Menopause Mood Swings

As a woman begins to enter perimenopause, she will experience a wide array of symptoms, two that go hand-in-hand – depression and mood swings. In fact, women and menopause mood swings are so common that approximately 25% of all women deal with this on some level. For the depression, it is estimated that as many as 28 million women in the United States alone take some type of medication to decrease the effects. Typically, the hormonal changes during menopause have a direct impact on both of these challenges. Remember, with menopause, there are three distinct phases that include premature menopause, perimenopause, and then actual menopause. Each of these phases involves symptoms that range from joint pain and headache to insomnia and irritability to hot flashes and night sweats.

What you see with menopause is two categories of symptoms. The first is the physical aspect and the second is the psychological aspect. Obviously, women and menopause mood swings fall into the second group and is a chief complaint. Sadly, in the mid-1800s, doctors began performing hysterectomies on women since the uterus was no longer required for bearing children. As you can imagine, this sent women into a tailspin of symptoms. Then in the early 1970s, a doctor by the name of Katharina Dalton made a discovery whereby women and menopause mood swings were identified as having to do with a hormonal imbalance. Today, we have learned much more about menopause, learning that sex hormones such as estrogen can have a stimulating effect on the body’s nervous system.

While researchers are still not completely clear on how women and menopause mood swings work, they do know that the decline of estrogen production is a factor. To determine the extinct of mood swings coupled with depression, numerous studies have been conducted. The results are astounding, showing that 80% of women in perimenopause have some degree of mood disturbance. Because of this, we see women searching for treatment options to bring sanity back to their lives. Some women choose prescribed medication while an increasing number of women are now turning to herbal and natural remedies. Women and menopause mood swings is serious business. Although most women will get through this challenging aspect of menopause, there are some women that have significant problems, even becoming suicidal.

Therefore, all women dealing with mood swings and/or depression should not be afraid of talking to their doctor to identify the appropriate type of treatment. After all, with so many different treatment choices today, there is no reason for anyone to simply muddle through. We know that botanical supplements and nutrients can do wonders for women and menopause mood swings. For example, many women find relief when blood flow is improved to the brain. With this, levels of serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, and norepinephrine are increased, which improve the effects of depression and mood swings.

Excellent options include natural vitamins such as B12, folic acid, and B6. Additionally prescription medications such as Prozac and Zoloft have shown to help ease the intensity of both mood swings and depression. The bottom line and that women and menopause mood swings goes back through history and will continue to be a challenge for generations to come. The key to dealing with the physical and psychological aspects of menopause is to understand these are normal and that many great options are available for making life better.