If your mood swings feel more like the beginnings of a villain-origin narrative (and you’re also experiencing symptoms like insomnia and feeling warmer than normal), you may be in the early stages of perimenopause.
According to the Office of Women’s Health, this is the transition to menopause, which is the end of a person’s reproductive years and is technically defined as 12 consecutive months without a period, with the whole transition spanning anywhere from two to eight years (OWH).
Link Between Perimenopause And Mental Health
Perimenopause normally begins after the age of 40 (though it can begin younger), and the fluctuations in ovarian function and hormone levels can leave you feeling disoriented.
The perimenopausal era is characterized by a protracted hormonal fluctuation, with levels of estrogen and progesterone (often known as “female” hormones) changing greatly. Testosterone, a “male” hormone that is generated in lower amounts in those assigned females at birth, also decreases gradually.
Depression, anxiety, irritability, brain fog, and mood swings are among the symptoms of perimenopause, with estrogen changes being one of the possible causes.
It goes like this: Various areas of the brain have different hormone receptors. These receptors receive hormone instructions and convey them to the body’s cells via chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters.
“There’s increasing evidence that estrogen — and estrogen-signaling pathways — are involved in a wide range of brain functions, including mood, cognition, and memory,” Dr. Juliet Nevins, board-certified OB-GYN and clinical solutions medical director at CVS Health told HuffPost.
If estrogen levels are declining, it comes to reason that the physical processes that rely on estrogen to function properly may suffer as well, potentially affecting your mental health both directly (the brain) and indirectly (the body).
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Perimenopause Symptoms
Some of the less-known early warning signs of perimenopause include:
- Flooding during the menstrual cycle
- Vaginal flora problems
- Infections of the urinary tract
- Anxiety, sadness, or depression
- Cognitive difficulties
- Sleep disturbance
- Concerns about energy
- Thyroid problems
- Palpitations or shortness of breath are examples of heart symptoms.
- Dryer skin with more pimples, itching, or rashes are examples of skin changes.
- Workout appears to be a chore.
- Concerns shared
- More susceptible to sickness and infection
- Libido and sexual drive are both impaired.
Additional signs and symptoms include:
- Flushes of heat
- Worse-than-usual headaches and migraines
- weight gain and altered body form
How To Relieve Symptoms?
According to the OWH, pre-existing mental health problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder might increase perimenopause symptoms.
According to research, these factors can magnify the mental health symptoms caused by hormonal triggers — and by examining your condition holistically, you can better pinpoint the medical and behavioral therapies required to alleviate your discomfort.
They could include:
- Keeping track of your symptoms
- Changing your diet
- Changing up your workout regimen
- Avoiding hot flash triggers
- Obtaining sufficient sleep
- Investigating medication possibilities
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