of these can easily make you sweat a lot irrespective of the current temperature of your environment.

This then could also affect your sleep. As you try to sleep, you often find yourself feeling uncomfortable. One minute you’re hot but then also cold. Night sweats during sleep could even wake you up.

3. Continual joint and muscle aches

One of the most uncomfortable symptoms of perimenopause is aching muscles and joints. During perimenopause (and in menopause) many women experience stiffness, and even pain, in their muscles and joints.

The way they feel this is unlike those they have experienced before. This whole new level of pain, stiffness and discomfort can lead to stress and lowered libido as well.

During this time, hormonal changes that tend to go towards lowered oestrogen cause the joints to go stiff. This is because there are oestrogen receptors throughout a woman’s body, including the joints.

When the oestrogen levels drop, these joints and muscles could easily tense up and feel stiff—making it hard to move your body parts.

According to My Menopause Centre, a significant number of women mention experiencing muscle and joint discomfort, known as 'musculoskeletal pain,' while going through menopause. This transition can heighten the likelihood of developing conditions like osteoarthritis, especially in the hands, as well as potentially rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis stems from joint wear and tear, whereas rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system wrongly attacks joint-lining cells, leading to swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joints.

This symptom in particular can usually hit women hard, making them realise that they are getting old. But hey, you’re not the only one turning into a grandma. Everybody is and it’s normal.

4. You visit the bathroom way more often

When a woman has reached perimenopause, which is usually some 8 to 10 years before her last drop of menstrual blood, she may experience more frequent urination.

This is mainly caused by weakening pelvic floor muscles that give way to bladder issues. As a woman ages, her pelvic floor muscles also get weaker with ageing and many structural changes in her pelvic area.

As these structures begin to change, and in many cases weaken, it is common for a woman to feel the urge to urinate more.

The urge may be more difficult to hold back as her pelvic floor muscles are not very strong anymore to hold the bladder.

When this happens, you should immediately empty your bladder and not hold it back because this may cause further problems down the road. Exercising your pelvic floor muscles can definitely help ease this issue though.

Also, Health Partners explains that estrogen, commonly recognized as the female sex hormone, not only influences reproductive functions but also contributes to the support of the sides of your bladder. Consequently, when estrogen levels decrease, as in menopause, you might encounter more frequent and urgent urination due to your bladder feeling full. Additionally, lower estrogen levels can lead to increased nighttime urination.

5. Dry spells

Being in perimenopause can typically bring dry spells onto your doorstep. This is common in women who are entering perimenopause as their hormones are now changing rapidly.

Certain times your female sex hormones are so high, but certain other times they are at an all-time low. This can easily cause your vagina to experience long periods of dryness. Then, this causes penetrative sex to be painful.

Of course, vaginal dryness may not be that big a deal for women who are not sexually active. If the vagina is too dry, women can simply put a little unperfumed lotion on their vulva.

However, those who are still desiring the thrill of sex may not be entirely thrilled (pun intended!) Dry spells often also mean that a woman's libido is extra low.

With this lack of desire for sex and the vagina not being able to receive a penis, dry spells could spell trouble indeed.

In brief, perimenopause can indicate to ladies that they might experience menopause soon. We are sure that the information and signs we provided about perimenopause can help you learn more about the issue and help you manage the symptoms.

---

Naturally Boosting Women’s Libido

Do you often get to hear no darling, no honey, not tonight, feeling tired and such types of statements? If these lines sound familiar to you then your partner is one of the many women experiencing low libido. More than 43% of the women population suffers from low libido conditions. The decrease in sexual appetite is one of the common problems these days.

Women’s libido gets largely affected by the hormonal change. Testosterone and estrogens are responsible for sexual desire. Lack of these hormones or any imbalance between them creates low libido problems. It is therefore important to keep a check on the symptoms.

A decrease in the levels of sexual desire is one of the major symptoms of low libido. The decrease in the levels of arousal also determines the hormonal change in the body leading to low libido conditions. A woman may feel receptive to sexual suggestions. She may not be able to maintain sexual excitement.

Inability to reach orgasm is one of the reasons contributing to low libido. However, reaching orgasm and low libido are two different aspects of sexual health. Low libido does not mean an inability to reach orgasm. Some may reach orgasm even with low libido conditions.

Do not ignore pain during intercourse. It may lead to low libido in a woman. Doctor’s assistance is necessary when you experience pain or vaginal dryness. Most women have sexual problems at some point in time during their life span. However, libido problems may persist for the long-term in case of some women.

There are lots of techniques that you can practice at home. Best way to enhance women’s libido is through communication. It is very important to communicate with your partner. Share with him or her about your inhibitions. Good communication will always help to strengthen your bond with your partner.

Foreplay is one of the most important things that you will need to work upon. Plentiful foreplay can increase the levels of intimacy. It will enhance women’s libido and sexual arousal with your partner. Experimenting with different postures for intercourse may increase the intimacy levels with your partner.

Exercising is equally important when we talk about women’s libido. It develops muscular control of pelvic muscles which is essential for maintaining good sexual health. Enjoy the sensual massages that can arouse you for sexual intercourse. You may also take a warm bath before you go to bed.

Lovemaking is not a mechanical process for a woman. She needs to be calm and stress-free in order to enjoy the pleasure of lovemaking. Reading some good books or melodious music may hit the right chord. Some couples also like to enjoy dancing which improves their intimacy levels.

It is more interesting to cook together. Many people get turned on while they are cooking together. Close moments spend with your partner will increase your sexual desire. Natural aphrodisiacs work wonders on women’s libido. Fragrances of your partner’s choice may work really great for you at the right moment.

Addressing relationship problems is necessary to enhance libido. Getting your problems to the bedroom may cause dissatisfaction amongst couples. Low libido can be addressed with the help of doctors and counselors. Take an initiative to speak and revive back your sexual appetite.