Manage Depression And Anxiety With Menopause
Wednesday, November 12, 2008Right at the outset a misconception must be cleared out. In women going through amid life crisis, their approaching menopause is not the cause of all the mood swings and depressions that she undergoes. On the contrary, it is a fluctuation in quantities of estrogen secreted by the hormonal glands that causes such an emotional overhaul. This can be a difficult time for a woman. And this fluctuation of the hormone levels occurs more in women than in men, and therefore women may face twice as many emotional problems as men would. In case one has a family history of such a condition, the levels of depression may also depend on that.
Another misconception that comes with the onset of menopause is that depression is a normal thing during these phases. Yes, it is normal, but it need not necessarily occur. The depression levels can be easily controlled if one accepts the various alterations that are happening within the human body. Menopause or the dropping of the estrogen levels does not directly cause mood swings or depression. On the contrary, it is the inability to cope up with such changes that leads to such a mental condition.
Some of the symptoms to look out during the menopause are:
* anxiety
* irritability
* changes in body temperature
* sleeping problems
* tiredness due to weakening of bones
* mental fatigue
* forgetfulness
However, all of the above are just the resultant manifestations of the actually menopausal onset. Once a woman enters her mid thirties to mid forties the ovaries produced by the womb decrease considerably. Ovulation becomes erratic as a result of which the monthly menstrual cycle also fluctuates from the normal time period.
Many women who undergo severe depression during this time do so because they are unable to understand the changes within their body. The body had been used to a particular pattern for about 25 to 30 years of a woman's life. Now suddenly the disruption of such a routine pattern may result in anxiety. This inevitably leads to a feeling of hopelessness of approaching old age. This is what leads to depression.
Even though a positive mental outlook and taking the changes in one's stride can go a long way in countering such a condition, medical help must be sought in case the problem persists or aggravates. Problems related to the heart and bones are most commonly prevalent during menopause. The prescription of anti depressants by doctors and the undergoing of the hormone replacement therapies are the two most common approaches taken to cure such symptoms.