The Hidden Mental Toll of Perimenopause
Are you a female in midlife and all of a sudden, your world seems to be falling apart and everything seems to be spinning out of control? Are you having a hard time regulating your emotions? Do you feel like you are forgetting even the most common details of your life? Are you struggling with experiencing joy and being motivated?
It might be menopause.
The menopausal transition occurs over two stages: perimenopause and postmenopause. Perimenopause typically starts in a woman’s 40s. Postmenopause occurs after a woman has not had a period for 12 months or more. Once a woman is postmenopausal, this stage can last the rest of her life. During the menopausal transition, there are significant hormonal fluctuations happening that make it feel like being on a roller coaster. A woman is obviously going through a lot of biological changes during the menopausal transition. Many women do not realize that there are also significant psychological, emotional, and social changes happening during this time as well.
The symptom that most people associate with menopause is hot flashes. However, women experience a whole range of symptoms in addition to hot flashes, such as mood fluctuations, irritability, fatigue, sadness, “brain fog”, trouble concentrating, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. Because the hormone levels during the menopause transition are so disregulated, many women can feel out of control and think something really frightening is happening. The mixture of mood swings, fatigue, brain fog, and sleep disturbances can exacerbate anxiety and depression, which can be very scary if you are unaware of what is happening to your body.
Women appear to be particularly vulnerable to depression during the perimenopause years and in the years immediately after menopause. Theories exist as to why women have double the rates of depression during this period. One theory is that there is a “window of vulnerability” such that some women are more sensitive to the hormone shifts that occur during perimenopause and puts them at greater risk for depression. In addition, women at greatest risk are those with a history of depressed mood earlier in life. Anxiety could also develop in women during the menopause transition, with some women developing panic attacks. In addition, midlife, when menopause occurs, is a time when women sometimes face multiple sources of stress, including caring for children, dealing with aging parents, and navigating life changes, all of which may contribute to the incidence of depression and anxiety at this age.
If you are a woman in midlife and all of a sudden you feel like you are falling apart, know that you are not alone. Many women across the world are dealing with the same emotions due to menopause. The symptoms you are experiencing are uncomfortable and can be scary, but there is hope. With education on how menopause affects mental health, and the help of a therapist who can teach you how to manage and cope with your mental health symptoms, you are going to make it through this midlife “crisis”.
Written by: Cheri Heinzman
