Maria Petrishina/Getty Images
Ask a woman in her 50s what some of the most uncomfortable symptoms of menopause are, and she’ll likely say hot flashes or night sweats. While this may be true, there are other, less commonly discussed symptoms that tend to be even more bothersome, not to mention permanent.
Some of these potentially life-altering symptoms can include intense vaginal dryness and pain with penetration; urgency and pain with urination; and overall feelings of genitourinary burning and irritation.
Called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), this constellation of symptoms affects as many as 27 to 84 percent of post-menopausal women and can “significantly impair health, sexual function, and quality of life,” according to a study published in September 2020 in the journal