• Vaginal dryness
• Fatigue
• Being unable to sleep
• Passing urine often
• Having frequent urinary infections

You may also suffer from dizziness, depression and poor memory and concentration.

A reduced sex drive may be a result of changing hormone levels and the resulting vaginal dryness causing discomfort during sex. But overall, the menopause has little effect on many women’s relationships with their partners, either sexually or personally.

Rather than seeing the menopause as a negative event, many women are happy to be free from periods and the fear of an unwanted pregnancy. The menopause also often coincides with a time when you have more freedom to pursue new and interesting careers or hobbies. "The change" can be a change for the better.

Women who have close friends and family or are in full-time employment appear to suffer less severe symptoms. This may be related to being more satisfied with life in general or having higher self-esteem.

The need for exercise
Your body shape can change at menopause. Before the menopause, most women have extra body fat on their hips. Thighs and buttocks. This body fat is important for normal periods and fertility.

After the menopause, about 10% of a woman’s body fat is redistributed on the abdomen (a cause of great frustration for many women).

As you age, your metabolic rate tends to slow down. So you need to take regular exercise to prevent putting on weight.

• Exercise (such as brisk walking) for 30 minutes three times a week or more is good for controlling weight and increasing or maintaining lean muscle. It also reduces some bone loss after menopause - although oestrogen therapy and calcium in the diet are also important.
• Aerobic exercise (which increase the heart rate) will help improve fitness of your heart. It will also give you a feeling of well being and enable you to cope more easily with the unpleasant symptoms such as hot flushes.