Menopause Mood Swings

Symptoms of Menopause Mood Swings

Menopause mood swings can strike out of nowhere. Women may feel a sudden surge of emotion, or may notice themselves engaging in heated exchanges or reactions that seem nonsensical in hindsight – particularly in regards to anxiety, sadness and anger. Mood swings during menopause may be accompanied by other menopause symptoms – such as hot flashes, fatigue or paranoia. Clarity of thought, sleep patterns, and ability to focus may also become affected by menopause mood swings.

An Overview of Mood Swings

Menopause is a difficult transitional period for middle aged women, and presents each woman with her own set of uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms, including mood swings. Because of the great change in a woman’s hormones that occurs during menopause, an emotional imbalance can leave her feeling upset and confused. With more than half of all menopausal women experiencing mood swings, they are a very common occurrence, but are nonetheless irritating and aggravating. However, there are different methods in which one can help to prevent or alleviate mood swings to have an easier and happier perimenopause and menopause.

About Mood Swings

A mood swing is a sudden, drastic change in one’s mood that if often inappropriate for the situation or is seemingly exaggerated. Women usually experience mood swings during menopause because of the hormonal changes that are occurring in their bodies. Because hormone have a direct influence on the regulation of mood and emotions, menopause can be a difficult time of emotional imbalance. Knowing the symptoms of mood swings can often help one to understand and prevent them.

Mood Swing Symptoms

Each woman will experience mood swings differently, but there are several symptoms that are common to many women’s mood swings during menopause. Some of these common symptoms might include:

• Frequent fluctuations in mood
• Inexplicable or inappropriate emotions
• Depression or sadness
• Less motivation
• Extreme, wild moods
• Irritability or aggression
• Lack of patience
• Increased amount of stress
• Anxiety or nervousness

Having a better understanding of the common symptoms one might experience from mood swings will better equip the menopausal woman to combat emotional imbalances and all they entail.

Causes of Mood Swings

Although menopausal mood swings are largely caused by a hormonal imbalance, as the levels of estrogen in a woman’s body decrease during menopause, there can also be other factors that can influence the development of mood swings in the menopausal woman. Other symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, can sometimes increase the frequency or intensity of one’s mood swings, but these symptoms are usually also caused by a hormonal imbalance.

1. Hormonal Mood Swings

It has been discovered that estrogen, which decreases during menopause, has a great influence on the production of serotonin, an important mood

Behavioral and Environmental Risk Factors

A woman’s bad habits can have a huge influence on her development of menopausal mood swings. Behavioral risk factors for mood swings may include:

• Cigarette smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Unhealthy diet
• Use of psychoactive drugs or illegal substances
• Insomnia or lack of sleep

A woman’s environment and any stress occurring within can also have an influence on her emotions and mood. Environmental risk factors may include major life changes such as:

• Death of a close friend or family member
• Children leaving (empty nest syndrome)
• Major illness
• New job or new location

Psychological Risk Factors

Many factors can influence a woman’s psychological health, and thus also influence her chances of experiencing mood swings during menopause. Women can be more prone to menopausal mood swings especially if they have experienced similar occurrences during other hormonal transitions, such as puberty. Emotional traumas that have occurred in the past can sometimes resurface during a woman’s menopausal years, often causing stress and confusion. This can, however, be a great chance to come to terms with past events and perhaps to gain a fresh perspective from which to understand oneself better. Other psychological stresses, such as personal relationship problems, family troubles, and work-related annoyances, can combine with any number of other distressing thoughts within a menopausal woman’s head, and can lead to emotional breakdowns and wild mood swings. One’s personality can also lead to an increased chance of suffering from mood swings, especially if one is introverted, pessimistic, or has low self-esteem. Psychological risk factors for menopausal mood swings may include:

• Past or current psychological trauma or abuse
• A history of psychological illnesses
• Stress at home or at work
• Problems with personal relationships
• Loneliness
• Personality traits such as introversion or low self-esteem

Health Related Risk Factors

Women who suffer from certain complications or diseases, or are in generally poorer health, tend to suffer from mood swings more often during menopause. One’s personal habits can also have an effect on personal health, such as over-consumption of things like sugar and alcohol. Disease related risk factors for menopausal mood swings might include:

