You are here

Mood Swings & Depression in Menopause

Question

I'm wondering if my mood shifts are perhaps due to menopause. I had my last period about nine months ago. So my question is this: would estrogen therapy also help with emotional stability or should I go for the anti-depressants?

Answer

I would definitely NOT recommend estrogen treatment now. Even if you have gone 11 months without flow, you may still have more periods, or even more puzzling, high estrogen levels without flow. Estrogen therapy might cause a “double dose” estrogen level.

Different women respond differently to the emotional effects of estrogen. In at least a portion of women it would make depression worse. Estrogen therapy (with progesterone) is an option when you graduate into menopause. If you and your physician agree you are depressed, taking a low dose of anti-depressant will likely help.

Persistent sleep problems can cause feelings of fatigue, sadness and even depression. Sleep disturbance is common during perimenopause, even for women like yourself who are not having night sweats. If you think that sleep disturbance is part of the reason for your depression you might ask your doctor to prescribe a low dose “old fashioned” kind (tricyclic) anti-depressant that helps with sleep. The full anti-depressant dose is rarely needed.

Hope you are feeling better soon. Depression can be very debilitating.

All the best to you.

Thank you for your question. I hope this is helpful for you.

Life Phase: 
Perimenopause, Menopause
Updated Date: 
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - 15:45

Estrogen’s Storm Season: Stories of Perimenopause

Estrogen's Storm Season

by Dr. Jerilynn C Prior

New second edition available

Estrogen’s Storm Season is now available in BOTH print and eBook (Mobi and ePUB) versions!

All royalties are recieved in our Endowment fund (overseen by UBC) and support CeMCOR's research and future.

It is full of lively, realistic stories with which women can relate and evidence-based, empowering perimenopause information. It was a finalist in 2006 for the Independent Publisher Book Award in Health.

Purchase your ebook copy via our Amazon Kindle or
Google Play storefronts!

Paperback copies (with updated insert) still available here.

Join a Study:

Get Involved

Volunteer research participants are the heart of all CeMCOR research. Participants are invited to provide feedback on study processes, to learn their own results and at the end of a study, be the first to hear what the whole study found. Please become a CeMCOR research participant—you can contribute to improving the scientific information available for daughters, friends and the wider world of women+.