What are the most common symptoms of menopause?

Most Common Symptoms of Menopause

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common symptoms of menopause, experienced by 46-73% of women, and can significantly disrupt sleep and daily activities. 1

Primary Menopausal Symptoms by Prevalence and Impact

Vasomotor Symptoms

• Hot flashes and night sweats (46-73% of women) 1
  • Most pronounced during first 4-7 years but can persist for more than a decade 2
  • Often exacerbate sleep disturbances 1
  • May be more severe in women taking aromatase inhibitors compared to tamoxifen 1

Genitourinary Symptoms

• Vaginal dryness, irritation, and pruritis 1
• Dyspareunia (painful intercourse) 1
• Urinary complaints including incontinence 1, 3
• Tend to be progressive rather than improving over time 2

Sexual Function Changes

• Decreased libido affects at least 50% of women 1
• Sexual dysfunction 1, 2

Sleep Disturbances

• Often triggered or worsened by night sweats 1
• Contribute significantly to daytime fatigue and reduced quality of life 3

Mood and Cognitive Changes

• Irritability, anxiety, and depression 1
• Cognitive changes including memory and concentration issues 2
• Consistently linked to the menopausal transition 1

Physical Symptoms

• Arthralgias and myalgias (joint and muscle pain) 1
• Fatigue 1
• Increased abdominal fat 2
• Bone loss 2
• Adverse changes in metabolic health 2

Symptom Patterns and Considerations

• Symptoms can occur in any combination or sequence, making the link to menopause sometimes elusive 2
• More than 75% of women experience at least some menopausal symptoms 4
• Symptoms can significantly impact quality of life and daily functioning 3
• Chemotherapy may cause transient or permanent menopause in premenopausal women (33-73% of premenopausal women treated for breast cancer) 1

Clinical Pearls

• FSH levels can be unreliable during the transition period and should not be used as the sole diagnostic criterion 1
• Standardized assessment tools like the Greene Scale or MENQOL can help evaluate symptom severity 1
• Important to rule out other medical causes for symptoms (e.g., thyroid disease) when evaluating menopausal symptoms 1
• Despite effective treatment options, menopausal symptoms remain substantially undertreated by healthcare providers 2
• Men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer may experience similar vasomotor symptoms (50-80% of men on ADT) 1