Risk of depression and low mood during menopause
To mark World Depression Day, menopause research, support and treatment company Domma is highlighting the link between the condition and the menopause, with recent research suggesting the risk of developing depression increases by 2-5 times during menopause. .
Due to the decrease estrogen production During menopause, women at this stage are more prone to emotional and psychological imbalance and suffer from sadness and anxiety. Estrogens act on the central nervous system, regulating stress hormones (cortisol-adrenaline-norepinephrine-glucagon) and neurotransmitters happiness (dopamine-serotonin-endorphin-oxytocin), so their decrease changes a woman’s mood. This makes you feel sadder than usual, lonely, upset, lost or confused, and with less vitality and energy during this stage, which can last several years.
Specifically, in Domme’s latest study of more than 8,500 women, 50.8% of women said they felt anxious and 49.4% said they felt anxious. be sad. Other symptoms identified during the survey were stress (54% of respondents), feeling distracted (52.2%), irritability (47.3%), humor changes (58.5%) and fatigue (52.8%).
“The occurrence of and significant distress from the typical physical symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, insomnia and sexual problems, among others, is a risk factor for developing depression, so don’t settle for these symptoms and try to address the problem. this discomfort is critical to women’s well-being,” says Mireya Roca, co-founder of Domma.
On the other hand, “in addition to treatment physical and psycho-emotional symptomsWhat women are going through, we need to change the way we experience this stage so that instead of feeling fear, sadness, rejection, shame or denial in the face of this stage, we can experience it from a positive perspective and without stigma. says Cristina Martinez, co-founder of the business.
Sharing experiences with friends and colleagues who are also going through the same physical and emotional changes, and explaining what each of them is feeling, will help improve your mood as menopause normalizes and becomes positive. Likewise, it will be important to seek professional support when menopausal symptoms are long-lasting, very intense, or make it impossible to carry out normal daily activities, or when symptoms of emotional distress or depression worsen and persist over time.
Finally, they recommend eating a balanced diet, exercising, maintaining healthy habits, and managing your anxiety and stress levels to avoid sudden mood changes.