How Menopause Affects Your Mental Health

Menopausal symptoms aren’t limited to hot flashes and night sweats. The change of life can also affect your mental state and mood. To better understand why menopause can trigger mental health issues, it’s best to start by getting a better picture of menopause itself. Here at The Women’s Center, we’re dedicated to addressing the mental and physical implications that menopause can bring to your life.

How to know when you’re in menopause

While the average age for the onset of menopause in the United States is 51, it can occur at any time in your 40s or 50s. Menopause is typically confirmed after you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period. The process of menopause, including waning estrogen levels, can leave you feeling physically and emotionally spent, which often leads to lowered energy and a number of mental and emotional distresses.  

When menopause influences your mental health

Also referred to as “menopause blues,” the emotional effects of menopause can range from mild irritation to full-blown clinical depression, particularly when left untreated. A couple of different states of depression include:

• Depressive mood – Also referred to as dysphoria, experiencing a depressive mood is a typical side effect and is often characterized by a short period of feeling sad. It seldom requires treatment and instead usually subsides on its own.
• Symptomatic depression – This sort of depression is also usually short term and happens as a reaction to a stressful life event, like menopause. However, if left untreated, this form of depression can progress to full-blown clinical depression.
• Clinical depression – Also called major depression, this kind of depression is a disorder thought to result from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Clinical depression can be quite serious and requires treatment and intervention.

Your doctor at The Women’s Center may perform an assessment to determine what kind of depression your menopause could be causing.

In cases of severe depression

If menopause is causing severe depression, we may prescribe an antidepressant medication. Low dose contraceptives are also helpful for regulating mood-altering hormones during this period. We may also refer you to a mental health professional, depending on the severity of your depressive symptoms.   

Where to go from here

If you’re going through menopause and experiencing depressive symptoms, it may be time to make an appointment with one of our experienced physicians at The Women’s Center. We like to make scheduling easier for you, with six locations in Florida, and a convenient online scheduling option. Take control of your mental health during menopause and contact us today.