What are the short-term effects of menopause?
Each woman’s experience with menopause is unique. Some women experience few symptomatic effects, while others suffer significant discomfort. Although the short-term effects related to menopause can be traced directly to the decrease in hormones, stress can add to the problem by increasing the severity of the symptoms. Common short-term effects of menopause include: • Hot flashes: A hot flash is a sudden sensation of heat that spreads from the chest to the head, often followed by sweating and cold shivering. • Night sweats: Essentially, night sweats are hot flashes that occur during sleep. In some cases, the sweating is intense enough to soak the woman’s clothing and bed sheets. • Difficulty sleeping: Some of this can be the result of night sweats, which can disturb sleep. • Vaginal changes: With decreased estrogen, the vagina becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic. It may take longer to become lubricated during sexual arousal, and the vagina becomes more vulnerable to infection. • Ch
