If you are going through menopause and suddenly start to get itchy skin you are not alone. Itchy skin during menopause can drive you to despair, particularly when no ointments or creams work to stop it.
Upon having itchy skin a lot during my menopausal years, and being prescribed creams that didn’t work for me, I decided to look outside the square at what else may be causing the bodily itchiness.
(The itchiness I’m talking about is general itching on the body, not vaginal or vulval itching. If you experience ongoing itchiness of your vaginal/vulval area, always seek a medical opinion promptly).
I found many other ladies online via social media that all had the same issue, so feel this video below by A.Vogel UK may be of benefit to you.
While we all know that there are many skin conditions that can cause itchy skin, many women find that during menopause they suddenly get unexplained itchy skin.
Please note, this post was not written to replace any advice from your healthcare professional, it is simply a few common ideas as to what may be causing your itchy skin during menopause, that you can discuss with your doctor.
Common Causes of Itchy Skin During Menopause
Itchiness that feels like you have been stung by nettle:
If you have ever touched a piece of the nettle plant you will no doubt be familiar with that stinging feeling, itchiness, redness, a rash, and lumps and bumps on the skin. This type of itchiness is often referred to as urticaria.
Urticaria is often caused by histamine.
Histamines are chemicals your immune system makes to get rid of triggers and allergens.
When histamine is released, you can get various allergic reactions, including itchy skin.
Many things such as allergies, some medications, some infections or medical conditions, as well as stress can cause this reaction.
During the menopause – your hormones change a lot and this often results in stress. Stress on your nervous system. Added to this are the day to day stresses you may have also.
TIP by A Vogel – If you get the above type of itchiness, when you are tired, run down or worried about something, this is a very good clue your itchiness is histamine related.
Other things that can cause a histamine reaction during menopause:
Dehydration – Make sure you have a good water intake to avoid dehydration. Particularly if you suffer from hot flushes and find you experience itchy skin after it has subsided, as this can also be your bodies histamine system kicking in.
Low blood sugar levels – During the menopause, your blood sugar levels can become much more sensitive. This sensitivity can also contribute to activating your bodies histamine (itchiness) response.
TIP by A Vogel – If you haven’t eaten in a while and your skin is itchy eat a healthy snack to see if your itchiness subsides.
Caffeine, high sugar intake, and high salt intake can also play a role in the above type of itchiness.
So in a nutshell ladies cutting out or cutting down on your intake of sugar, salt, and caffeine is worth trying if you have the nettle type itchiness.
Stress – Don’t forget to relax and take time out for yourself, as this can also help to calm the histamine reaction down.
TIP by A Vogel – Having a couple of cups of nettle tea a day can help to calm the itching down. Nettle is a gentle natural antihistamine. Or if you don’t like nettle tea you could get a nettle tincture and have that 2-3 times a day.
Itchiness that feels like you have ants crawling under the skin:
This type of itchiness is known as formication and is that crawling or prickly feeling/sensation of ants or insects crawling under your skin.
With this type of itchiness you don’t get:
Itchy skin – Usually there is nothing on the surface of the skin. It’s more a creepy crawly feeling.
This feeling can also go up to the top of the scalp.
In other words you DON’T get Lumps, Bumps, a Rash or redness on the skin.
This type of itching is often caused by…
Fluctuating (rising, falling) estrogen levels that effect the nerve endings in the skin. Yes, hormones again!
TIPS by A Vogel – Taking a fermented soy supplement may help to balance and raise your estrogen levels to calm everything down.
If you get this type of itchy creepy crawly feeling in just one place, rubbing a little St Johns Wart oil on can help to calm the nerves down.
Other General Itching – A Stressed Liver
The falling hormone levels during menopause, as well as all the other things that go on, can put stress on your liver.
A Stressed Liver can put Stress on your Digestive System:
If you find that you are getting itchy skin and your digestive system is being affected with bloating, indigestion, or constipation this can put stress on your liver.
A stressed liver throws things out through the skin. With this type of itchiness, you may get pimples or boils on the skin.
TIPS by A Vogel – Some TLC (tender loving care) for your liver will be beneficial. You could look at taking a milk thistle complex, cutting out coffee, and participating in a liver friendly diet.
A liver friendly diet would be lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, with a few healthy grains as well.
END NOTE: On my own journey with itchy skin I was eventually told I had pruritus – This type of itching can happen on any part of the body and can show on the skin as…
- Redness
- Bumps, spots or blisters
- Dry, cracked skin
- Leathery or scaly skin
With this one, you often repeatedly scratch and this can cause raised thick areas of skin that might bleed or become infected.
Many creams, even steroid creams, and things the doctor gave me never worked to stop this.
Author Tip: Allergies to soaps, clothing and various other things, can cause pruritus, so try using natural organic soaps, cosmetics, dishwashing, and laundry detergents to see if your itching goes away.
Other underlying skin and medical conditions, pregnancy (change in hormones again) and nerve disorders can also cause pruritus.
Sometimes there is NO known cause for pruritus, as was the case with me.
If you have ongoing itchiness that just won’t go away no matter what you have tried, please do pop along to your doctor just in case you do have an underlying condition.
Good luck ladies, I hope some of these reasons for itchy skin during menopause help you.
Article brought to you by Ms Tight
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“(DISCLAIMER: I am not a health care professional, the information in this article is based on my own personal experience of living with vaginismus, vaginal atrophy (including menopause issues), and what I have learned along the way. Some articles on this website will include other womanly issues that I feel women need to know about. If you have any concerns about your health, it is best for you to seek advice from a health care professional – Full disclaimer)“.
