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Mood Changes and Irritability
We can help Massachusetts women with their mood changes
When a woman reaches menopause, she may experience some uncomfortable symptoms. These can include physical symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness and night sweats – and they also often include emotional and psychological symptoms. Mood changes and irritability are at the top of the list for many menopausal women.
While it’s not always clear what causes or triggers the mood swings of menopause, there’s no denying that they exist. These mood changes may share symptoms with clinical depression, but they are a different condition, ending when menopause is over.
Causes of Women's Mood and Attitude Changes As They Age
During menopause, women’s estrogen and progesterone levels decline over a period of a few years. Usually menopause begins in the 40s, with an average starting age of 51. As the ovaries gradually slow their production of these hormones, women go through several physical changes, including to the brain.
Some of these changes affect emotions and mood. That’s because estrogen is a vital component when it comes to regulating dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These hormones are all involved with boosting mood so it’s no surprise that mood swings occur when they go unregulated.
Estrogen has a few other functions in the brain, including support of overall cognition. When its levels decrease, some women experience episodes of forgetfulness. The resulting frustration may also affect mood. Since all this is occurring just as women are also dealing with the stress and anxiety that aging can produce, those mood swings begin to seem almost inevitable.
However, not all women experience mood swings and irritability during menopause. Women who are already under stress, whose physical health isn’t great and who have a history of depression are more likely to experience mood swings.
Common Mood Change Symptoms in Women Over 40
The decline of estrogen and progesterone during menopause prompts a host of symptoms. These often include the following:
- Vaginal dryness
- Bladder infections
- Dry, itchy eyes
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Insomnia
- Decreased sex drive
- Prickly heat
- Itchy skin
- Hair loss
Alongside these physical symptoms, many menopausal women experience a variety of mood or emotional changes. These can include:
- Irritability
- Loss of concentration
- Sad feelings
- Fatigue
- Loss of motivation
- Anxiety and worry
- Feelings of stress
- Aggression
These symptoms, of course, may have other causes than menopause. It’s important to check in with a doctor to make sure your symptoms aren’t due to another cause, especially if you are experiencing serious signs of depression.
Coping With Mood Changes and Irritability During Menopause
While hormone replacement therapy is one of the best ways to ameliorate and control the mood swings and irritability associated with menopause, women can take other steps to deal with various symptoms. These include lifestyle changes and some over-the-counter remedies.
Over-the-Counter Treatments and Supplements
While many alternative medicines are touted as remedies for menopausal symptoms, most have proven ineffective when tested in clinical studies. Black cohosh, however, shows anecdotal evidence of being effective when taken to combat hot flashes. In addition, over-the-counter vaginal moisturizers help many women cope with the symptom of vaginal dryness.
Lifestyle Changes
Studies show that aerobic exercise can help push back against menopausal symptoms, including mood swings. That’s because exercise triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, elevating mood. Plan on 50-minute workouts at least 4 days a week. Any type of aerobic exercise, such as swimming, walking, running or cycling, can help.
Minimizing stress is also key to dealing with the emotional symptoms of menopause for some women. Yoga can help you calm the mood, as can medication. Some women find that taking time for self-care, even that means getting a pedicure or settling down in a hammock to read a great book, has similar effects. Look for ways to slow down and reduce the need to hurry to help decrease stress and elevate mood.
Diet also has an effect on mood. For many women, menopause is a good time to avoid alcohol. A diet that’s rich on omega-3 fatty acids and folate may also boost mood. Some women find that spicy foods, fatty foods and caffeine also exacerbate the symptoms of menopause.
In addition, many women find that reaching menopause triggers all sorts of emotions surrounding the idea of aging. Seeking therapy can help you focus on the positive (such as the freedom that comes with the end of concerns about an unwanted pregnancy). Cognitive behavioral therapy, in particular, can help direct patterns of thinking to encourage good thoughts that keep the mood changes of menopause at bay.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy is one of the most effective treatments for the mood changes and irritability that come with menopause. In addition, hormone replacement therapy provides reliable relief for vaginal dryness and hot flashes.
Women can choose between two basic types of hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen-only therapy is typically prescribed for women who have had a hysterectomy. Most women, though, end up with therapy that combines progestogen with estrogen. This hormone combination helps protect women against the possibility of endometrial or uterine cancer, which is more likely with estrogen-only therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy comes in several forms. Women can take their hormones in pill form, via injection, or through delivery via a patch or gel. Women who only experience vaginal symptoms can use localized products that don’t enter the blood stream. These products include creams and rings for vaginal use.
Hormone replacement therapy shows promise and effectiveness in treating the mood and emotional symptoms of menopause. Women who find that their mood is still depressed after embarking on hormone replacement therapy may want to seek psychotherapy or try antidepressants to treat actual depression.
Not every woman is a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy. Women with a history of blood clots, breast cancer, heart disease or stroke should typically avoid hormone replacement therapy.
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The Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy is proven to reduce many menopausal symptoms as well as reducing the risk of related chronic conditions. It fights osteoporosis by preventing bone density loss, and it reduces the risks and markers of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and bowel cancer. Women who start hormone replacement therapy right as they hit menopause often see the most significant benefits.
Use of estrogen with or without progestogen boosts quality of life because of the way it alleviates hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. Women taking estrogen tend to experience better sexual relations after menopause as well as improved sleep. They also are better able to cope with the mood swings and irritability that are among the emotional symptoms of menopause.
Women taking hormone replacement therapy should be assessed regularly, at least once a year, to make sure they are tolerating the hormones well.
How the HB Team Can Help Women in Massachusetts With Their Mood Changes
Are your menopausal mood swings causing stress in your life? Do you feel that it’s hard to participate in activities that you love because of your irritability and other menopausal symptoms? If so, Hormonally Balanced is ready to help you.
At Hormonally Balanced, we’re here for women in Massachusetts who need help with their menopausal symptoms. We use bioidentical estrogen, progestogen and testosterone to help women get their bodies back in balance. With our help, you can go forward into life in a healthy way that keeps symptoms under control and that lets you face menopause and age with a positive outlook.
Contact us today to see how we can help you with your mood changes. We’ll be with you on every step of your unique journey, as your health care partner, providing the support and care you need and deserve.