[The symptoms of menopause].

Menopause occurs when a woman stops menstruation permanently at the end of the reproductive life. It usually begins around the ages of 45 and 53, median age is 51. Many women experience menstrual irregularities soon before it stops. The common symptoms of menopause are that women (75%) experience vasomotor symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, and flushing. Headache, palpitation, and tiredness are common. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) includes dryness of the vagina or vulvovaginal atrophy which causes sore, itching, and burning in the vagina and severe dyspareunia. Also it includes urgency, frequency, nocturia, repeated UTI, and sexual dysfunction. Mood changes like irritability, lack of concentration, loneliness, forgetfulness, insomnia, anxiety, and depression bother many women. Joint and muscle pain, backache, osteoporosis, and fracture are common. Midsection weight gain, hirsutism, hair fall, and loss of elasticity of skin are distressing symptoms. Diminished cognitive capacity, memory loss, and dementia are associated with aging, but women with premature ovarian insuffi-ciency may experience such condition.