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About Depression During Menopause

Menopause occurs when a woman ceases to have menstrual cycles for a period of 12 consecutive months or longer. Hormonal decreases in estrogen and progesterone can cause women to experience sleeplessness, irritability, and sadness. The belief that menopause is an end to a viable part of life can also contribute to the blues.

  1. What Causes Depression?

    • Hormonal imbalances in the brain can cause depression. Other biological and genetic factors, like diets low in serotonin and family history, can also cause depression, a disease that affects mood. Women who are depressed often feel sad, are physically tired, have trouble sleeping, and experience bouts of hopelessness. If you think you are depressed, you should consult a physician as soon as possible so you can gain the tools to counter and remove the disease from your life.

    Stress Connected to Change

    • According to Epigee, approximately 8 to 15 percent of women who are menopausal experience depression. The condition typically starts during the perimenopausal stage, the period when a woman's hormones decrease and her body prepares to stop having periods. Perimenopause can last several months to several years. The physical changes, like irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and sleeplessness that a woman experiences during perimenopause, can make her feel like a great loss is taking place, which can trigger depression. If other life changes, such as a promotion, divorce, layoff, or relocation, are also occurring, the stress of change could become overwhelming. Additionally, estrogen, androgen, and progesterone are thought to affect brain mood centers. As these hormone levels decrease, a woman could be susceptible to depression.

    Risks of Becoming Depressed

    • Women who have experienced mood-related issues prior to menopause have a higher likelihood of becoming depressed during menopause than women who have not previously lived with mood disorders. Smoking can trigger depression as well, because nicotine lowers a woman's estrogen level, a condition that can prompt anxiety and sadness. Female-related surgeries can also increase a woman's chances of becoming depressed, because surgeries, especially surgical menopause procedures, decrease estrogen levels.

    Hormonal Therapy

    • Estrogen therapy is when a physician administers estrogen supplements to a client to lift her mood. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported a study in which 80 percent of the women who used oral estrogen supplements showed a marked and positive shift in mood. For some women, a prescribed antidepressant used in conjunction with estrogen supplements may yield the best results.

    Psychotherapy

    • Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, meeting one-on-one with a trained professional, has proven effective at managing and reducing depression. Therapists can coach women on ways to alter negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors until a more positive mood is introduced and, over time, becomes a way of life for a woman going through menopause.

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