Menopause Mental Health

“You may notice that menopause causes your mood to change.
This is due to changing hormone levels”.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) MentalHealth.gov’s definition is:

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

Symptoms

Is there an association between perimenopause and depression?

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

Menopause Mental Health

“You may notice that menopause causes your mood to change. This is due to changing hormone levels. You might experience:

  • Irritability
  • Increased anger
  • Low mood
  • Depression and anxiety.

Research suggests that women are more likely to feel depressed during the menopause transition.

Women who have a history of depression or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be more likely to develop depression during this time”.3

Anxiety and Depression

What is the association between menopause and anxiety and depression?

In Managing Your Symptoms: Managing Mood and Emotional Health – Anxiety and Depression the JH note:

“Hormonal changes around the time of menopause can lead to anxiety and depression, but other factors may also cause these feelings.

If you experienced anxiety before reaching menopause, some symptoms could make your anxiety worse. For example, hot flushes could lead to an anxiety attack.

Also, symptoms such as night sweats can affect your mood and make you feel exhausted, grumpy or depressed.

At this stage of life, you may experience depression for different reasons. For example, if you are having relationship problems or feeling more stress than normal.

You might also reflect on negative past experiences during this time, leading to feelings of depression.
If you are experiencing strong emotions, anxiety or depression, see your doctor”.4

In Depression and the Menopause the European Menopause and Andropause Society elaborate on:

“The perimenopause is considered to be a time of increased risk for the development of depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes.

Symptoms

  • Depressed mood
  • Loss of interest and enjoyment
  • Reduced energy
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Reduced self esteem
  • Suicidal thoughts or acts”.5

Menopause Attitude

Is there an association between our menopause attitude and menopause mental health?

In Make Your Menopause A Positive Experience the author elaborates on:

“The attitude with which you embark upon this transition can have a tremendous impact on your experience of it, as well as on your choice of behaviors. Many of the changes that come with menopause and aging aren’t avoidable, but how you experience menopause and the years that follow has much to do with your attitude. Far from being the end of life, you may find menopause to be a new beginning, one that can be lived richly, fully, and in good overall health. Knowing the spectrum of what’s a normal experience may help ease your concerns and help you to prepare for what’s to come”.6

Keeping Good Mental Health

How can we keep our self in good mental health?

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

  • “Get closer to nature…
  • Learn to understand and manage your feelings…
  • Be aware of using drugs and/or alcohol to cope with difficult feelings…
  • Try to make the most of your money and get help with debt problems…
  • Get more from your sleep…
  • Be kind and help create a better world…
  • Keep moving…
  • Eat healthy food…
  • Be curious and open minded to new experiences…
  • Plan things to look forward to…”.7

In What Is Mental Health? Mental Health and Wellness the Mentalhealth.gov explain:

“Ways to maintain positive mental health include:

  • Getting professional help if you need it
  • Connecting with others
  • Staying positive
  • Getting physically active
  • Helping others
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Developing coping skills”.8

LaughterMenopause Mental Health

Is there an association between laughter and menopause mental health?

In Make Your Menopause A Positive Experience the author explains:

“Laughter brings us closer to people, moves us into more positive mind-sets, can stimulate our immune system, enhance our learning and memory, and help us cope better with the stressors in our lives. Laughter is a great menopause help”.9

Menopausal Hormone Therapy

May menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) be beneficial in improving mood?

One of the points of consensus in the Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Section A: Benefit/Risk Profile of MHT – endorsed by seven menopause-related organizations – published online 20 June 2016 is:

“MHT may be beneficial in improving mood in early postmenopausal women with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms. MHT may also be beneficial for perimenopausal women with major depression but antidepressant therapy remains first-line treatment in this setting”.10

Health Care Provider

What if I am in no mood for laughter?

If you are in no mood for laughter, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

On page one in Menopause and Depression: Recognizing Depressive Symptoms and Depression the NAMS explain:

“When you are transitioning into menopause, you should notify your healthcare practitioner whether you have suffered from depression in the past or whether you were particularly sensitive to hormone changes and have experienced premenstrual syndrome or postpartum depression. Be alert and notice whether these mood changes are mild and do not greatly affect your quality of life or whether they are severe and debilitating and interfere with your daily activities”.11

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics 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.

