Menopause Mental Health

“Mood changes around the time of menopause
may be due to changing hormone levels.
You may also experience mood changes due to…”.1

Umbrella

What may the Menopause Mental Health Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Emotional Health/Welfare/Well-Being
  • Mental Health/Welfare/Well-Being
  • Psychological Health/Welfare/Well-Being
  • Social Health/Welfare/Well-Being
  • Well-Being

Definition

What is mental health?

DotS the definition of mental health may vary. The (United States) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) definition is:

“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices”.2

Risk

Menopause Mental HealthIs the risk of mood changes and symptoms of depression and anxiety higher during perimenopause?

In Menopause and Mental Health, dated September 2025, the Australasian Menopause Society (AMS) note:

“While many women do not have mental health issues during the menopausal transition, unstable oestrogen levels can have an impact on the brain, predisposing some women to feelings of depression and anxiety”.3

Perimenopause and Depression

Is there an association between perimenopause and depression?

In Symptoms of Menopause: Mental and Emotional Health the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) explain:

Menopause Mental Health“Mood changes around the time of menopause may be due to changing hormone levels.

You may also experience mood changes due to different pressures at this stage of life, such as caring for children and parents.

You might experience:

  • Irritability
  • Increased anger
  • Low mood
  • Anxiety
  • Depression”.4

Previous Clinical History

Is there an association between a previous clinical history and menopause mental health?

In Symptoms of Menopause: Mood and Emotional Health the JH also note:

“Women who have a history of depression or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be more likely to develop depression during this time”.5

Menopause Symptoms

Is there an association between menopause symptoms and anxiety and depression?

In Menopause and Mental Health: Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause the AMS explain:

“Some of the common physical, memory and thinking symptoms related to menopause (hot flushes, night sweats, sleep and sexual disturbances, weight changes and “brain fog”) can complicate and overlap with mental health symptoms”.6

Other Issues

Is there an association between other issues and menopause mood changes?

In Managing Your Menopausal Symptoms: Managing Mental and Emotional Health the JH note:


“At this stage of life, other issues can affect your emotions. For example, if you’re juggling many responsibilities and feeling more stress than normal”.7

Stress

Is there an association between stress and menopause mental health?

In Menopause and Mental Health: Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause the AMS explain:

“Another complicating factor is stress related to life circumstances. Feeling stress is common during middle age as personal and environmental changes take place. This can have a strong effect on mood in some women. Life circumstances that can impact mental health include:

  • Caring for children
  • Caring for elderly parents
  • Career changes
  • Relationship changes
  • Ageing
  • Body changes
  • Illness”.8

Best Mental Health Tips

What are some best mental health tips?

In Our Best Mental Health Tips – Backed By Research the (United Kingdom) Mental Health Foundation elaborate on:

  1. “Get closer to nature…
  2. Get more from your sleep
  3. Keep moving
  4. Eat healthy food…
  5. Be kind and help create a better world…
  6. Be curious and open-minded to new experiences…
  7. Plan things to look forward to…
  8. Learn to understand and manage your feelings…
  9. Talk to someone you trust for support…
  10. Be aware of using drugs and/or alcohol to cope with difficult feelings
  11. Try to make the most of your money and get help with problem debts…”.9

Hormone Therapy

May hormone therapy improve mood?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits, dated February 2025, the (United States) Menopause Society (formerly the North American Menopause Society) note:

“Hormone therapy is one of the most effective treatments available for bothersome hot flashes and night sweats. If hot flashes and night sweats are disrupting your daily activities and sleep, HT may improve sleep and fatigue, mood, ability to concentrate, and overall quality of life”.10

Health Care Provider

What if my mood is making me moodier?

If your mood is making you moodier, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

In Menopause and Mental Health: Untangling Physical and Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause the AMS elaborate on:

“Speaking with your doctor about your menopausal symptoms, life circumstances and clinical history can help them to recommend the best treatment options and lifestyle and behavioural changes for your situation”.11

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Menopause Mental Health?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Menopause Mental Health?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

