Your mouth feels like it’s burning: One of the most bizarre side-effects of the menopause is the scalding feeling some women get on their lips, gums, tongue or other parts of their mouths. Although it can affect People of all ages, by far the majority of people suffering “burning mouth syndrome” are those going through menopause. According to research, between 10 to 40 per cent of women seeking help for menopausal symptoms also suffer some type of mouth discomfort including experiencing metallic taste. The cause of burning mouth syndrome, which can last for several years, is not completely understood. But most scientists believe that the problem is caused by oestrogen’s effect on the nerves that control taste.
How to fight back: Burning mouth syndrome gets worse when sufferers talk a lot, eat hot or spicy foods or are stressed—so relaxation and bland meals are recommended. The discomfort is often accompanied by dryness—and experts at Oxford’s John Radcliff Hospital advise women to drink more water and chew sugar-free gum to keep the mouth moist.
Your orgasms are less intense: When oestrogen levels start to fall during the menopause, the blood supply to the genital area can also diminish—making for less powerful orgasms. The tissues and muscles around the clitoris become weaker. As a result, orgasms may take longer to achieve and may be shorter in length. In one study published in the Journal of Sex Research, 15 per cent of women going through menopause said they were less interested in sex and could not reach orgasm, compared to six per cent of young women.
How to fight back: When it comes to orgasms, experts recommend that you keep practising. Sex researchers have found that women who continue to have frequent sex during the menopause have fewer problems than those whose sex lives dwindle or stop. Regular intercourse also keep up the flow of blood to the pelvic region, keeping the tissues stronger and healthier.
Women who make love often have also been found to have better lubrication and stronger pelvic muscles. Exercises can also help with sexual satisfaction post- menopause. To do a basic exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor as if you are trying to stop urinating. Count to three, then release. Gradually build up the number to around 50 to 100 a day.
Your skin itches: Hot flushes are probably the most infamous side effect of menopause. But to make things worse for some women, these embarrassing episodes—in which the temperature of the body dramatically soars—are preceded by attacks of itchy skin, known as ‘formication.’ Some women compare the feeling to the sensation of having ants crawling all over them, while others say it feels as if they have been plugged in to an electric socket, researchers believe this tingling is caused by zig-zagging oestrogen levels affecting receptors in the skin’s nerve endings.
