woman experiencing menopause symptoms

Menopause Symptoms Explained: Full Guide

If you're approaching your mid-to-late forties or fifties and starting to notice changes in your body, mood, or sleep, you might be wondering whether this is menopause, or something else entirely. Understanding what actually happens during menopause, and the wide range of symptoms it can bring, can help you make sense of what you're experiencing and work out what genuinely needs attention.

What happens at the menopause?

The monthly cycle is governed by a number of reproductive hormones, the main ones being oestrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). At the menopause, women run out of eggs. Every woman has a supply of around two million eggs from the moment she is born, and over the years these are gradually used up.

When this happens, the body tries to encourage ovulation by releasing more FSH. This hormone is released every month in a normal cycle, but during menopause, when the body registers that ovulation isn't taking place, even more FSH is pumped out.

As the ovaries decline their oestrogen production, the body has a backup plan: the adrenal glands can produce a form of oestrogen called oestrone to help compensate. This is one reason why keeping the adrenal glands healthy matters so much during this transition, and why B vitamins and magnesium become particularly relevant.

Leading up to the menopause, ovulation becomes less likely because oestrogen levels decline during the first two weeks of the cycle, meaning progesterone won't be produced in the second half. This means a period can still happen even without ovulation occurring.

The three phases of menopause

Medically, the whole passage through menopause is termed the "climacteric", while your last period specifically is known as "the menopause". There are three distinct phases:

  • Pre-menopause: periods are still regular, but the first symptoms, such as hot flushes and mood changes, may begin to appear.
  • Peri-menopause: ovarian function declines, periods can become irregular, and symptoms may become more noticeable or severe.
  • Post-menopause: this stage lasts from your last period onwards.

We cover each phase in depth in Understanding the Three Stages of Menopause.

How do you know you're in the menopause?

If you see your doctor because you suspect you've entered menopause, they will typically measure your FSH levels. As a woman progresses through menopause, FSH levels rise higher, so this measurement gives a reasonably good indication of what stage you may be at, though levels can vary from month to month.

The full range of menopause symptoms

Symptoms vary enormously from woman to woman. Some sail through menopause with barely any symptoms beyond their periods stopping, while others experience much more intense effects, including being completely drenched in sweat day and night.

The recognised symptoms of menopause include:

  • Hot flushes
  • Night sweats
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Mood swings
  • Declining libido
  • Osteoporosis
  • Ageing skin
  • Lack of energy
  • Joint pains
  • Weight gain
  • Headaches
  • Changes in hair quality

Men also experience many of these symptoms as part of the general ageing process, including irritability, declining libido, changes in weight, ageing skin and hair, depression and anxiety. This is a useful reminder that not every symptom experienced around this age is necessarily down to the menopause specifically.

Why correct diagnosis matters

Unfortunately, if a woman around the age of 45 visits her doctor with any of these symptoms, they're often immediately attributed to "hormones", with HRT frequently offered as the first line of treatment. Many women who have been placed on HRT for supposed hormone problems later discover they weren't actually menopausal at all.

A variety of other health conditions can produce symptoms very similar to those of menopause, so it's worth not assuming that menopause is automatically the cause without proper investigation. Our article on HRT risks and natural alternatives looks at what the research shows.

Supporting your body through the transition

Because menopause affects so many systems at once, from bones and skin to mood and energy, nutritional support during this stage generally works best as a broad foundation rather than a single targeted nutrient.

Meno Support Multi is a condition-specific multivitamin and mineral formula built around the demands of this life stage, including B vitamins and magnesium for adrenal and mood support, and calcium citrate, vitamin D3, zinc and vitamin C for bone health. For symptom-focused herbal support, Meno Herbal Support combines agnus castus, black cohosh and dong quai.

Making sense of your own experience

Because the range of possible symptoms is so broad, it can be genuinely helpful to keep a simple daily or weekly note of what you're noticing, alongside your cycle if you're still menstruating. Over a few months, patterns often become clearer: which symptoms cluster together, whether they worsen around a particular point in your cycle, and whether they're improving or worsening.

This kind of tracking gives you and your doctor much more useful information than trying to recall symptoms from memory at a single appointment.

Common questions about menopause symptoms

Are all menopause symptoms hormonal? Not necessarily. While hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness are commonly linked to declining oestrogen, many other symptoms are also part of the general ageing process and affect men in similar ways. This overlap is exactly why it's worth investigating rather than assuming.

Why do FSH levels rise during menopause? FSH rises because the body is trying to stimulate ovulation. As the ovaries run out of eggs and stop responding, the pituitary gland releases progressively more FSH, which is why elevated FSH is used as a marker.

Can you still have periods without ovulating? Yes. As oestrogen levels decline earlier in the cycle, ovulation becomes less likely, but a period can still occur even when ovulation hasn't taken place.

What's the difference between perimenopause and menopause? Perimenopause is the phase where ovarian function is declining and periods may become irregular. "The menopause" strictly refers to your very last period, with post-menopause describing everything from that point onwards.

Which nutrients help most with hot flushes? Vitamin C with bioflavonoids and vitamin E both have research behind them for hot flush relief, which is why both feature in menopause-specific formulas.

The bottom line

Menopause is a natural transition marked by declining egg supply, rising FSH, and a wide, often unpredictable range of physical and emotional symptoms. Because so many of these symptoms overlap with general ageing or other health conditions, understanding the full picture puts you in a much stronger position to seek the right kind of support.

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This article is for information only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a qualified doctor or health practitioner before making changes to your diet or supplement routine.

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