Navigating menopause and understanding its impact on Mental Health
As this week is Mental Health Awareness week we feel its important to help shed some light on the often overlooked link between menopause and mental wellbeing.
As we are all aware, menopause is a natural phase in every woman’s life marking the end of the reproductive years, and along with this it can also bring about huge hormonal shifts that can significantly impact mental health.
Hormonal fluctuations during menopause or peri menopause can contribute to:
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Depression or general low mood
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Poor concentration (Brain Fog)
Additionally with other symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, disturbed sleep and irregular bleeding these can all have an affect on the way you feel about yourself and your body image further impacting mental well being.
The mental symptoms of menopause are just as real as the physical ones, and it is important to seek help from healthcare professionals if you are struggling to manage health issues. Open communication with loved ones can also provide some much needed emotional support.
What can help get you through this time?
There are a few options to consider that could help to ease some of the symptoms associated with menopause:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – This form of therapy can help as an effective treatment to help bring a further understanding of how to manage both physical and psychological symptoms by breaking issues down and learning coping mechanisms
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – This is recognised as the most effect way of treatment by replacing the hormones that are naturally falling in our bodies. Whilst HRT can often quickly improve physical symptoms it can take a little longer for women to feel an improvement to their mental health. This can all take time as finding the right HRT and dosage is key to feeling improvements.
- Non Hormonal Treatment – If you are unable to take HRT, or simply do not wish to, there are non-hormone based medications available to help beat some symptoms. It is clear in the menopause guidelines that anti-depressants should not be used as a first line response to aid symptoms if you have not previously been diagnosed with depression. There are treatments available to help with symptoms such as hot flushes and low mood.
- Self care – Using complimentary therapies such as aromatherapy or acupuncture can help improve stress, anxiety and low mood. Whilst these can be helpful it is also important to remember that engaging in self care practices such as regular exercise, mindfulness, enjoying a new hobby, healthy eating and getting adequate sleep can all hugely improve menopausal symptoms and improve our mental wellbeing. Never underestimate the power of some ‘you’ time!
If you find living with menopausal symptoms is having such a negative affect on your everyday life and you feel like you are struggling to cope, please reach put to your GP to access support.
