Causes of low-grade fever in menopause and how to deal with it | We will also explain the timing of consultation and other causes!

Women in their 40s and 50s who are going through menopause may experience various physical problems . The symptoms vary from individual to individual, ranging from physical symptoms such as low-grade fever, chills, headache, and malaise to mental ones such as irritability.

This time, we will focus on the symptoms of "slight fever" including a slight heat sensation such as hot flashes that occur during menopause. We will introduce why you feel a slight fever during menopause, and how to deal with it using medicine such as Chinese medicine when symptoms appear.

If you have any symptoms, please refer to this article.

Find out in this article

• Causes of low-grade fever during menopause
• What to do when you have a slight fever
• Deciding whether to go to the hospital and when

Characteristics and causes of low-grade fever in menopause

I'm going to introduce you to why you have a slight fever in menopause. Low-grade fever can be caused not only by menopause, but also by colds and stress. Let's also check the characteristics of low-grade fever peculiar to menopause.

Characteristics of low-grade fever in menopause

A low-grade fever is a condition in which the body temperature is higher than normal, although it is not high enough to be called a fever. Since the definition of fever is 37.5 degrees or more, low fever means 'normal temperature or higher to less than 37.5 degrees' .

Some people actually have a slight fever during menopause, but there are also people who feel heat, such as hot flashes, as a slight fever.

And there are many cases where a slight fever comes out with symptoms that tend to appear in menopause. For example, sweating, dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, shortness of breath, insomnia, irritation, etc., may appear in various parts of the body.

Mild fever accompanied by other menopausal symptoms may be caused by changes in the body due to menopause.

Relationship between menopause and mild fever

The slight fever that occurs during menopause is mainly caused by fluctuations in female hormones . Fluctuations in female hormones cause disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, and as a result, symptoms appear in the body in the form of a slight fever.

The reason why the autonomic nerves are disturbed by fluctuations in female hormones is that the control center that is involved in the secretion of female hormones and the control center that regulates the autonomic nerves are in the same place, the hypothalamus.

Therefore, female hormones and autonomic nerves are inextricably linked.

How to deal with mild fever during menopause

Now that you understand the causes of low-grade fever during menopause, I will introduce how to deal with low-grade fever when it actually occurs. Low-grade fever is mainly treated with medicine, but over-the-counter medicines and herbal medicines are used as types.

About the use of over-the-counter drugs

There is basically no problem with using over-the-counter antipyretics for low-grade fever symptoms . However, if you have other symptoms or are taking any medicines on a regular basis, be sure to consult a qualified person such as a pharmacist before purchasing.

Also, avoid taking this medicine in a way that does not comply with the usage and dosage, such as because it is difficult to reduce fever or because you want to get the effect quickly.

Taking antipyretics on an empty stomach may cause stomach irritation. It is recommended that you put something in your stomach before taking this medicine.

If the symptoms of low-grade fever do not improve after taking this medicine for about a week, you should go to the hospital because you may have another disease.

About the use of Kampo

In addition to using over-the-counter antipyretics, Chinese herbal medicines may be used for symptoms such as hot flashes. Herbal remedies for menopause symptoms include :

• Kamishoyosan (Kamishoyosan): A Chinese herbal medicine often used for menopausal symptoms, for those with symptoms such as irritability and fever.
• Kamikihito (Kamikihito): For those who are tired all over the body, such as fatigue and mental fatigue, and lack nutrition.
• Saikokaryukotsuboreito: For those with strong mental symptoms such as irritability and anxiety.

Kampo medicine is suitable for people who have various symptoms such as irritability, malaise, and hot flashes in addition to hot flashes. However, please note that Kampo medicine does not have the effect of directly lowering fever like antipyretics.

Each of the herbal medicines listed above has slightly different effects. Understand your condition well and choose which Chinese medicine is right for you.

▼ You can consult Kampo on LINE
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Also read the following articles
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Possibility of low-grade fever other than menopause

The main causes of mild fever other than menopause are roughly divided into the following four.

They are "disorder of the autonomic nervous system" due to menopause, menstruation, stress, etc., "infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses" such as colds, "autoimmune diseases" such as collagen diseases, and "malignant tumors (cancer)".

When you feel stress or an environment where hormone fluctuations such as menopause and menstruation are likely to occur, the autonomic nerves may be disturbed and you may get a fever.

This is because the same hypothalamus is the control tower that regulates the secretion of female hormones and the autonomic nervous system.

In addition, when abnormalities such as inflammation occur in the body due to infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, malignant tumors, etc., fever may occur as a protective response.

In this way, there are various possibilities other than menopause that cause low-grade fever symptoms . It is important to carefully observe the progress without judging it as menopause from the beginning, and to understand other causes just in case.

This kind of fever can be a disease

Now that you understand that there are multiple causes of fever other than menopause, let me introduce an example of how this kind of fever may be lurking in an unexpected disease. The timing to see a doctor varies depending on the disease, so please refer to it when you go to the hospital.

Possible disease

Illnesses for which fever may be a symptom include:

• Bacterial or viral infections (pulmonary tuberculosis, influenza, infective endocarditis, etc.)
• Malignant tumor (solid cancer, leukemia, malignant lymphoma, etc.)
• Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.)
• Drug fever due to drug side effects
• sarcoidosis

Blood tests and imaging tests are used to identify these causes. Early detection and early treatment are desirable because the treatment methods for these diseases , as well as mild fever in menopause, are different .

Moreover, not only do the symptoms progress rapidly and affect the whole body, but in the worst case, it may progress to a serious condition that threatens life.

Except for those who have a high normal fever, it is recommended to go to the hospital if you have a fever of 37.5 degrees or higher, cough, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, or other symptoms that are clearly different from usual, or if your symptoms gradually worsen. .

Next, we will introduce more specific timings for consultations.

time to go to the hospital

The low-grade fever caused by the disturbance of the autonomic nervous system due to fluctuations in female hormones does not cause a very high fever because the symptoms occur within the range of the disturbance.

Especially if you have any of the following symptoms, go to the hospital as soon as possible.

• Symptoms are getting worse and worse.
• I have had a slight fever for over a week.
• The effect wears off quickly after taking the drug, or it is ineffective
• Pain and laziness interfere with daily life.

If you want to visit a hospital, we recommend that you first go to internal medicine, where you can perform a wide range of tests . After that, depending on the test results, they will guide you to another department.

summary

This time, we have explained the causes of "slight fever" including heat sensation symptoms that occur in menopause and how to deal with it. Menopausal symptoms, including low-grade fevers, are caused by fluctuations in physiological female hormones.

Refrain from living a life that puts a strain on your body so as not to increase fluctuations in female hormones and disturbances in the autonomic nervous system as much as possible.

• Avoid activities that put a lot of stress on your body
• Regular life (diet, moderate exercise, sleep)
• taking medicine
• follow-up

Please refer to the above solutions when the symptoms actually occur.

In addition, other symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness often occur at the same time as a low-grade fever.

In such a case, the first thing to do is to rest your body without overdoing it, and wait until the symptoms are relieved.

If your body temperature continues to rise even after resting, there may be other causes. If you feel that your body is not feeling well, consult your doctor immediately.