Mood Changes:
During menopause you may experience changes in your mood for example you might feel more irritable or have bouts of crying. For women who experienced mood changes with their monthly menstruation or depression after having a baby, they may be more likely to have mood changes with menopause.1 Mood changes during menopause can also be due to stress, changes to the family (children leaving home and going away to college or getting married) or feeling tired.
How to deal with this:
Here’s what is recommended by the Office on Women’s Health (OWH): 2
- Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep.
- Be physically active to help you feel your best
- Avoid taking on too many duties or overloading your workload. Look for positive ways to ease your stress.
- Join a support group online or in your community with women who are also going through menopause.
- If your mood swings are bothering you, discuss what options are available for you, with your doctor or health care practitioner
Depression & Anxiety:
The incidence of depression and anxiety is higher for women during menopause. This may be due to changing hormones, menopausal symptoms, or both. Some women experience sadness or depression over their loss of fertility, changes in their body, changes in their family dynamic etc. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, seek your doctor’s advice on how to treat this.
How to deal with this:
Here are some other recommendations from the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) 3:
- Sleep. Try to get enough sleep. Most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep is linked to depression
- Exercise. Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Exercise is proven to help with depression.
- Limit alcohol. Limit how much alcohol you drink, if any. A moderate amount of alcohol for women is one drink a day, and no more than seven drinks in a week.
- Lower stress. Set limits for how much you take on. Look for positive ways to unwind and ease daily stress. Spend time in nature/quiet time outdoors, do relaxation techniques, read a book, spend time doing a hobby that you love or other healthy ways to unwind.
1Roberts, H., Hickey, M. (2016). Managing the menopause. An update. Maturitas. 201:86:53-8.
2Office On Women’s Health (OWH): https://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/menopause-symptoms-and-relief#13
3Office On Women’s Health (OWH): https://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/menopause-symptoms-and-relief#13
Decreased Bone Density:
Reduced levels of estrogen are related to loss of bone density and estrogen loss can also increase the risk of certain diseases/disorders such as osteoporosis, which can lead to hip, wrist and spine fractures. Approximately 80% of the Americans with osteoporosis or low bone mass are women. Approximately 50% of women older than 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related bone fracture, and one-third of white women ages 65 and older will have a fracture of the spine in their lifetime.4 Discuss with your doctor about having a bone density test done.
How to deal with this:
It’s important to be aware of this potential health risk and guard against bone loss with exercise and diet that supports strong healthy bones. 5
- Do weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercise slows the rate of bone loss. It should be done for at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week. 6
- Have a healthy diet. Eat a healthy diet rich in nutrients, green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, legumes, oily fish such as sardines and salmon. As per your doctor’s recommendation take calcium and vitamin D supplements to add to your diet and make sure that you have an adequate intake of both of these for healthy bones.
4ACOG | American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 2011 Women’s Health Stats & Facts: 33-34.
5Smoky Mountain Nutrition: https://smnutrition.com/blogs/news/menopause-statistics
6Virtual Medical Center (VMC): https://www.myvmc.com/diseases/menopause/
Disclaimer:
This blog contains general information about health conditions and treatments. The information should not be treated as advice and is provided without any representations or warranties express or implied. The author does not warrant or represent that the health related information is complete, true, accurate, up to date or non-misleading. You must not rely on the information from this blog as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information contained in this blog.
