Depression And Menopause

Women are just a bundle of emotions and hormones, especially when you hit puberty and again when you are going through menopause.

These hormonal changes, particularly the levels of estrogen, can play tricks on your brain causing mood swings. Of course, the biggest mood swing of them all is depression and menopause can cause that in quite a large percentage of women, at least temporarily.

Combination Problem?

While the fluctuating levels of estrogen can definitely play a role in depression and menopause, some experts also say that the overwhelming symptoms of this biological change can also trigger menopausal depression too. Perhaps it is the unrelenting hot flashes, night sweats, sleep issues and fatigue that continually nag you into a depressive state. After all, it is hard to keep positive and present a smiling face to the world when there are so many overwhelming biological changes occurring.

Signs To Watch Out For

Depression and menopause should not be taken lightly as there are things you can do to combat the problem. However, you also have to be able to recognize the menopausal depression in order to be able to do something about it. The main issue at hand in regards to this matter is that the menopausal depression will likely affect your overall quality of life so it is important to recognize what is happening and get help for it instead of being stoic about it.

Having negative feelings about getting older and developing menopause are cause for concern as well as previous depressive episodes earlier in life like manic depression or even post partum depression. General health issues can also plague you causing menopausal depression like being overweight, not being active physically or socially or even drinking and smoking. All of these issues can be contributors.

Treatment Options

There are treatment options available for depression and menopause and talking with your doctor about them is your first line of defense. There are certain antidepressants like Paxil or Prozac that can help alleviate those depressive feelings as well as also cut down on other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.

Changes in diet to include foods with phytoestrogens found in soy products and other legumes are important as well. While they cannot replace the estrogen, these plant-based estrogen hormones can help level out those hormonal cycles of highs and lows.

Herbal remedies for depression and menopause are also acceptable forms of treatment and are actually increasing in popularity. St. John’s Wort has been recognized as a mood booster and Ginseng, while more for memory recall, has also been proven beneficial as well. SAMe, a naturally occurring molecule that all living beings produce had been offered in the herbal remedy arena as a mood booster. What it does is help your body’s neurotransmitters communicate better as well as better regulate hormones.

It is important that before you embark on any “natural” remedy that you talk with your doctor about your menopausal depression symptoms as well as the pros and cons of trying herbal remedies. You want to make educated moves in regards to a treatment plan that will be the most beneficial to your health and psyche.