Menopause Symptoms

If you've ever wondered "is this normal?" when having what just might be menopause symptoms, or if you're wondering what to expect, this video about the signs and symptoms of menopause is for you.  I'll take you from the earliest peri-menopausal symptoms right out the other side - post menopause.  

Find out what's normal.. how good "normal" can be - and make a note of the one kind of bleeding you have to get checked out by the doctor. 

Just click the picture below to play the video. 

00:30 What causes the symptoms of menopause

00:40 what are the symptoms of menopause in stage

00:54 how long does menopause last

02:40 what most women want to know

03:00 is this normal? here’s my take on it

03:56 what are the signs and symptoms of menopause in stage 205:20 you’re officially in menopause when..

05:55 what’s the one kind of bleeding you need to get checked out by a doctor

05:45 stage 3 signs and symptoms of menopause

06:55 get two free tools to help you right now - the 30-Second Menopause Test and the Menopause Toolkit

NOTE: The menopause test and toolkit are no longer available, 


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Rather read than watch?  Here's the transcript of the video What Are The Symptoms of Menopause

Is this normal? is this hormones? is this menopause? or am i just going C-RAZY?!

Hi I’m Dana LaVoie - Acupuncturist, Herbalist, & Women’s health guide - and in this video I’m going to show you what to expect FROM when your hormones start to change at the beginning of peri-menopause all the way out the other side after menopause. So stick around.

So the symptoms you get before during & after menopause are caused by changing - specifically decreasing - hormone levels.  The symptoms tend to come in stages:

Stage 1 is often caused by decreasing levels of progesterone. This stage is often called peri-menopause, and it likely happens while you’re still having your period.  

You can have these stage 1 symptoms for anywhere from 1 year up to 15 years! before your period actually stops.  These changes can start at any age.. sometimes in mid to late 30s and usually by the mid 40s.  Often you feel the first symptoms happening around your cycle..It often feels like PMS is getting worse - or if you've never had PMS - now you do.  It can take the form of MOOD CHAGES AND MOOD SWINGS like increased irritability where little things you used to take in stride - just SET YOU OFF, anxiety, depression, irritation, anger, lack of patience, paranoia, panic, crying spells, fuzzy thinking, lost concentration, poor memory, forgetfulness, and brain fog (yogurt in the hamper, socks in the fridge kind of thing) an inability to concentrate or function - even the feeling that your drive, get up and go, and will to live have GONE and you just can’t cope.

You can get physical symptoms like nights sweats, breast tenderness, migraines, trouble sleeping, fatigue, joint aches, or flu like symptoms. You might also get low libido, painful intercourse, or weight gain at this stage.  Then your cycle itself might start to change. It can get longer, shorter, heavier, or lighter, or it can have more irregular bleeding that starts and stops.  You can also experience spotting - especially during tiger second half of your cycle.  Bleeding can even get dangerously heavy in some women.  The symptoms will likely be worse around your period and/or at night.and it’s really common in this phase for women who describe this to their doc to be given anti-depressants - which doesn't tend to help your self esteem or your feelings about aging…and your cycle

women often want to know - is this NORMAL??  because they’re not IN menopause, they often thought menopause wouldn't happen until they were older.. and they feel totally out of control in terms of mood - totally miserable from lack of sleep - unable to concentrate or function -SO - IS THIS NORMAL?  

Well normal is a pretty loaded word… here’s my take on it.  

Women often think menopause happens around age 55 when the truth is that the average age is more like 51-52 and peri-menopause most often stars around 45.. So these hormonal symptoms often takes women by surprise.  

So - Yes these symptoms are common and are caused by hormonal changes - so yes they’re “normal” in that you’re not just going spontaneously mad or getting some weird disease!  

But there are plenty of women out there - especially in Asia - who go through this time in their lives and these hormonal changes without any significant symptoms - with very minor discomfort only - and to me THAT IS ACTUALLY NORMAL . That is how your body was designed to go through this change - and that is how your body WANTS to go through this change. MORE ON THAT LATER

Continuing on with symptoms.

STAGE 2 is often caused by decreasing levels of estrogen - and here’s what it can feel like..

Full on or worsening hot flashes & night sweats.  More vaginal changes like changes in pH and changes in flora and thinning, less plump tissue that can lead to altered appearance, dryness, irritation, painful intercourse, and bacterial infections… Sometimes even stubborn, recurrent UTIs, and you can have urinary changes like difficulty controlling urination, leakage, and urgency.

And you’re likely to see more skin changes all over your body including your face - like thinning, sagging, wrinkling skin.. heart palpitations are not uncommon.. and you can still be having all the symptoms you had in stage 1 like insomnia, mood changes and everything else.

This is often around the time when your period will stop..

Technically you’re IN menopause when you have not had a period or any vaginal bleeding for 12 months.

One thing that is often not normal is to have vaginal bleeding after not having had any periods or any bleeding for 12 months.. If this happens it can be just a rogue returning period - but if this happens you should always get it checked by your doc. because it can be a sign of something more serious that needs to be addressed.

OK - moving on - Stage 3 is “post menopausal” and the symptoms are often caused by the decreased estrogen and progesterone combined with a now decreased testosterone level, so your internal fire, your spark, has declined.

Typical symptoms here are loss of libido, risk of decreased bone density, decreased metabolism, & weight gain or the inability to lose weight, and you can continue to have issues with thinning skin, UTIs, and urinary changes.

Sometimes the hormone levels will get stuck out of balance and you’ll even have continuing hot flashes for years and years…

So, I think this might be the most depressing video I’ve made so far - I KNOW it doesn’t sound pretty!  But that’s the whole reason I do what I do - because I do NOT believe you have to have all these extreme symptoms.

With the right diet, lifestyle, herbs, supplements, and hormones - if needed - you can breeze through menopause with minimal discomfort and enjoy and amazing new chapter of your life… where you still feel amazing, inspired, sexy, and gorgeous - and can enjoy the benefits of the experience and wisdom you’ve earned!!

Like so many women (especially in Asia) do and yes there’s a reason their skin still looks so young - more on that later.

But often, when you’re in the middle of these changes or are just starting - your thinking is so fuzzy or you haven’t learned much about it yet, so it’s hard to get any perspective, know what’s going on, or know what to expect.

So I’ve created a couple of free tools to get you started on the right track. Download your FREE 30-second Menopause Test - to get a quick overview and check on whether what you’re dealing with right now is likely to be caused by peri-menopausal or menopausal hormonal changes.

Then download your Menopause Toolkit (also FREE) to get started with the tips that are going to help your body ease through these hormonal changes in the gentlest, most balanced way possible.

And remember - plenty of women go through the whole change with only minimal symptoms - and that’s what I consider normal..

But our bodies need pretty ideal conditions for this to happen.

That’s what I’m all about - helping you find out what those ideal conditions are in terms of diet and lifestyle and how to then give your body the little extras it needs in the form of supplements, herbs, and giving you my take on where bio-identical hormones fit into your whole program.

So hopefully we lightened things up there a bit at the end. There really is help available - like a roadmap for having an easier menopause naturally. Stick with me and I’ll show you how.

I’m Dana LaVoie, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, & Women’s Health Guide - and thanks for watching.

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