Are Menopause and Depression linked?
Menopause is a natural phase, not an illness. But, symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and depression can be similar, and women can be depressed and going through the menopause at the same time.
Changes in your hormones during menopause can impact women’s mental health as well as physical health.
If you are a perimenopausal or menopausal woman, it is common to experience changes and dips in your mood. You can experience anxiety, overwhelm, stress and depression during your menopause. Mood changes can be a result of menopause. This can vary from low moods through to depression.
Symptoms of Menopausal and Perimenopausal Depression Anger & Irritability
During the menopause you may find that you are becoming angry, irritated or frustrated. These emotions are all natural, but you can feel like you are out of control.
Anxiety
Anxiety often spikes during the perimenopause and menopause. You might find that you are worrying more about life, the world or others. You may feel fearful but you do not know why. You might experience panic attacks or have intrusive thoughts or ruminate over things, think about regrets or bad memories.
Lower self-esteem and confidence
Some women feel less vibrant or attractive during menopause. They may feel less confident or capable or feel less relevant in life. Menopause is a natural transition in life, and you might grieve for your old self or the end of your fertile years.
Low mood / sadness / emptiness
When some women go through the menopause they can feel like they are losing themselves. Or like you are no longer interested in things anymore. You might feel indifferent to things you used to care about or dissatisfied with life. Your libido may reduce or even disappear.
Depression
Perimenopause and Menopause can have a big impact on our mood and there can be depression symptoms. You can feel sad or unhappy or like you can no longer cope with daily life. Life can feel slow or even empty, which can make you feel tearful or emotional. You may even feel hopeless about the future.
Brain fog / poor concentration / Forgetfulness
Brain fog is a common complaint of perimenopause and menopause; you can feel that you can’t think as clearly as you usually can. That you struggle to find the right words or to explain yourself well. You might forget names or appointments or lose things or find it harder to focus or make decisions. This can make you feel frustrated, anxious or irritated.
Sleep problems
Sleep problems during menopause are common. This might be because of night sweats or hot flushes or it can be because of worries, anxiety or even panic. This can then affect your energy levels as well as your mood and overall well-being.
Can Menopause Cause Depression and Anxiety?
The physical symptoms of menopause are often better known than the mental health and depression symptoms but hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can directly influence mood, so it is possible for menopause to trigger depression or make existing symptoms feel more intense. Fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone can affect serotonin, the stress response and sleep quality, all of which play a key role in emotional wellbeing.
Many women notice new feelings of low mood, anxiety, overwhelm or irritability during this stage. Others may experience a return of depression they have managed in the past. Hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue and brain fog can also make everyday pressures harder to cope with, increasing emotional strain. For some, this combination leads to what is often described as menopausal or perimenopausal depression.
Understanding that these mood changes can be linked to hormonal shifts is the first step towards finding the right support. Natural approaches, including homeopathy and lifestyle changes, can help reduce symptoms and restore emotional balance.
Natural Remedies for Menopausal Depression
Making healthier lifestyle choices can help you to manage your menopause and depression symptoms better.
- Taking time for yourself to relax
- Being outside
- Exercise
- Quality sleep
- Wholefood diet
You can also explore natural remedies and holistic approaches to alleviate menopause. Many are available, including homeopathic treatments for menopausal depression.
Homeopathic Remedies for Menopause and Low Mood Sepia
This homeopathic medicine can be helpful if your periods are sometimes late and scanty, but heavy and flooding at other times. Women who need this remedy usually feel depression symptoms such as dragged-out, worn out and weary, with anger or an irritable detachment regarding family members, and a loss of interest in daily tasks. Exercise, especially dancing, may brighten your mood and improve your energy.
Pulsatilla
You might need this homeopathic medicine if you are usually gentle and emotional, with changeable moods and a tendency toward tears. Periods are often irregular, and can come with queasy feelings, alternating heat and chills, and lack of thirst. You may feel worse for being in a stuffy room, preferring the open air.
Lachesis
This homeopathic medicine is indicated for you if you are suffering with hot flashes, headaches and even fainting. You can feel depressed or in a low mood, feeling suspicious of others, like you need to be on guard. The menstrual bleed is dark and scanty with less flow and more pain. There can be a lot of discharge and heightened sexual desire.
Cimicifuga
You might need Cimicifuga if your menstrual cramps feel like labour pain and your body feels sensitive. The bleed is heavy with often a backache, the more there is flow the more you feel pain. Migraines can also come on due to hormonal imbalance, and you will feel gloomy and a sense of dejection.
Lilium Tigrinum
Lillium Tig is an indicated homeopathic medicine when you have early, dark menstrual bleeding with a bearing down sensation. The bleed flows only when you are moving. Emotionally there is a sense of hurry with anxiety and depression of spirits which can bring on a tendency to fly into rages and make other people “walk on eggs.”
Homeopathy for Perimenopause and Menopausal Depression: What to Expect
Help is at hand: explore natural remedies and holistic approaches to alleviate menopause such as homeopathic treatments for menopausal depression. Simply book an online homeopathy consultation with me or a member of the Healthy Homeopathy team. We have professional homeopaths in the UK, USA and Canada.
Start by booking an online low cost per-qualifying homeopathy consultation to talk about holistic approaches to alleviate menopause and homeopathic treatments for menopausal depression and explore natural remedies. Homeopathy can address your symptoms and help reduce them naturally so that you feel healthier, centered and well.
I specialise in a natural alternative therapy, and my solution is the Women’s Perimenopause and Menopause Treatment Plan; it is suitable for those women who are seeking natural alternatives to treat their perimenopause and menopause, including Women’s Mental Health.
Personalised Menopause Support with Healthy Homeopathy
The Women’s Perimenopause and Menopause Treatment Plan includes 1:1 online consultations with me, Kiran, a qualified homeopath with over 18 years of professional clinical experience, a bespoke plan for homeopathy remedies, a supplement review and recommendations, a nourishment plan and regular check-in phone calls and email support.
Once you start a course on the Women’s Perimenopause and Menopause Treatment Plan should start to notice improvements in your symptoms within a few weeks. Homeopathic treatment usually lasts around 3 – 6 months. This will vary according to your symptoms, how long you have had them and the severity.
Book your online homeopathy consultation with me and let’s work together using homeopathic treatment for your perimenopause and menopause.
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