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Depression and Menopause
As women approach midlife and menopause one of the things to be
on the lookout for is depression. While menopause is not thought to be a cause
of depression the two can occur at the same time. What is believed to be a cause
of depression is changes in estrogen levels which occur during menopause. It is
known that women are affected by depression over twice as much as men and that a
family history of depression can factor into this as well.
The symptoms of depression and menopause are very similar and include sleep
disorders, hot flashes, fatigue, anxiety, and irritability. Many women associate
these symptoms with the changes that menopause bring, but they may be a sign of
depression that needs to be understood and dealt with. There is no reason women
need to suffer from depression during menopause. It is important that they
accept the physical changes happening to their bodies during this time and work
with their doctor to mitigate the symptoms of menopause, but it is also
important that they realize that depression and menopause can be mutually
exclusive and both can be dealt with.
As women approach menopause their menstrual cycles begin to change and start to
become unpredictable. This unpredictability of their monthly cycle is a sign of
erratic ovulation. Erratic ovulation causes unpredictable releases of the
hormones estrogen and progesterone leading to mood swings, forgetfulness, hot
flashes and all the other symptoms associated with menopause.
Most women going through menopause feel that they are loosing control of their
bodies when in fact it is just their natural reaction to the aging process. This
feeling of loss of control can lead to symptoms of depression. As the symptoms
of both menopause and depression worsen the start to feel that their is nothing
they can do and a feeling of hopelessness falls over them. This feeling of
hopelessness is a major part of depression and left untreated can lead to severe
depression.
Untreated depression is a major health risk. Researchers have found that
depression is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and in some cases it
can lead to bone deterioration increasing the likely hood of osteoporosis and
broken bones.
The treatment for depression and menopause can follow a two pronged approach. It
is important to treat not only the depression with antidepressant medications
and counseling but also to treat the symptoms of menopause as well. Menopause
can be treated with hormone replacement therapy where synthetic forms of
estrogen and progesterone are used to even out the woman's hormone levels.
If you are a woman approaching midlife and menopause be aware that depression
can be a very real side affect of the changes that will happen to you. If start
to see the symptoms of depression it is best to talk to your doctor about what
treatment options may work best for you.
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