Symptoms

On this page:
When Everything can be Affected
Physical symptoms
Cognitive symptoms
Mood symptoms
Bladder, vulvo-vaginal and sexual symptoms
References

When Everything can be Affected

Hormone receptors for estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are distributed throughout the female body, causing menopause symptoms to affect various bodily systems.

Women’s bodies are designed for a gradual decrease of hormones over time, allowing for an adjustment to lower hormone levels. In surgical menopause, the deficiency is sudden, increasing the severity of symptoms, especially for premenopausal women previously benefiting from high hormone levels.

Over 10% of women continue to experience symptoms even after ten years.

While many symptoms occur, they vary widely in severity and frequency among women.

In natural (spontaneous) menopause, 20% of women don’t experience any symptoms, 60% have mild to moderate symptoms, and 20% have symptoms severe enough to interfere with daily life.

In a meta-analysis of 35,445 participants, vasomotor symptoms lasted an average of 4 years for nearly 50% of women, and 10% reported symptoms as far as 12 years after final menstrual period.

For women undergoing surgical menopause, some symptoms are significantly worse:

Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes/night sweats)
Sleep disturbances
Anxiety/depression
Sexual dysfunction (low libido, genitourinary syndrome of menopause)

Over 30 symptoms have been recognised so far.

Track and Manage Your Menopause Symptoms Effectively
Keeping a record of your symptoms (frequency, severity, effect on quality of life) can help you manage and notice differences when you modify your treatment.

There are some excellent tools available. The free Balance-app from Dr. Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist (UK), is highly recommended. It generates regular reports that can be printed and brought to your doctor for follow-ups.

Additionally, some organisations offer downloadable, printable charting sheets if you prefer a paper version:
The Menopause Charity. We also made our own that you can access in the Free Resources section.

Charting information will help you discuss with your doctor what changes you can make to reduce the impact of problematic symptoms.

We’ll be building this space to provide information and solutions targeted for each symptom. In the meantime, here are the symptoms that have been listed so far:

Physical symptoms

Physical symptoms may include:

Allergies
Altered sense of smell
Aches and pains (muscles and joints)
Breast tenderness
Brittle nails
Digestive issues (bloating, heartburn, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, incontinence)
Dizziness
Eye changes (dry eyes, eyesight)
Fatigue or low energy
Hair thinning
Headaches or migraine
Hearing changes (tinnitus, hearing loss)
Heart palpitations
Hot flushes and/or night sweats (vasomotor symptoms)
Mouth or gum problems
Numbness or tingling in parts of the body
Restless legs syndrome
Skin changes (acne, dryness, itchiness)
Sleep disturbances
Weight gain or loss

Cognitive symptoms

Cognitive symptoms may include:

Brain fog
Memory problems
Difficulty concentrating

Mood symptoms

Mood symptoms may include:

Anxiety/Depression
Panic attacks
Anger and/or irritability
Mood swings
Low mood (crying spells)
Overwhelmed

Bladder, vulvo-vaginal and sexual symptoms

Bladder, vulvo-vaginal and sexual symptoms can also fall under the category of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), or what is commonly known as vaginal dryness. These symptoms may include:

Low libido
Painful sex (dyspareunia)
Vaginal/vulval dryness (atrophy)
Urinary changes (frequent urination, incontinence, pain, recurrent UTIs)

References

Jean Hailes for Women’s Health – Symptoms of Menopause, May 2025.

Politi MC, Schleinitz MD, Col NF. Revisiting the Duration of Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause: A Meta-Analysis. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Sep; 23(9): 1507–1513.

Australasian Menopause Society, What are the Symptoms?, Apr 2017.

Wright VJ, Schwartzman JD, Itinoche R, Wittstein J. The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric. 2024 Jul 30:1-7.

Australasian Menopause Society, Vulvovaginal Symptoms After Menopause, July 2024.

[Updated: 16 July 2025]