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Menopausal Women Aren’t Crazy — but They’re Often Gaslighted by the Medical Profession

newyorkgazette.com Est. 1725By No Comments2 Mins Read


Hormone Fluctuations Can Cause Anxiety and Depression

The shifting hormones in the years leading up to and after the end of periods cause a wide range of scientifically documented symptoms.

Common physical issues include hot flashes, night sweats, hair loss, weight gain, vaginal dryness, and urinary issues known as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Before the 1990s, there was debate about whether shifting hormones also caused mental health problems in some women, says Nanette Santoro, MD, the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado in Aurora, and a prolific menopause researcher. In the decades since, evidence from a range of studies has proved that mental health issues can arise during the menopause transition. The most common of these are anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, potentially linked to estrogen fluctuations affecting serotonin and GABA, both neurotransmitters in the body.

“Women without preexisting anxiety or depression can in fact be hit very hard at this time,” Dr. Santoro says, although she notes that women with a history of these conditions are at the highest risk.

Other women develop brain fog, a type of sluggish thinking that impacts life and work, and research has confirmed the link between brain fog and menopause. In one survey of nearly 2,000 women, those in perimenopause or who had surgical menopause were more likely than premenopausal women to cite issues with executive function (the term used to describe working memory, flexible thinking, and other mental processes).

There is clear evidence that mood is related to the menopausal transition, Santoro says.

The menopause transition is a process that generally starts in a person’s forties and continues into their fifties. Women in the throes of it are not mentally unstable. They’re simply dealing with the physical or mental symptoms that result when reproductive hormones fluctuate, Dusenbery says.

“Any woman of perimenopausal age who is experiencing new mental health issues — or symptoms of any kind — should consider that the menopausal transition could be the cause,” she says. Talk to your healthcare provider about any new mental health symptoms.



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