  1. 31 Tips To Boost Your Mental Health
  2. 5 Steps To Mental Wellbeing
  3. 5 Ways To Cope With Menopausal Mood Swings
  4. About Mental Health Problems
  5. Alcohol and Mental Health
  6. Anxiety
  7. Askearlymenopause.org [Ask EM] [+ Video: What Is Early Menopause?]
  8. Caring for Your Mental Health
  9. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms
  10. Complementary & Alternative Medicine for Mental Health Conditions
  11. Consumer Health: What Is Mental Health?
  12. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  13. Depression [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  14. Depression In Women: 5 Things You Should Know
  15. Depression and the Menopause
  16. Diet and Mental Health
  17. Dr. Louise Newson Breaks Down The Menopause & Lisa Snowdon Shares Her Experience | This Morning
  18. EMAS Menopause Essentials
  19. Early Menopause: Experiences and Perspectives of Women and Health Practitioners
  20. Facebook Live Event: The Menopause Transition and Depression
  21. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  22. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  23. Find Help: Finding Help Is the Key To Taking Charge and Moving Forward
  24. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  25. Finding A Mental Health Professional
  26. Finding the Right Mental Health Professional for You
  27. Fitness Tips for Menopause: Why Fitness Counts
  28. Getting Help [United Kingdom]
  29. Get Help With Your Mental Wellbeing
  30. Getting Help for Mental Health
  31. Headstogether.org.uk [Heads Together, United Kingdom]
  32. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  33. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  34. How To Improve Mental Health
  35. How To Look After Your Mental Health
  36. How To Look After Your Mental Health Using Exercise
  37. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  38. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Early and Premature Menopause [+ Video: Menopause Only Happens In Your 50s]
  39. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Menopause and Your Mental Wellbeing [+ Video: Menopause Only Affects You Physically!]
  40. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Signs and Symptoms [+ Video: Talking Menopause With Your GP]
  41. 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]
  42. Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Intersex (LGBTI), and Bodily, Gender and Sexuality Diverse People
  43. Looking After Your Mental Health
  44. Management of Depressive Symptoms In Peri- and Postmenopausal Women: EMAS Position Statement
  45. Managing Your Symptoms: Managing Mood and Emotional Health
  46. Mastering Midlife Mood Changes with Marlene Freeman, MD
  47. Mayo Clinic Minute: Prescribing Nature for Mental, Physical Health [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  48. Menopause
  49. Menopause
  50. Menopause
  51. Menopause
  52. Menopause
  53. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  54. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Relaxation Techniques
  55. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
  56. Menopause FAQs: Menopause Symptoms – Q. My family tells me that I’ve become moody, and I admit that I sometimes feel blue or short-tempered. Menopause?
  57. Menopause Mindfulness: A Personal Toolkit for Menopause Preparedness
  58. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  59. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause
  60. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Mindfulness & Wellbeing During the Menopause Transition
  61. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
  62. Menopause and Depression
  63. Menopause and Mental Health
  64. Menopause – Information for Partners – Fact Sheet
  65. Mental & Emotional Wellbeing
  66. Mental Health: What’s Normal, What’s Not
  67. Menopause Mental HealthMentalhealthatwork.org.uk [Mental Health At Work, United Kingdom]
  68. Mhanational.org [Mental Health America]
  69. Mood and the Menopause
  70. My Mental Health: Do I Need Help?
  71. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Anxiety At A Glance
  72. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Depression
  73. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Menopausal Symptoms In Depth
  74. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Mental Health
  75. National Institute of Mental Health [United States]
  76. Non-Estrogen Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
  77. Our Best Mental Health Tips – Backed By Research
  78. Perimenopause
  79. Perimenopause
  80. Self-Care Tips To Manage Mental Health and Wellness [+ Video]
  81. Supporting A Loved One Through Menopause
  82. Supporting Women Through Menopause – Fact Sheet
  83. Symptoms of Menopause: Mood and Emotional Health
  84. Taking Care of Your Mental Health
  85. Taking Control of Your Mental Health: Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Provider
  86. The Many Faces of Anxiety
  87. Transformations The Mental Health Issues That Can Accompany Menopause Often Go Unaddressed
  88. Types of Talking Therapies: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  89. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  90. Video Series-2019: Mood Changes during Perimenopause
  91. Video Series-2019: What You Need to Know About Mood During the Menopause Transition
  92. Video Series-2020: What You Need to Know About Cognition and Mood Changes
  93. Video Series-2021: How Menopause Symptoms Can Affect Your Quality of Life
  94. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  95. Video Series-2022: Perimenopause, Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions
  96. Videos and Podcasts Archive: Interviews and Podcasts – Interviews: The Menopause Blues
  97. Videos and Podcasts: World Menopause Day 2022 – Interviews: What Women Should Know About Menopause and Brain Fog
  98. What Everyone Should Know About Menopause Symptoms
  99. Women and Mental Health
  100. Womensmentalhealth.org [MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health]

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Symptoms of Menopause: Mood and Emotional Health. Last Updated: 12 September 2022 | Last Revised: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms Accessed: 27 November 2022
  2. What Is Mental Health? Last Updated: 28 February 2022. Mental Health.gov https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health Accessed: 27 November 2022
  3. Symptoms of Menopause: Mood and Emotional Health. Last Updated: 12 September 2022 | Last Revised: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/menopause-symptoms Accessed: 27 November 2022
  4. Managing Your Symptoms: Managing Mood and Emotional Health – Anxiety and Depression. Last Updated: 12 September 2022 | Last Revised: 19 August 2022. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/managing-your-symptoms#managing-mood-and-emotional-health Accessed: 27 November 2022
  5. Depression and the Menopause. 2022. European Menopause and Andropause Society https://emas-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Depression-and-the-menopause.pdf Accessed: 27 November 2022
  6. Make Your Menopause A Positive Experience. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/make-your-menopause-a-positive-experience Accessed: 27 November 2022
  7. How To Look After Your Mental Health. Mental Health Foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-to-mental-health Accessed: 27 November 2022
  8. What Is Mental Health? Mental Health and Wellness. Last Updated: 28 February 2022. MentalHealth.gov https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health Accessed: 27 November 2022
  9. Make Your Menopause A Positive Experience: Laugh. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/make-your-menopause-a-positive-experience Accessed: 27 November 2022
  10. De Villiers, T. J., Hall, J. E., Pinkerton, J. V., Pérez, S. C., Rees, M., Yang, C. and Pierroz, D. D. Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Section A: Benefit/Risk Profile of MHT. Climacteric, 2016;19:4:314 https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/global-consensus-hrt-2016-06.pdf Accessed: 27 November 2022
  11. Depression and Menopause: Recognizing Depressive Symptoms and Depression. 2018:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/menonote-menopause-and-depression.pdf Accessed: 27 November 2022
Topic Last Updated: 02 December 2022 – Topic Last Reviewed: 27 November 2022

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
/by