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  5. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  6. Caring for Your Mental Health
  7. Complementary Medicines and Therapies: Options for Menopausal Symptoms
  8. Complementary & Alternative Therapies: Non-Hormonal Treatments for Menopause Symptoms
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  10. Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2024 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Menopause
  11. Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2024 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  12. De-Stress Eating: Foods To Help Reduce Anxiety
  13. Depression [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  14. Depression In Women: 4 Things To Know
  15. Depression and the Menopause
  16. Does Menopause Really Cause Depression?
  17. Emotional Wellness In Menopause
  18. Experts Answer Your Menopause Questions In New Video
  19. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  20. Find A Practitioner [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  21. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  22. Finding A Mental Health Professional
  23. Getting Help [United Kingdom]
  24. HRT Questions Answered
  25. Handling Hot Flushes and Night Sweats| Dr Louise Newson
  26. Her Centre Australia
  27. Hormones & Mental Health: What Every Woman Needs To Know | Live With Dr Louise Newson
  28. Hot Flashes, Anxiety and Menopause: What’s the Connection?
  29. How Do I Know If I Have A Mental Health Problem?
  30. How Mindfulness Meditation Improves Mental Health
  31. How Small Lifestyle Changes Can Transform Your Health
  32. How To Manage Fear and Anxiety
  33. How To Manage Menopausal Symptoms: Managing Mental and Emotional Health
  34. How To Support Someone With A Mental Health Problem
  35. How To Talk To Your Doctor About Menopause
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  36. Iapmd [International Association for Premenstrual Disorders]
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  37. Is Hormone Therapy A Key Strategy In Treating Menopausal Depression? [Video]
  38. Jayashri Kulkarni: Our Hormones and Our Minds
  39. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Menopause and Your Mental Wellbeing [+ Video: Menopause Only Affects You Physically!] [Other Languages and Formats]
  40. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Supporting Someone Through the Menopause [+ Video: Men Don’t Need To Know About Menopause] [Other Languages and Formats]
  41. Looking After Your Mental Health
  42. Looking After Yourself Around the Time of Menopause: How To Look After Your Mental Health At Menopause
  43. Mayo Clinic Minute: Prescribing Nature for Mental, Physical Health [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  44. Menopause
  45. Menopause
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  47. Menopause
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  48. Menopause Checklist Podcast: Episode 3: I’m Not Myself
  49. Menopause Checklist Podcast: Episode 5: Zero To 100
  50. Menopause Depression
  51. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Relaxation Techniques
  52. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
  53. Menopause and Mental Health Menopause and Mental Health
  54. Menopause and Mental Health
  55. Menopause and Mental Health
  56. Menopause and Mind Health
  57. Menopause and Sleep
  58. Menopause: Ensuring A Tranquil Transition
  59. Mental Health At Work
  60. Mental Health Awareness Week [12-18 May 2025, United Kingdom]
    Menopause Mental Health
  61. Mental Health Month [May 2025]
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  62. Mental Health Month Action Guide 2025
  63. Mental Health and Self-Care: A Comprehensive Guide
  64. Mentalhealthatwork.org.uk [Mental Health At Work, United Kingdom]
  65. Mhanational.org [Mental Health America]
  66. Mood Changes During Perimenopause Are Real. Here’s What To Know
  67. Mood and the Menopause
  68. Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
  69. My Mental Health: Do I Need Help?
  70. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Mental Health
  71. National Institute of Mental Health [United States]
  72. National Women’s Health Week [11-17 May 2025]: Navigating the Road To Menopause
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  73. Navigating Menopause: Honest Answers To All Your Questions [+ Video: What To Expect in Menopause]
  74. Navigating Menopause Care Resource Guide
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  75. Our Best Mental Health Tips – Backed By Research
  76. PMS and PMDD: Live Q&A With Dr Louise Newson
  77. Perimenopause
  78. Perimenopause and Menopause Checklist: Translated Checklists
  79. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptom Checklist
  80. Promoting Good Mental Health Over the Menopause Transition
  81. Resources for the LGBTQ+ Community and Allies [United States]
  82. Resources: Fact Sheets [Multiply Languages]
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  83. Self-Help Tool: Menopause and Mental Wellbeing
  84. Severe Mental Illness and the Perimenopause
  85. Surprising Menopause Symptoms | Dr Louise Newson Live
  86. Survey of Over-50s Women Finds Almost Two In Three Struggle With Mental Health
  87. Symptoms of Menopause: Mood and Emotional Health
  88. The Menopause ‘Mind field’
  89. The Mental Toll of Menopause – What Women Really Feel
  90. Therapy Could Be Effective Treatment for Non-Physical Symptoms of Menopause
  91. Tips for Talking With A Health Care Provider About Your Mental Health
  92. Top Tips To Improve Your Mental Wellbeing
  93. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Menopause and Hormone Therapy: Current Perspectives and Controversies
  94. Webinars: Lifestyle Medicine
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  96. What To Know About Menopause and Mental Health
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  98. When Does Perimenopause Start and How Do You Define the Beginning
  99. World Menopause Day 2024: Leaflet for Women – Menopause and Menopause Hormone Therapy [Multiply Languages] Menopause Mental Health
  100. World Mental Health Day 2025

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Symptoms of Menopause: Mental and Emotional Health. Last Updated: 15 October 2025 | Last Revised: 23 April 2025. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms Accessed: 30 January 2026
  2. What Is Mental Health? Last Updated: 08 November 2024. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
  3. Menopause and Mental Health. o5 September 2025. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/menopause-and-mental-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
  4. Symptoms of Menopause: Mental and Emotional Health. Last Updated: 15 October 2025 | Last Revised: 23 April 2025. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms Accessed: 30 January 2026
  5. Symptoms of Menopause: Mental and Emotional Health. Last Updated: 15 October 2025 | Last Revised: 23 April 2025. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms Accessed: 30 January 2026
  6. Menopause and Mental Health: Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause. Content Updated: February 2023. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/menopause-and-mental-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
  7. How To Manage Menopausal Symptoms: Managing Mental and Emotional Health – Anxiety and Depression. Last Updated: 19 May 2025 | Last Revised: 22 April 2025. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/managing-your-symptoms#managing-mood-and-emotional-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
  8. Menopause and Mental Health: Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause. 05 September 2025. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/menopause-and-mental-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
  9. Our Best Mental Health Tips – Backed By Research. Mental Health Foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/our-best-mental-health-tips Accessed: 30 January 2026
  10. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits. 2025:1. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/default-document-library/MenoNote-Deciding-About-HT-2025.pdf Accessed: 30 January 2026
  11. Menopause and Mental Health: Untangling Physical and Mental Health Symptoms Related To Menopause. 05 September 2025. Australasian Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/menopause-and-mental-health Accessed: 30 January 2026
Topic Last Updated: 30 January 2026 – Topic Last Reviewed: 30 January 2026

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