Written by Mark Williams - February 16, 2023
It is a common misconception that menopause may lead to a person going insane or "crazy", however, this is not necessarily the case. Menopause can affect an individual's mental health in many ways, but it does not necessarily cause someone to go "crazy". To better understand the effects of menopause on mental health, it is important to look at the various changes and symptoms associated with this natural process—and how they can be managed.
Menopause can bring with it many physical symptoms that can negatively impact mood and emotional wellbeing. Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, fatigue and joint pain are some of the issues that women experience during menopausal transition. These physical changes can lead to feeling overwhelmed and even depressed—although these feelings should not be taken as signs of mental illness arising out of menopause.
Menopausal hormone imbalance is thought to be one of the main contributors towards feeling low or anxious during this time in life. Low levels of estrogen during perimenopause (the stage prior to menopause) can cause irritability and make it harder for women to control their emotions. During menopausal transition, there is an increase in FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which further affects estrogen production and production of other brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, leading to greater risk for anxiety and depression.
The hippocampus is a brain structure that helps regulate emotion, memory formation, learning and stress-responses among other things—and it undergoes structural changes during perimenopausal years due its sensitivity to hormones like estrogen. The decrease in estrogen coupled with stressors such as work or family commitments further adds fuel to the fire when it comes to feeling down or anxious during menopausal period. It is also worth noting that postmenopausal women have higher risk than premenopausal counterparts for developing dementia due to depletion in ovarian hormones which act as neuroprotective agents in aging brain.
There are several strategies available today which help in managing active periods of menopausal transition while promoting emotional wellbeing at same time:
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