Menopause, Mood Swings: Supporting Mental Wellbeing During Hormonal Changes
Key Takeaways
- Menopause and perimenopause often cause mood swings, mood changes, and impact mental wellbeing.
- Hormonal fluctuations, especially declining oestrogen, are a leading cause of mood changes and emotional symptoms.
- Signs and symptoms of menopause may include hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, low mood, and sleep problems.
- Many women confuse menopause symptoms with depression or anxiety, but treatment options exist.
- Lifestyle changes, targeted nutrition, and, where appropriate, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) provide valuable support.
- Mulier’s allergen-free supplements, tailored for women, can help balance hormone pathways and support mood.
What Causes Mood Swings and Low Mood During Menopause?
Menopause can trigger roller-coaster mood swings, irritability, low mood, and anxiety, with changes emerging during perimenopause and continuing through the menopause transition. The main causes lie in fluctuating hormone levels: as oestrogen and progesterone decline, brain chemistry alters, affecting serotonin and other neurotransmitters linked to emotional balance, cognition, and sense of wellbeing.
Night sweats, hot flushes, and lack of sleep can further disturb mental health, creating a cycle where physical symptoms of menopause worsen low mood and feelings of anxiety. Hormonal changes not only affect mood but may also disrupt sleep and increase fatigue, making day-to-day experiences overwhelming.
How Do Symptoms of the Menopause Affect Mood and Mental Wellbeing?
Women often notice that the symptoms of menopause are as real psychologically as they are physically. Emotional symptoms such as irritability, sadness, angrier outbursts, or tearfulness are common symptoms shared by both perimenopause and menopause experiences. Even depression during perimenopause can occur, particularly in women with prior history of mood or depressive disorders.
Mental health and wellbeing can decline as mood changes and symptoms during perimenopause go unrecognised or untreated. Women may be diagnosed with depression when the cause of their low mood is, in reality, hormone disruption. Increased risk of depression and anxiety occurs during the menopausal transition, especially if symptoms of menopause are severe, or if there is a prior history of major depressive disorder.
Recognising Perimenopause and Menopause Mood Swings
Perimenopause symptoms typically appear several years before periods stop completely. This transition to menopause is marked by hormonal changes and a wide range of symptoms. Women may experience mood swings, hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irritability, and low self-esteem as oestrogen levels fluctuate. Moods can swing unpredictably, sometimes confused with depression, or mistaken for premenstrual syndrome.
Mood and anxiety symptoms can be especially intense as the body adapts to hormonal shifts. These mood symptoms might appear alongside hot flushes and night sweats, further affecting sleep and exacerbating low mood and feelings of anxiety.
Why Do Hormone Changes During Menopause Trigger Mood Swings?
Hormonal changes are one of the primary causes of mood swings and mood changes in menopause. The decline and abrupt fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone interfere with serotonin pathways, contributing to symptoms of the menopause such as irritability, sadness, low mood, and, for some, even depressive symptoms.
These hormone changes often alongside physical symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances can result in mood swings and emotional symptoms. Changes during perimenopause are often marked by more regular shifts in hormone levels, intensifying the emotional roller coaster.
How Do Sleep Problems and Night Sweats Affect Mood During Menopause?
Sleep problems are a hallmark of menopause. Night sweats and hot flushes disrupt sleep continuity, leading to insomnia, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and cognitive issues. This lack of sleep heightens mood symptoms, making women more prone to irritability, anxiety, and sadness.
Poor-quality sleep can also lower resilience against stress, exacerbating low mood and anxiety, and reducing psychological resilience. The cumulative effects compound menopausal symptoms and can have lasting effects on mental wellbeing.
The Link Between Menopausal Symptoms and Depression
Menopause can cause what may seem like major depressive episodes, but not every case of low mood is clinical depression. Hormonal changes increase risk of depression, especially in women with a past history of depressive disorders, or those experiencing severe menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
Symptoms of depression during perimenopause may include persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, poor concentration, sadness, changes in sleep or appetite, and loss of self-esteem. If symptoms may overlap or persist, it is vital to seek help from your doctor.
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Other Treatment Options
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be effective in reducing some menopausal mood swings by stabilising hormone levels and alleviating symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes and night sweats. Research suggests HRT may help improve mood changes when linked to hormone deficiency, but HRT is not always suitable for everyone.
Treatment options also include antidepressant medication, cognitive behavioural therapy, lifestyle changes (including diet, exercise, and stress management), and targeted nutritional supplementation, such as the allergen-free menopause support formula offered by Mulier.
How Can Lifestyle Changes and Nutrition Improve Your Mental Wellbeing?
Evidence points to the power of lifestyle changes in improving mental wellbeing in menopause. Regular exercise, balanced nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing caffeine and alcohol can help moderate symptoms and stabilise mood. Supplements featuring Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Sage, Evening Primrose, and adaptogenic botanicals like Ashwagandha and Maca support both hormone balance and cognition.
Nourishing your body during menopause or perimenopause with clean, allergen-free supplements helps tackle both physical symptoms such as hot flushes and vaginal dryness- and emotional symptoms including, low mood and anxiety.
Getting Help for Menopausal Mood Swings: When to Seek Support
If you experience mood swings that feel overwhelming, or you feel diagnosed with depression or persistent low mood and anxiety, talk to your doctor. The mental symptoms of menopause are as real as the physical, and medical support, therapy that can help, and treatment options exist to help you reclaim your wellbeing.
The National Health Service, menopause clinics, and therapists specialising in depression and anxiety can guide you. Above all, remember: menopause can impact your mental health, but with knowledge, self-care, and support, you can improve your mental health and overall sense of happiness.
Mulier: Allergen-Free Support for Menopausal Mood Swings
Mulier’s supplements are designed for women experiencing menopause or perimenopause. Each formula supports healthy hormone pathways with evidence-based nutrients and botanicals—Vitamin B6, Sage, Evening Primrose, Magnesium, Ashwagandha, Maca, and more—to promote stable mood, combat fatigue, and uplift wellbeing. Developed in the UK by nutritional experts, Mulier’s allergen-free solutions are compatible with HRT and ideal for sensitive systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Stop Mood Swings in Menopause?
Mood swings can be eased by stabilising hormone levels with HRT, addressing sleep disorders and night sweats, and using natural solutions such as Mulier’s targeted supplements. Cognitive behavioural therapy, exercise, relaxation, and lifestyle changes can provide further support.
How Long Do Menopause Mood Swings Last?
Mood swings caused by menopause may last throughout the perimenopausal phase and into post-menopause, often improving as hormone levels stabilise.
What Are the First Signs of Menopause?
The symptoms of the menopause include irregular periods, hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes, irritability, low mood and, sometimes, vaginal dryness.
Are Mood Swings Linked to Any Particular Stage of the Menopause?
Mood swings are particularly common during perimenopause, when hormone levels fluctuate most dramatically.
Can Menopause Cause Depression?
Yes, menopause can increase risk of depression, especially in women with a previous history or severe symptoms. Seek help if you notice symptoms of depression.
How Can I Cope With the Emotional Changes of Menopause?
Regular lifestyle changes, therapy, social support, targeted supplements, and, where needed, medication or HRT, can all help manage mood changes.
How Does Menopause Affect My Sleep?
Hot flushes and night sweats often lead to sleep problems, insomnia, and fatigue, increasing irritability and low mood.
How Many Women Experience Mood Swings During Menopause?
It is estimated that up to two-thirds of women experience mood swings, low mood, or anxiety during the menopause transition.
