The main symptoms people associate with menopause are hot flushes and mood swings. But hormonal changes can affect the whole body in ways you might not expect.
We’re exploring some more symptoms that may go under the radar. Whilst symptoms vary with each person, it can help to understand what can be more common to help you feel prepared and less alone during the menopause.
Brain fog can be a symptom of menopause. This can often look like:
Menopause and perimenopause can cause brain fog due to declining levels of hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
As oestrogen supports memory centres in the brain and helps maintain blood flow, the levels dropping can cause cognitive processing to slow down.
Testosterone is responsible for mental sharpness and clarity, which is why brain fog can happen.
You can help to reduce the impact of brain fog by doing regular exercise to boost blood flow to the brain, having a nutritious diet and staying hydrated.
Another symptom can be itchy skin, clinically this is called pruritus. This can often feel like a deep dryness with skin feeling tight, rough or flaky, a prickling or tingling sensation and a crawling sensation.
The cause for itchy skin during menopause is due to lower oestrogen, when this happens your skin holds less water and loses its protective boundary.
You can help to ease symptoms of itchy skin by using a heavy moisturiser, lowering shower temperature and using cool compresses.
Joint pain can be another symptom of menopause or perimenopause.
This can feel like a dull, persistent ache, a deep stiffness or a general soreness across multiple joints. It could be aching knees, hips and fingers.
This can often be mistaken as part of ageing and some people don’t realise it’s actually part of the menopause.
Joint pain is caused by the dropping levels of oestrogen, as the hormone protects your joints and keeps them lubricated.
You can help to ease joint pain during menopause by trying low-impact exercises, pain medication and supplements like turmeric, omega-3 fish oil and vitamin D.
During the menopause you may experience changes in body odour, this can show up in odour becoming a different scent or becoming stronger.
This happens due to a shift in hormones like falling oestrogen and progesterone levels which leaves testosterone and stress-related cortisol higher. This then stimulates apocrine sweat glands and changes sweat composition.
Another cause for this can be hot flushes and night sweats which can cause heavy sweating and create a more musky scent.
You can ease changes in body odour by using strong antiperspirants, choosing a gentle wash, wearing breathable fabrics, staying hydrated and managing stress.
This can often be one of the symptoms many people don’t expect, often the main focuses of menopause are around hot sweats and irregular periods.
Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a painful, scalding or tingling sensation on the tongue, lips or roof of the mouth. It can also cause:
Burning Mouth Syndrome happens during the menopause due to the falling Oestrogen levels, this can reduce the production of saliva and increase the nerve sensitivity in our oral tissue.
Stress and anxiety can play a role in making a dry mouth worse.
There is no known way to stop BMS, however, some steps can be taken to manage pain and control symptoms, such as:
Going through the menopause can result in increased anxiety. This can look like feeling nervous, irritable and having racing thoughts. It can also cause symptoms like dizziness, muscle tension and heart palpitations. You may also find you have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Anxiety can appear in people who have never suffered with it before.
This is driven by the declining levels of oestrogen and progesterone, affecting the brain chemicals which regulate our mood.
It can also be caused by other symptoms, for example, if you’re having hot flushes and night sweats, it can affect your sleep and you may find yourself having symptoms of anxiety after a bad night's sleep.
Treatments like CBT, can help to provide tools for coping with stress. You can also make lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and practising mindfulness to support overall mental wellbeing.
Heart palpitations can be a worrying symptom; however, it can be handy to know that when it comes to menopause, these are common and usually harmless.
This can often feel like a racing or pounding heart, a fluttering feeling in the chest, skipped heart beats or sensations in the throat or neck.
As with almost all symptoms of the menopause, this is due to the decreasing levels of oestrogen, which can cause your heart to overstimulate and beat faster.
Oestrogen helps to stabilise your nervous system and blood levels, so changes in the levels of this hormone causes these effects.
You may find if you experience hot flushes, the palpitations can come right after. Palpitations can be made worse by a number of lifestyle factors too, like drinking caffeine or alcohol, lack of sleep and dehydration.
This symptom is considered harmless and very common within the menopause, however, it is recommended to seek medical evaluation if you also experience chest pain, severe shortness of breath or dizziness and fainting.
Dizziness can be another common symptom of menopause. This is light-headedness, feeling faint, vertigo or a spinning sensation and unsteadiness or loss of balance.
This is typically common and usually nothing to worry about during menopause. It's caused by dropping oestrogen levels affecting the blood vessel circulation, blood pressure and the inner ear’s vestibular system, which controls balance.
It can also be made worse or caused by dehydration and unstable blood sugar levels.
You can help to manage dizziness as a menopause symptom by:
Menopause can cause dry eyes, which often feels like a scratchy or burning irritation. It can feel like grittiness, burning or stinging, watery eyes or blurry vision.
It happens due to lower androgens and oestrogen levels causing the glands in the eyelids to change.
Androgens are responsible for controlling the glands in your eyes which produce the protective oil layer of your tears.
Therefore, the drop in the androgens hormones means you have less oil volume and your tears lose their hydration barrier and dry up too fast.
You can help to reduce the discomfort of dry eyes during the menopause by applying preservative-free eye drops, applying a warm compress for 8-10 minutes and taking regular screen breaks.
The final symptom of menopause that’s lesser talked about is electric shock sensations. These are often called body zaps or brain zaps. They can be sudden and brief jolt-like feelings under the skin or in the head.
They can often occur before or during a hot flush, and are most commonly felt in the head, neck, chest or feet.
Oestrogen is responsible for protecting and supporting nerve function, so when these levels drop during menopause, nerve pathways can become overly sensitive and misfire signals.
You may be able to reduce these symptoms by checking vitamin levels, as low vitamin B12 can cause nerve jolts, reduce your stress levels and eat foods such as tofu, flaxseeds and soybeans which can mimic oestrogen.
Although these symptoms are all common and associated with menopause, they shouldn’t be ignored if they are affecting your daily life. Speaking to a GP can help you find support and treatment that may be available to help manage the severity of symptoms.
If you find any new or concerning symptoms then definitely seek support and medical advice from a GP. If you have health insurance, you can get fast access to a digital GP, included in your policy.
Menopause affects everyone differently, but understanding the lesser-known symptoms can help people to feel more informed and less alone.
Support, lifestyle changes and medical advice can all help to navigate through the transition with ease and confidence.