Menopause is a natural occurrence for women who, due to age, have their final menstrual period and experience a reduction in hormone levels, especially estrogen. Once 12 consecutive months pass after a woman's final period, she is considered menopausal. The diagnosis of menopause often is based on age, the presence of menopause symptoms and the absence of menstruation, according to the North American Menopause Society. Because of the focus on symptoms, women and their doctors can incorrectly assume a woman is menopausal when she is actually suffering from a medical condition or disease that has similar symptoms. Some women refer to this misdiagnosis as false menopause.
Menopause Symptoms
The symptoms of menopause related to the constriction of blood vessels include hot flashes, night sweats, chills, palpitations and feelings of wooziness. Menopausal women often experience problems with sleep, including insomnia and difficulty falling asleep. Other menopause symptoms are fatigue, hair thinning and cognitive changes, such as memory loss. Some women experience a decline in their sex drive and others might notice vaginal dryness. Menopausal women often have stiffness and pain in their joints and they might gain weight, especially around the waist. Hormonal changes can cause moderate to severe mood swings for some women. A woman of an appropriate age who experiences false menopause may have all or some of these symptoms, causing her and her doctor to believe she is menopausal
Hyperthyroidism Symptoms
The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are similar to those of menopause. Hyperthyroidism results when an overactive thyroid makes too much of the thyroid hormone. Hyperthyroidism affects your metabolism, your heart rate and the rate at which you burn calories. Symptoms include increased perspiration, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, rapid heartbeat, weight loss, irritability and hand tremors. Hyperthyroidism also can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, increased appetite and changes in bowel patterns. A woman with hyperthyroidism might experience a change in her menstrual cycle, such as lighter periods or periods that occur less often. Like menopause, hyperthyroidism usually starts slowly and the symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions, according to FamilyDoctor.org. A woman with false menopause might actually have hyperthyroidism.
Amenorrhea Symptoms
Amenorrhea refers to the absence of menstruation and can be mistaken for menopause. A woman with secondary amenorrhea has missed one or more menstrual periods for three to six months, or longer, and the lack of periods is not caused by pregnancy or contraception, according to MayoClinic.com. Amenorrhea symptoms include headache, changes in vision, abnormal hair growth on the face or torso and milky nipple discharge. Behaviors or medical conditions that can cause amenorrhea are stress, pituitary tumor, thyroid conditions, medications, weight loss, extreme exercise and problems with the uterus or ovaries.
When to Question
Symptoms that point to menopause may have other causes. Women vary in how they experience menopause and in which symptoms they report. Some menopause symptoms can be mistaken for the normal aging process. Most women begin to see symptoms of menopause years before they actually are menopausal. A key to connecting your symptoms to menopause is whether you have experienced perimenopause, the period that begins with the onset of symptoms caused by declining hormones up the 12-month period following your last period. If you experience menopause-like symptoms, but cannot identify a perimenopausal period, your doctor can help determine if you have false menopause.
Correct Diagnosis
Your doctor might decide to run tests to see if your menopause-like symptoms result from another condition, especially if you resume your menstrual cycle. The North American Menopause Society, or NAMS, suggests that while hormone testing is seldom helpful in women who are experiencing fluctuating hormones, testing might be helpful for women younger than 40 who have menopause-like symptoms or if there is suspicion that the symptoms might point to a condition such as hyperthyroidism. While testing to confirm menopause has a degree of uncertainty, according to NAMS, tests for medical conditions like hyperthyroidism are more exact and can eliminate a false menopause diagnosis.
