Menopause isn’t just a transition phase marked by a pause in your periods. It also comes with many physical and psychological changes. In this regard, we cannot miss out on its impact on a woman’s mental health. If we were to look at the numbers, around 15-50% of women in perimenopause and postmenopause experience psychological symptoms like depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and insomnia.
The main culprit is hormonal imbalances. But that isn’t the only reason. Many of the middle-aged patients I have encountered have mentioned going through the depressive phase during mid-life. While some mentioned having high anxiety levels, a few complained of getting forgetful and lagging in concentration with time. Before I discuss the ways Menopause affects mental health, here are a few words about myself.
I am Dr. Karen Pike, and I have been in the medical field for quite a long. Over the years, while interacting with female patients, I realized that at least nine of ten weren’t wholly aware of Menopause. This prompted me to create my website, Simply Menopause, through which I could reach out to many women globally. So, let’s get started with our topic of discussion, where I will talk about the effects of Menopause on your mental health.
Many women often ask me about the relationship between Menopause and mental health. Firstly, I would say it is the fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone that take a toll on your mood. If you feel that Menopause has caused you to feel more stressed and anxious than before, it’s not your fault. The hormones are doing their job. Low estrogen levels lead to a spike in cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone.
This, in turn, results in stimulating stress responses. Moreover, with so many things happening on the physical front, feeling overwhelmed and stressed isn’t uncommon. Studies have shown that cortisol levels rise around nine times more when stressed than when relaxed. When you are stressed, you will have mood swings that could eventually hamper your cognition and even make you feel low and depressed. –
Taking a cue from what I said above, Menopause may have a lot of impact on your mental health, especially if you aren’t careful about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping yourself mentally energized. Here are some of the ways in which Menopause may affect your mental health.
The symptoms of Menopause aren’t unknown to most of us. Around eight of ten women experience hot flashes. Many of us have trouble sleeping, while around 50% of women go through vaginal dryness. These aren’t the only symptoms.
There are other less-known symptoms as well that you couldn’t have imagined. You could have a metallic taste due to Menopause. Your hearing may be impacted, and so on. With so many things going on, being anxious is quite normal. I came across a study that mentioned a high prevalence of anxiety in menopausal women, as much as 51% in those belonging to the 40-55 years age group. Chronic stress isn’t good, as it could result in several health issues in the long run.
With anxiety comes depression, particularly if you are constantly bothered by hot flashes or sleep issues. It’s often said that all women do not take Menopause the same way. Some women are more sensitive to hormonal shifts than others. You may have heard of serotonin. Right? If not, let me explain. It is the chemicals that help to boost your mood and make you feel happy. A drop in estrogen lowers the serotonin levels, causing mood swings, sadness, and irritability.
A patient once mentioned that her hot flashes at one time were so frequent that it would leave her sad and depressed mostly. Her peace of mind went for a toss.
Proper therapies, medications, and an alteration in lifestyle helped her immensely. Another reason behind depression is sleep issues faced by over 50% of women in perimenopause and Menopause. You may become irritated, agitated, and sad after continuous sleepless nights. Such mood fluctuations may manifest into depression in the long run.
The menopausal age is also the time when most women may go through a midlife crisis. You may have a lot of things to deal with alongside the physical changes. You may have issues at work, things to manage at home, etc. All these make things more overwhelming, resulting in depression, especially if you don’t take proper care of your mental health. Here are some warning signs of depression to watch out for:
When you have any of these signs or a combination of them, do not delay in seeking medical help.
Many patients tell me that after their 40s, they usually struggle to concentrate on things. A lady said, “I would find it difficult to concentrate and focus on something at a stretch. When reading a newspaper, I would find myself going through the same paragraph again, and again, or sometimes going blank.”
One of the main reasons for this is the lower estrogen levels, which impair brain function. Brain fog is quite common in Menopause and is characterized by a lack of proper mental clarity, lessened focus, forgetfulness, and confusion. I do not intend to scare you, and not everyone will have brain fog in Menopause. If I were to go by numbers, approximately 2/3rds of women may experience them as they transition into Menopause. However, when you make a conscious effort to take care of your mental health, you may reduce the chances of brain fog.
I spoke about brain fog in Menopause just in the above section. This one is a continuation. Mid-aged women often find it challenging to remember basic things like where they kept their keys or the next thing on their to-do list for the day. My sister would say that her habit of forgetting things would often cause her grave problems. Increased anxiety is one of the reasons that could eventually make you forgetful. If you aren’t careful, forgetfulness could lead to severe consequences in the long run. Consider seeking medical help if:
The hormonal imbalances affect your brain’s neurotransmitters, which control your sense of perception and mood. This could result in low self-esteem and lessened self-confidence. If I were to leave the science aside, the physical symptoms that you may encounter may affect your confidence level to a great extent.
The hot flashes, leaky bladder, vaginal dryness, sleep issues, weight gain, etc. could all be tormenting, making you lag in confidence. A patient said, “In my 20s, I was in perfect shape and looked good. I was in confidence as well. It started dipping in my 40s when I began putting on and no longer seemed as attractive as before.
That’s perhaps the ordeal most of us face at home or work. A British survey showed that around 20% of females mentioned that Menopause had caused their confidence level to dip at work.
Hormonal changes indeed affect your mental health. But many of your concerns may be sorted when you work towards mental wellness. Here are a few things you can do:
If you aren’t conscious about taking care of your mental well-being since the menopause transition period, it will aggravate postmenopause and could affect your peace of mind immensely. If you find no improvement in your mental health after making lifestyle changes, seek a therapist’s help, who may counsel you and give you appropriate advice.
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