80 Menopause Symptoms Most Women Are Never Told About
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Speaker: [00:00:00] Have you ever experienced a symptom that made you stop and think, what the hell's happening to me? Not something small, not something easy to ignore, either. Something that made you pause and really pay attention. So you did what most women do. You went to your doctor, you explained what you were feeling.
Maybe it was exhaustion that felt different than normal being tired or other strain sensations in your body that just didn't make sense. They ask you a few questions, maybe do a quick exam, and then they look at you and say, everything looks fine. But you know, deep down that it's not fine. You know that something is happening in your body and you just can't figure out what it is.
And this is where frustration really sets in because you didn't imagine these changes, something shifted internally even if no one has a name for it. Well, if you are between the ages of 40 and 60, you are most likely experiencing one of the many [00:01:00] menopause symptoms and side effects that most women aren't even aware or menopause related.
And that lack of awareness is what causes so much unnecessary. Fear, stress and self-doubt. Well, today I'm breaking down the one thing that could change everything about how you experience menopause. And the unfortunate truth is that most women have no idea about it, but we are changing that today. I'm Tafiq Akhir, Mr.
Menopause here and welcome to the Mr. Menopause Show.
Now most women know about hot flashes. You know about night sweats. Maybe you know about mood swings, but that's usually where the conversation stops and when that's all that you've been told. Well, it's easy to miss what's actually going on. When symptoms don't look like that list, you start questioning yourself and you start wondering if you're just [00:02:00] stressed or overthinking things.
What most women don't know is that there are over 80 documented symptoms and side effects of menopause. That's right. 80. And those symptoms don't show up neatly. They don't come with labels and they don't announce themselves as being hormonal. They do show up quietly, unexpectedly, and often in ways that feel disconnected from menopause altogether.
And because most women don't know this, they're walking around thinking they're losing their minds because they're experiencing symptoms they don't understand. And for many women. These symptoms don't arrive alone. They actually stack and one leads to another. Fatigue, leads to anxiety. Anxiety affects sleep.
Poor sleep makes everything feel worse. But hear me clearly, it's not just in your head, it's menopause. And that statement alone should change your perspective here because now you can stop questioning your sanity and you can start [00:03:00] asking better questions in order to get better results. Now, here are a few examples of symptoms that most women don't realize or even menopause related.
First is having a burning sensation in your mouth or on your tongue, and this typically feels like you burned your mouth on hot coffee, even though you didn't, but that's hormones affecting your nerve endings. For some women, it's constant, and for others it comes and goes, but either way, it's unsettling when you don't know why it's happening.
Next is electric shock sensations. Now, this might feel like a rubber band snapping inside your body, and again, that's estrogen fluctuations affecting your nervous system. And these sensations often scare women because they feel neurological and when no one explains the hormonal connection. Fear typically does fill that gap.
Next is tinnitus or tinnitus, which is ringing or buzzing in your ear. And [00:04:00] yes, hormones affect your inner ear and it catches many women off guard because it's rarely talked about yet. It becomes incredibly distracting and stressful for. Then there's itchy crawly skin. Now this feels like bugs are crawling on you.
It's also called formation. Now again, hormones are the culprit, and when there's no visible rash, what women are often told that is anxiety, which only adds to the frustration. Digestive issues are another disconnected menopause symptom that comes in various ways. Things like bloating, gas changes in your bowel movements because your gut has estrogen receptors.
So when hormones fluctuate. Digestion can change too, even if your diet hasn't changed. And those right there, that was just five symptoms. Now, when I was researching for my book, I put together the complete list of all 80 documented symptoms and what stood out to [00:05:00] me most wasn't the number, though. It was how often women said, I didn't even know these were menopause related.
And that's why I actually made the. First section of the book free so that women could see the full symptom list and check off what you are experiencing. Not to overwhelm you, but to validate you. And you can get the first two chapters at my website, tafi.com/free-chapters. Now, here's another piece that doesn't get talked about enough either, and that's when you don't have a language for what you are experiencing, your brain tends to fill in those gaps.
And it rarely fills them kindly or correctly. You start assuming the worst, right? You question whether something's neurological or autoimmune. You find yourself Googling symptoms late at night and spiraling into possibilities that feel scary and overwhelming. And this is not because you're trying to be dramatic, but it's because uncertainty is stressful and that stress [00:06:00] alone can make symptoms feel more intense.
And this is why education matters. So much during menopause, not because information magically fixes everything overnight, but because understanding what is actually happening lowers fear. And when fear goes down, your nervous system can finally settle down. And that's when sleep becomes more possible as well.
That's when symptoms feel more manageable, and that's when decisions stop feeling so overwhelming. Another thing that I've seen happen a lot over the years is women trying to push through symptoms instead of listening to them. You tell yourself that you should be able to handle this, or you remind yourself that other women have it worse.
You convince yourself that it's just part of getting older and something that you just need to accept. But listen, menopause symptoms are not a test of your toughness. They are signals. Your body is giving you [00:07:00] signs. It's asking for attention, support, and sometimes. Change. And that doesn't mean medication is always the answer.
It also doesn't mean it's never the answer. It means that you deserve to understand your options before deciding anything. And that right there is the shift that I want for you. No panic, not guessing, not pushing through clarity first, and then choice, and that. Changes everything. That knowledge gives you power, it helps you to advocate for yourself, and it helps you to make informed choices instead of reacting out of fear.
So if you're experiencing symptoms right now, here's what I want you to do first, write down everything you're experiencing. And I mean everything, even the stuff that seems unrelated to hormone. Getting it out of your head and onto paper actually matters more than you think. Second is to check whether it's a [00:08:00] known menopause symptom or side effect.
And most of the time it actually is. And again, if you get the free chapters of my book, you'll see the full list. Third, take that list to your doctor. Don't let them dismiss you. You wanna say, I know these are menopause symptoms. What are my options? And guess what? You're allowed to ask that question.
Fourth, pick one symptom to address this week. Don't try to fix everything at once. Pick the one that's affecting your life the most and focus there. Small steps lead to real progress. And as it relates to progress. You know, I got a message from Sarah who bought my book, and she shared with me that for the longest time she thought that she was literally going crazy, but just seeing symptoms that she'd been experiencing symptoms that had been ignored or brushed off by her healthcare provider.
Seeing them listed in the book, she said it felt like someone lifted 200 pounds [00:09:00] off her shoulders and you know. That's what Clarity does. It removes shame. It removes blame. And for Sarah, it gave her hope. And now she sees possibilities. And if you are feeling crazy right now, and if you're anxious, even though you've never been an anxious person before, you are not crazy either.
You're not falling apart. Again, you are going through a major hormonal transition and now you actually know that you can do something about it. Now, earlier I mentioned taking your symptom list to your doctor, but before you do that, there's one more important thing that you really do need to know. Not every doctor is trained in menopause care.
In fact, most are not. And that matters because the wrong conversation can leave you feeling just as dismissed as before, still with your symptoms. So be sure to head to my episode on the five questions that every woman should ask her doctor about menopause next, [00:10:00] because those questions will help you figure out quickly whether your doctor actually understands menopause or not and what to do if they don't.
That episode is linked in the show notes Now, head there next because it builds directly on what we just talked about and it helps you to take the next steps with a lot more confidence. I'll see you there. I.
