05/07/2026
Menopause Is Not Just Hot Flashes - Depression, Anxiety, Irritability, Panic...
In this article and chat with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Emma explains
it’s not just the end of your period. It is a process that leads to changes throughout a woman's entire body.
Perimenopause begins 7-10 years before your period stops so you can start to see changes in your entire body, your sleep and your mental health as early as your mid-30’s. We start having a decline in estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen has been shown to have a modulating effect on mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. And that’s going to make us more vulnerable to stress.
So it’s common to see, especially in perimenopause, symptoms like:
Depression
Anxiety– a lot of women experience more worry, restlessness, and physical symptoms like heart palpitations. Which can also lead to more symptoms of
Panic Disorder and
Irritability: Hormonal changes can make women more prone to mood swings and frustration, affecting their interactions with others.
It’s also very common for women to experience difficulty sleeping, insomnia, night sweats or early morning wakening- which can contribute to more irritability and
that takes us to …Brain fog. Some women experience memory lapses and difficulty concentrating during menopause, which can be really frustrating.
And this is all in addition to the common things people think about when it comes to menopause, hot flashes, night sweats, and metabolism changes which can make your body change quickly, in energy levels or weight gain.
And all of this, from lack of sleep to physical symptoms can impact your self-esteem and relationships, and clearly your mental health.
Fortunately, you don’t have to just suffer, there are effective treatments, which we are going to get into. First though, let’s address one other issue associated with women’s mental health around menopause
Gaslighting. When it comes to women’s health generally–and especially understanding the shift into menopause– awareness, education and even medical support are lacking. Women frequently get gaslit, even by their doctors, told to just deal with it, or their symptoms are dismissed as “Just anxiety”, or “just menopause”, but without giving them any effective strategies to deal with it.
Going through menopause is confusing enough, but when doctors don’t listen to you, downplay your symptoms, or you’re the one who has to take your research to them and they’re not willing to listen, trying to get the support you need can be so hard. I’m not going to rant here, but women’s health issues have often been downplayed, so spend time learning about menopause on your own, find a provider who is skilled at treating menopause, and be prepared that you are going to have to advocate for the treatment you deserve. Because there are effective treatments.
In this post, you'll learn how menopause impacts anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
