It is quite surprising that even though menopause happens to every woman, it’s not as straightforward as it seems. So, why are symptoms so different for all women?

In fact, there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding the topic, mostly because menopausal symptoms vary from woman to woman.

You might be experiencing hot flushes/flashes, while your friend might be having some mood swings. During menstrual cycles, a woman may experience heavier vaginal bleeding, while another might have no menstrual bleeding for a year before it resumes all of a sudden.

Even the period of time that common symptoms appear isn’t the same for each person.

Some women start experiencing menopause symptoms as early as their 40s, while others experience them much later. The whole cycle of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause can take up to a decade before it stops, but it can also be a much shorter period for others.

In other words, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all when it comes to menopause symptoms! Each woman has a different experience of menopause.

If you’re wondering why that is so, then read on.

Women, it’s all about our hormone levels
Hormones act as chemical messengers that regulate the body’s growth, metabolism, function, and a woman’s sexual development. It’s safe to say that fluctuating hormone levels can affect all these bodily functions as well.

But among all the hormones in the body, the female reproductive hormones — estrogen and progesterone — are primarily responsible for the symptoms of menopause you’re experiencing.

Estrogen
Dubbed as the primary female hormone, estrogen promotes the health of your female reproductive organs, as well as keeps your vagina moisturized, elastic, and supplied with blood.

As a woman grows older and enters the perimenopause period, her ovaries stop working, causing a decline in estrogen levels. Despite this, the gradual loss of estrogen is often irregular, characterized by fluctuations and unpredictability, especially during the menopausal transition.

That is why you experience all sorts of menopausal symptoms, from urinary incontinence and hot flushes/flashes to sleep disturbance and decreased libido or sexual desire.

Progesterone
Another one of the reproductive hormones affecting your experience of menopausal symptoms is progesterone.

Also known as the pregnancy hormone, progesterone prepares the uterine lining for the fertilized egg to support pregnancy. Its production stops when there is no more ovulation happening.

As a result, a woman may experience irregular periods. Your menstrual period may become heavier and longer as your body undergoes menopause transition.

Testosterone
Though testosterone is more popular as a male hormone, your ovaries and adrenal glands also produce it at lower levels. It helps your body produce estrogen, affects sexual desire, and maintains bone and muscle mass.

But unlike the previous two hormones, the decline in testosterone levels naturally happens because of age, peaking at your 20s and halving by age 65 to 75.

The effects of this age-related testosterone decline among menopausal women require further studies, although some researchers believe that it dampens your libido.

There you have it — the three main hormones affecting how you experience menopause symptoms.

By Mai Bantog