Menopause

There are many physical symptoms associated with the menopause and while these can be annoying they are often easily controlled and treated. Depression however can be more taxing and as it is quite common in the years leading up to menopause then it needs to be attended to as soon as it makes an appearance.

The symptoms of depression can be mild or severe and as such they can affect quality of life to a large extent in some women. These symptoms include:

• A decreased interest in activities that you once found pleasurable, including sex.
• A change in appetite so that you either eat much more than normal or you just pick at meals without actually eating anything substantial.
• A change in sleep patterns which can then lead to over-tiredness, fatigue, a loss of energy and irritability.
• A loss of concentration that can affect judgement and thought processes. If severe this can even lead to suicidal tendencies.

Fortunately most women don't experience all of these symptoms and many just feel down and fatigued for much of the time. While this has been linked to declining oestrogen levels that are characteristic of the menopause there is also the thought that for a woman, the menopause signals the end of an important phase in their life.

Although some women say they look forward to their menopause because it provides an end to monthly periods and the annoying symptoms of PMS, most women see the menopause as the end of their reproductive lives and this can cause feelings of loss to occur, especially in women who for one reason or another never had children. While the menopause is the start of a new chapter in a woman's life, most females don't see it that way and look back to the times they had before the symptoms began. This act of concentrating on the past and what they are losing is often the underlying cause of menopausal depression.

Antidepressants can help to alleviate depressed moods however it may be that menopausal women simply need to talk about their feelings with a trained professional so that they can put them into perspective and see the future for what it is - free from the menstrual cycle and the symptoms that go with it, and free from the worry of unwanted pregnancy. Nothing else has to change; a woman doesn't look any different because she has reached menopause so why should she act or think differently.

If depression continues then HRT or alternatively herbal remedies can help to alleviate some of the symptoms, especially if the symptoms are due to falling oestrogen levels. St John's Wort is used by millions of people, menopausal and not, to treat mild depression and if this helps a person to feel better about life then all well and good.

Depression can be a burden when combined with the physical symptoms of the menopause and so it should be treated in some way. You may not feel depressed all of the time and it may be that you just have a few days a week or even a month when life doesn't seem quite so rosy. During these times it is important to remember that life after the menopause can be equally if not more fun than life before it and that nothing has to change - you are still the same woman you always were and no amount of hormonal decline will change that.

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