1. Aching Joints and Stiffness
This one is easy to miss — aching joints and stiffness can often brushed off as arthritis or just part of getting older. But falling oestrogen levels can affect the hydration in your joints, making them feel stiffer and less mobile. Inflammation and general discomfort can also increase.
2. Sudden, Overwhelming Panic
Out of the blue, panic attacks or high anxiety may be mistaken for burnout or a mental health issue. But hormonal fluctuations — especially those big oestrogen dips during perimenopause — can overstimulate your nervous system, affecting your mood and emotional responses.
3. Heart Palpitations or Fluttering
These can be frightening and are often unexpected. While it’s important to have palpitations checked by a doctor (just to rule out anything else), fluctuating hormones can indeed affect your heart rhythm. Many women are surprised to learn this is a common symptom during perimenopause.
4. Dry or Irritated Eyes
Dry eyes might not be something you’d immediately connect to the menopause — but it’s more common than you think. Oestrogen plays a role in tear production and moisture retention in the eyes. When levels dip, it can lead to irritation, dryness, or even light sensitivity.
5. Dryness… Everywhere
We often hear about vaginal dryness, but falling oestrogen levels can cause dryness in many other areas too — including the scalp, mouth, skin, and even the digestive tract. This kind of dryness is often put down to ageing or thought to be due to changes in skincare, but hormones can be the hidden culprit.
Oestrogen plays a key role in maintaining moisture not only in the skin but also in the mucous membranes — these include the vagina, but also the mouth, eyes, ears, lungs, and digestive tract. So, when oestrogen levels dip, any combination of these areas can become dry, irritated or uncomfortable.
6. Unexpected Rage or Irritation
Have you found yourself feeling more irritable than usual, or snapping at things that wouldn’t normally bother you? It’s easy to put this down to stress, tiredness, burnout, or even mental health concerns. But shifting hormones can have a powerful effect on your nervous system and emotional regulation. That simmering frustration or sudden outburst might actually be your body’s response to changing hormone levels.
7. Feeling Flat, Unmotivated, or Not Yourself
You might feel like a stranger to yourself — emotionally numb, lacking drive, or even a bit low. While this could be mistaken for burnout or depression, hormone fluctuations affect brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, which are vital for mood, motivation, and overall well-being.
8. Digestive Issues Like Bloating or Wind
Bloating, gas and other digestive changes are often blamed on diet, IBS or stress. However, oestrogen affects how quickly food moves through your system. When hormones dip, digestion can slow, causing increased gas and bloating — particularly with carbs. Your ‘friendly’ gut bacteria may also be impacted, making digestion and elimination a lot more difficult.
9. Bleeding Gums
This one often goes unnoticed. Like the eyes, we don’t usually associate gum health with the menopause. But lower oestrogen levels can weaken the tissues in your gums, making them more sensitive, prone to bleeding, and even leading to gum recession or loose teeth over time.
10. Changes in Body Odour
This might make you feel a bit self-conscious. You may notice you’re sweating more, or your body odour seems stronger or different. Hormonal changes can alter the function of your sweat glands and the balance of friendly bacteria on your skin — both of which can affect how you smell.
Final Thoughts
It’s amazing how many areas of the body are influenced by our hormones — and yet we often don’t make the connection. These lesser-known symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are completely normal, but they can catch you off guard if you’re not prepared.
Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Were you surprised to discover they were menopausal ones? If so, we’d love to hear your story. What helped you manage your symptoms? Please feel free to share in the comments — your experiences could really help others going through the same thing.
Have a lovely week and take care.
