How do you know you're in menopause?

Many female friends find it difficult to detect when they are experiencing menopause because they are too busy at work and have no time to take care of their physical condition. In fact, the most obvious situation after menopause is the cessation of menstruation. If you go to the hospital for a gynecological examination, you will find that your reproductive and ovarian functions will begin to age and eventually reach a state of functional termination. This is the most typical menopausal reaction.

Menopause represents the decline of ovarian function, depletion of estrogen secretion, cessation of menstruation, and termination of reproductive function. It is generally divided into three stages: premenopause, menopause and postmenopause. Menopause is calculated based on the time of the last menstrual period for women over 40 years old. Most women go through menopause between the ages of 45 and 55.

The sudden and obvious lack of estrogen after menopause can cause some pain and discomfort, which may occur in some people before menopause. It is often manifested by changes in mood and emotions, irritability, excitability, insomnia, anxiety, inner uneasiness, depression, paroxysmal facial flushing, hot flashes, sweating, dry and itchy skin, sometimes a crawling feeling on the skin, loss of skin elasticity, increased wrinkles, gradual muscle relaxation, occasional pain, fatigue or weakness, headache, dizziness and unstable blood pressure, etc. These symptoms are called menopausal syndrome.

1. Clinical diagnosis

The diagnosis of natural menopause is based on a retrospective assessment of perimenopausal women who have had amenorrhea for one year, with or without perimenopausal symptoms, and most do not require auxiliary examinations. Artificial menopause is not difficult to diagnose by analyzing the causes of menopause.

For women who have had amenorrhea for a short period of time, a pelvic examination must be performed to understand the size of the uterus; if necessary, a urine pregnancy test and B-ultrasound examination should be performed to rule out early pregnancy. Because perimenopausal women may occasionally ovulate and become pregnant, it is important not to assume that they are in menopause and treat it as such.

2. Premature ovarian failure

For women who reach menopause before the age of 40, auxiliary examinations are often needed to confirm the diagnosis. Generally, blood FSH>40U/L is used as the basis for diagnosis. To avoid the influence of FSH pulse secretion, blood samples can be drawn twice every other day. The E2 level is low, but there may be fluctuations in the early stage, which can be used for reference. LH increases and can reach above 40U/L after menopause, but its rise is slower than FSH, so FSH/LH>1.