• Diabetes
• Leukemia or other cancers
• Heart disease or palpitations
• Medical or surgical menopause
• Psychological illnesses
• Insomnia or other sleep disorders
• ADD/ADHD
• Thyroid malfunction

Many women also are prescribed many medications during their middle ages, some of which can increase the likelihood of mood swings occurring. Many medications also can cause one to develop a habit or dependence, which can result in even more stress for the menopausal woman. Medications that may increase the chances of mood swings include:

• Amphetamines (such as pseudoephedrine and Adderall)
• SSRIs (such as Fluoxetine)
• Sleeping medications (such as Zolpidem)
• Diet medications
• Cancer treatments (such as opiates and radiation therapy)

The Thyroid Gland’s Influence on Psychological Health

The thyroid gland is located near the throat and secrets endocrine hormones. These hormones regulate important functions such as metabolism, development, reproduction, and many more. Because the thyroid glands hormones have such an important niche in the body, they can have a great influence on one’s psychological health and all that it entails. A blood test can be performed by a doctor to determine if any thyroid problems exist that may be causing an increase in menopausal mood swings.

Mood Swings and Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (or manic-depressive disorder) is a set of mood disorders that are characterized by periods of ecstatic mania or extremely elevated emotions, followed by periods of depression or excessive episodes of melancholy.
Although menopausal mood swings are very similar in some ways to bipolar disorder, the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder are far more extreme and require medical treatment. In contrast, menopausal mood swings can usually be alleviated before professional help is warranted.
Bipolar disorder can be differentiated from normal, menopausal mood swings by the evaluation of several symptoms. For the bipolar individual, periods of a low mood will often cause these symptoms:

• Very low self-esteem
• Low energy and extreme fatigue
• Depression and possibly suicidal thoughts
• Less concentration
• Less interest in favorite activities

While experiencing episodes of a high mood, common symptoms might include:

• Ecstatic euphoria
• Excessive talking or chatter
• Rapid thoughts
• Abnormally high self-esteem
• High amount of energy
• Reckless or impulsive actions
• Little desire to sleep
• In extreme cases, hallucinations

If a woman’s mood swings seem more severe and have several of these characteristics, it may indicate bipolar disorder, especially if these symptoms interfere with normal functions of everyday life. If one experiences only the extremely depressive symptoms if bipolar disorder, it may indicate clinical depression.

Mood Swings and Clinical Depression

Like bipolar disorder, clinical depression is another disorder that has similar symptoms to those of menopausal mood swings, but are far more severe and may require professional medical treatment.
Clinical depression (or major-depressive disorder) may be present if one experiences five or more of these symptoms almost daily for two weeks or more:

• Sadness and depressed mood
• Disinterest of normally entertaining activities
• Inexplicable weight gain or weight loss
• Irregular sleep (insomnia or excessive sleeping)
• Extreme fatigue and lack of motivation
• Suicidal contemplations or other thoughts of death

If one experiences these symptoms frequently, clinical depression may be a viable diagnosis, and one should seek professional treatment to alleviate the problem.

Mood Swings and Anxiety Disorder

Another group of disorders that can have more serious side effects than menopausal mood swings are clinical anxiety disorders. These are a group of psychological illnesses that affect upwards of 18% of American adults, making them incredibly common (but nonetheless devastating). The disorders under the title of clinical anxiety include:

• Panic Disorder
• Social phobias
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is very common, and can induce symptoms that are often inappropriate for the situation in which they present themselves, and can include extreme worry, exaggerated fear, chronic tension, and strong concern. Many physical symptoms can accompany this disorder, including:

• Fatigue or tiredness
• Aching muscles due to clenching
• Extreme or inappropriate tension
• Difficulty swallowing
• Profuse sweating
• Often irritable or sensitive
• Headaches

While many symptoms of anxiety disorders are very similar to those experienced during menopausal mood swings, the symptoms of anxiety disorders can often have destructive consequences for both the individual suffering from the disorder and many of their close friends and family members. The combination of many psychological and physical symptoms during an episode of extreme anxiety can be debilitating.

All of these extreme cases of mood swings can result in very serious side effects, so it is extremely important and beneficial to seek help as soon as possible if menopausal mood swings do not adequately diagnose one’s ailment. Sometimes, minor lifestyle changes and even some natural remedies may help to alleviate common mood swings during menopause, and professional help is unnecessary.