The causes of depression are many. Hormones, namely serotonin, regulate your mood and emotional balance. When the level of serotonin drops, it causes fluctuations in your mood and can lead to depression. Estrogen deficiency can also result in depression, which is why many millions of menopausal women will face this problem.
If you suffer from depression you will be experiencing intense feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and melancholy that lasts for two weeks or more at a time.
Depression During Menopause
Between 8% and 15% of women experience some form of depression during menopause, yet it is most likely to afflict women in the perimenopause stage.
What exactly causes this menopausal depression is not yet known, but different theories have been brought forth to explain the increase in mood disorders. One of these theories suggests that the stress of menopause symptoms is the one leading to depression. You may feel that symptoms of menopause are too difficult, since you already have to deal with family, friends, work, etc and menopause may just be what it takes to cause the onset of depression.
Another theory is that menopause depression is due to fluctuating levels of hormones in the body, especially estrogen. Throughout menopause, levels of hormones are constantly changing, and these hormones are linked with the mood centers in the human brain. Thus, when hormones drop, you may experience periods of sadness and hopelessness. At the extreme, this will lead to depression, mood disorders and anxiety issues.
Risk Factors
Do you have a history of mood disorders? Then you may develop depression during menopause, as women who have been depressed during their 20s, stand more chances of seeing their depression reoccur. At the same time, women who have experienced surgical menopause also have an increased risk for depression.
If you are a smoker, have young children, or are experiencing a good deal of stress, you are also more likely to go through some form of depr
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