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Symptoms of menopause in women after age 40
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Menopause is a certain stage when a woman goes through a transition from reproductive age to menopause. In most cases, the first symptoms of menopause are observed in women after 40 years of age. During this period, the ovarian function begins to slowly fade. This process lasts for about five years. During this time, a woman notices irregularities in her menstrual cycle, and other signs of menopause also appear. Hormonal changes during menopause occur continuously, but the symptoms appear only occasionally, and then disappear completely.
It is quite difficult to predict what the first signs of menopause will be – they can manifest themselves with varying intensity and consistency. Classic signs are irregular menstruation, hot flashes, weight gain, periods of rapid heartbeat, and sleep disturbances.
If some of these signs have appeared, you should not immediately diagnose yourself, but if these signs have appeared for a long time, this indicates that the climacteric period has already begun. And here there are certain nuances that every woman should be aware of. What can you expect?
Psycho-emotional background
Many people, even those not connected with medicine, are familiar with the definition of "climacteric neurosis". Of course, mental changes in the body may have nothing to do with menopause and accompany a woman in other periods, but it is during menopause that they can be encountered more often and, in general, they are accompanied by somatovegetative disorders of a more complex nature. Women may experience fatigue, loss of interest in themselves and in life, unreasonable anxiety, suspiciousness, susceptibility, fears associated with approaching old age, mood swings.
Sleep disorders
This symptom is very common during menopause. More than 60% of women have trouble falling asleep during this period, the quality of sleep is reduced, and there are frequent awakenings. These symptoms of menopause in women over 40 are associated with central and peripheral nervous disorders: vascular disorders, metabolic disorders in the brain, emotional imbalance (depression, anxiety, fears). During the night period during menopause, breathing disorders (snoring, apnea) and movement disorders are often observed, when a lot of movements are made during sleep. In addition, women note headaches in the morning, high blood pressure and drowsiness during the day. Peripheral nervous system disorders manifest themselves in the form of frequent urination, hot flashes, numbness of the limbs, a feeling of "goosebumps" in the body.
Vegetative and psychovegetative disorders
These disorders are often accompanied by psycho-emotional disorders. During menopause, women often feel discomfort on the left side of the chest, irregular heartbeats, lack of air, rapidly changing blood pressure, disruption of the digestive system, and hot flashes. Menopause symptoms can also manifest as attacks of aggression or panic.
Deterioration in performance
The disruption of the function responsible for consciousness and thinking affects work capacity. These changes in the body lead to the fact that it is more difficult for a woman to switch to another type of activity, the ability to remember information deteriorates, and it is more difficult to concentrate.
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Psychosocial syndrome
Another symptom of menopause in women after 40 years is psychosocial syndrome, when against the background of impaired cognitive function, vegetative and sexual disorders, sleep disorders, difficulties in social adaptation, isolation, the woman is subject to stress, difficulties in communication at work and in the family appear. Of course, because of this, the quality of life decreases and against this background, serious diseases can appear. For this reason, women who have immature mental defense mechanisms and ineffective ways of overcoming stress need the help of a doctor.
Metabolic and hormonal changes
Women often experience changes in appetite during menopause: it may increase or decrease, weight increases, fluid is excreted from the body more slowly, which causes swelling. Women over 40 often develop joint pathologies, osteoporosis, and heart and vascular diseases.
Sexual disorders
According to statistics, from 1/2 to 3/4 of women during menopause note a decrease in interest in sexual intercourse, and the place of sex in the scale of values changes. This is explained by endocrine changes: the fading function of the ovaries, when fewer and fewer hormones are produced. A decrease in estrogen levels causes the thinning of the vaginal mucosa, vaginal lubrication is produced more slowly and in smaller quantities, which causes pain during sexual intercourse. A lack of free testosterone leads to a decrease in libido, and a decrease in progesterone levels leads to lethargy, loss of strength, headaches, which also affects sexual interest.
Physiological fading of the female body is an inevitable process that causes an ambiguous attitude. For some women, it passes in calm and contemplation, their lifestyle is built taking into account these changes, while others stubbornly resist reality, without revising their habits. But in both cases, it is possible to continue living a full, rich life - the symptoms of menopause in women after 40 years should not become an obstacle to this.