As a woman in perimenopause or menopause, you’re not surprised when you have a hot flash. The sudden, sweltering heat—accompanied by sweating like you’ve stepped into a sauna—is a familiar and well-known symptom of your dwindling hormones. Weight gain and vaginal dryness are easy-to-recognize symptoms, too.
But did you know that perimenopause has some weird symptoms? Ones that you’d never imagine are related to your hormones? These unexpected symptoms can sneak into your life, and you think they’re just “normal” changes in your body because you’re getting older.
See if you’ve experienced any of these menopause-related symptoms.
Dry eyes
Too much screen time or being outside in the wind can lead to eyes feeling dry and scratchy. But when you have chronic gritty or itchy eyes and even blurry vision, it’s called dry eye disease. In people over 50, women get dry eye disease nearly twice as much as men.
Dry eye disease is caused by problems with the eye surface and tears, including inadequate tear production or tears evaporating too quickly. Tears have three layers: an inner mucus layer, a middle watery later, and an oily outer layer. (2) Both estrogen and testosterone affect the glands that produce the watery and oily components of tears. Researchers believe these hormones play a role in dry eye disease, and researchers are investigating hormone therapy as a potential treatment.
For self-care, eye drops specially formulated for dry eyes are available. Getting more omega-3 fats through diet or supplements may also help with the oily layer of tears.
Itchy ears
If you have seasonal allergies, you may suffer with itchy eyes, throat, and even ears. But itching deep in the ear canals can also show up during perimenopause, leading to the “pinky scratch”—putting your pinky in your ear and jiggling it—in an attempt to alleviate the annoying itchiness.
A potential cause of itchy ears during perimenopause? Decreasing estrogen. Without adequate estrogen to encourage production of oils and hyaluronic acid, the skin and mucous membranes become dry, including the skin in the ear canals.
For self-care, try dipping your pinky in coconut oil or olive oil and dabbing a small amount inside the ear to moisturize the skin. But don’t use cotton swabs to scratch inside your ears, as they can cause damage.
Burning mouth
Eating spicy foods makes your mouth feel like it’s on fire, but imagine having that sensation all the time. That’s what burning mouth syndrome (BMS) feels like. The burning, tingling, or hot sensation usually affects the tip of the tongue, but sometimes the lips, sides of tongue, or roof of the mouth. All that pain, yet the tongue and oral mucosa look normal.
Can you guess who gets BMS most often? Women in perimenopause and menopause. Some women with BMS also experience dry mouth, taste disturbances, and changes in salivation.
Many women report that the burning is less in the morning but gets worse as the day goes on, and makes it hard to fall asleep. As you can imagine, anxiety and depression are often associated with BMS.
Things that may help with burning mouth include eating cold foods and doing something distracting so you’re less focused on the burning sensation.
Frozen shoulder
With a condition called frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, the shoulder loses significant range of motion. The stiff, painful shoulder makes daily activities difficult, including combing your hair and getting dressed.
Shoulder discomfort comes on suddenly for some people and gradually for others. It follows a typical pattern of initial “freezing,” being “frozen” for months to years, and then gradually resolving or “thawing.”
Much of the time, there isn’t an obvious trigger for frozen shoulder, and it’s considered an inflammatory condition. While experts haven’t found a clear link to menopause, the highest incidence is in perimenopausal women, and some think hormonal changes contribute to frozen shoulder.
Itchy ears, dry eyes, burning mouth, and frozen shoulder. These are just a few weird symptoms that your doctor may not mention because they’re not widely known as being linked to perimenopause. The list goes on though—gum disease, balance problems, voice changes, sleep apnea.
Having just one of these oddball symptoms can affect your wellbeing in significant ways, so being prepared can help you take charge of your health.
If you’d like to tackle your perimenopausal symptoms, whether they’re common or weird, ask your provider about prescribing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Our expert pharmacists at Belmar Pharma Solutions can create a compounded hormone formulation to meet your unique needs.
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