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Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
When we talk about menopause, the main symptoms that come to mind are a cessation of periods, hot flashes and weight gain. But they are not the only ones. Here are four others, rarer, but which are associated with this particular moment in the woman’s life.
All women face menopause at one point or another. And if most of the symptoms described are hot flashes and weight gain, there are others, less common and often unrecognized. Here are the ones, with Dr Odile Bagot, gynecologist and member of the Doctissimo expert committee.
Brain fog
Brain fog can be defined by difficulty retaining certain information or actions that disrupt daily life, such as losing your keys, for example. The person’s concentration is also affected, as is forgetting certain appointments or what one had come to do in a room, for example.
According to Odile Bagot, this symptom is possibly linked to menopause because “estrogens have a positive effect on cognitive functions”. On the other hand, estrogen deficiency is not the direct cause. “Brain fog is mostly secondary to sleep disorders and mood, themselves linked to lack estrogen. Furthermore, the symptoms mentioned are also linked to brain aging. notes the expert.
Dry eye
In a previous article, we reported on the alert from British opticians and ophthalmologists about dry eye and the increased risk of infection linked to menopause. Charlotte Cook, optometrist, quoted in the same media, emphasized that the shape of the cornea can evolve under the action of hormonal changes. “This can cause problems for women who wear contact lenses, so it may be a good idea to have your eyes checked“.
According to Dr. Bagot, menopause can actually influence dry eyes. “On the other hand, nothing says that the shape of the cornea is affected by menopause. You should know that there is an aging of the eye with a change in its curvature, which incidentally improves the eyesight of myopic people!”
Musculoskeletal disorders
Due to the decline in hormone production by our body, menopause is also a time in life when joint pain appears or worsens. These muscular disorders concern different anatomical regions and affect many women.
For Odile Bagot, this particularly concerns “joints that contain estrogen receptors”. For these women, removing rust in the morning is essential before setting out in the morning.
Urinary and sexual symptoms
Postmenopausal women can experience urinary incontinence. This is characterized by different symptoms that affect the genitourinary sphere:
- Vulvovaginal symptoms, with vaginal dryness, burning and irritation;
- Sexual symptoms, mainly with dyspareunia, that is to say pain felt in the genital area, during and after sexual intercourse;
- Urinary symptoms, with difficulty holding back and urgent needs, but also urinary infections, pollakiuria (excessive frequency of urination), nocturia (getting up more than once a night to urinate), pain in urination. “These disorders are grouped together within genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GUMS)” indicates Odile Bagot. This syndrome can affect up to 50% of women and requires appropriate care, by different means, to be treated.
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