Can anyone tell me what their experiences with these were? what were the first signs, physically and emotionally and at what age did they occur? How did you feel? I am 42 with no children.

Missed periods, fatigue, sore breasts, hot flashes……

Here are the most common menopause symptoms:

* spotting during menopause
* sore breasts and menopause
* the dreaded menopause sweating

And below is the most common perimenopause symptoms which are also often a part of menopause:

* weight gain during perimenopause
* decrease in energy levels
* chronic sleep disruptions

On top of all the menopause symptoms we have to deal with, thinning hair and hair loss are among the most distressing. for many of us, our hair has been a large part of who we are and a dominant symbol of our identity. what are the changes to our hair that we can expect during menopause? what role does menopause play in these changes? this article will look at how menopause affects our hair and some of the ways we can deal with yet another menopausal reminder.Hair loss traumaSince our hair is such a prominent part of our physical being, any changes to our hair are very visible. while there has been a little progress made in accepting hair loss in men, the opposite is true for hair loss in women.Short or long, hair signifies youth and vitality. when we lose our hair we are losing more than just a few extra strands. we lose yet another part of the body we have grown used to over the last few decades; our mirrors constantly remind of us of these changes.Menopause and hair thinningMenopause (and perimenopause) is a period of constantly fluctuating hormones. As our levels of estrogen decrease, the testosterone levels begin to affect us. One of the more annoying symptoms of increased testosterone levels is the change to hair growth. even more alarming is the appearance of new hair growth exactly where we do not want it on places such as the face.the estrogen that once contributed to the growth of hair follicles on the head has been reduced. As a result, the normal hair growth patterns that replaced our daily minimal hair loss are no longer sufficient. the average human loses about 50-100 strands of hair every day through normal washing and brushing. this number increases with additional styling, poor diet, or underlying health conditions. During menopause, we are not producing enough hair to compensate for our hair loss.Additional stressesAt the same time we are undergoing some of the most stressful years of our lives. the many demands of career and family can leave us exhausted. Add a poor diet and lack of exercise to the mix, and our potential for additional hair loss increases. with fewer hairs to replace the ones we have lost, our thinning hair becomes more noticeable.our hair texture changes at this point as well. Many of us will notice our hair is dry, coarse and more brittle than before. It is more difficult to maintain a full head of hair or to grow our hair. More often than not, hair seems to grow to a certain point where it appears to ?stop? and is more prone to damage.Hair loss and hormonesTo combat the effects of hair loss and other menopausal symptoms, some women elect to take hormone replacement therapy. these elevated estrogen levels come with many side effects that make hormone replacement therapy a less than ideal option for some women. A common misconception is that the additional estrogen will encourage hair growth and give us a full head of hair. with or without estrogen, hair growth slows during as we age. in reality, the hair loss process is slowed down slightly but not reversed.Treating hair thinning and hair lossYou should check with your doctor to determine the severity and cause of your thinning hair. while menopause can and does play a role, there can be other underlying conditions such as poor diet and stress that are contributing to thinning hair. there are a few products on the market such as Rogaine that can help with the most severe cases of hair loss. Otherwise, you might need to make some minor lifestyle adjustments to help combat thinning hair and encourage a healthier if not fuller head of hair.No one wants to look in the mirror and be reminded yet again that we are in menopause and there is no turning back. for women, thinning hair and hair loss are not life threatening but they are among the most visible signs of menopause. Dealing with the changes in our hair is not the most pleasant aspect of menopause, but we can refuse to let it dictate to us about who we are. we do not have to let thinning hair rob us of our vitality and strength.

SEATTLE – There may be an upside to menopausal misery.

A study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that women who have had hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms.

The protective effect appeared to increase along with the number and severity of menopausal symptoms, according to senior author Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., a breast cancer epidemiologist in the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division.

Li said in particular researchers found that women who experienced more intense hot flashes – the kind that woke them up at night – had a particularly low risk of breast cancer.

Li and colleagues suspected a link between menopause symptoms and decreased breast cancer risk because hormones such as estrogen and progesterone play an important role in the development of most breast cancers, and reductions in these hormones caused by gradual cessation of ovarian function can impact the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms.

"while menopausal symptoms can certainly have a negative impact on quality of life, our study suggests that there may be a silver lining if the reduction in breast cancer risk is confirmed in future studies," Li said. "if these findings are confirmed, they have the potential to improve our understanding of the causes of breast cancer and improve approaches to preventing this disease."

Importantly, after men started to adamantly speak up about their male menopause symptoms and medicine began to take the condition more seriously, a fundamental question was asked: does male menopause have a physical cause or is male menopause psychological? Meaning: is it all in the head?Male menopause symptoms — the first question a man asks about male menopause is usually about declining sexual function. can I continue to perform? will I still enjoy sex? will sex even matter to me in the future? somewhere is his 40′s, maybe 50′s, a man may notice that things are not the same as they used to be in the bedroom and he begins to worry. while male menopause symptoms are not just about sex, concerns in this area are real and with reason.Male menopause (or Andropause,) is a condition of gradual changes in hormone status. Male menopause afflicts some men between the ages of 40 and 60 of age. The hormone imbalance has the biggest impact on testosterone and cortisol (the stress hormone).Male hormones tend to reach its highest levels between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. in some cases, the hormone levels many drop in mid 20s. However, some men experience a drop in testosterone levels when they reach forty. There is a significant drop in these levels by the time they reach fifty. this is due to some of the diseases they suffer from.Everyone knows that women go through menopause, it’s a standard process that all women must go through. However not many people realize that men can actually suffer from the symptoms of menopause. Most people find it hard to believe but it’s actually true. in this article we will look at male menopause symptoms, the cause, and what forms of treatment are available.although the thought of a man going through menopause seems not only unlikely, but simply impossible, more and more researchers are claiming the male menopause and its symptoms do in fact exist.if you are a male aged between 40 and 45, and suffering from depression, a loss of self-confidence, lack of purpose, irritability, fear or general moodiness, you may just be experiencing the so-called male menopause. it is sometimes known as a mid-life crisis and it can have serious and far-reaching effects; it can also occur at just about any age between 35 and 70. Strictly speaking, men can’t have a menopause, as it’s defined as the point at which periods stop happening, but the name has stuck.Testosterone deficiency is treated for life, as it is usually a permanent condition. Testosterone replacement is generally done by way of implants, vials or orally. Patients typically undergo semiweekly injections of testosterone. For those afraid of implants and injections, oral prescriptions are offered.The difficult thing is, it may not be what is typically classified as male menopause at all. There are plenty of conditions that can cause these problems and that also may be directly responsible for your lack of testosterone.