Mood Swings and Menopause

Mood swings that occur as a symptom of menopause are very like fatigue in that they are so important to control. They can involve everything from brief bouts of depression to periods of uncalled-for joy and exuberance. They can include irritability, anxiety, and more.

Mood swings can also severely affect a woman’s life: snapping at the spouse or feeling just too blue to make supper can be enough to create problems in any relationship. Add to that the anxiety of whether the boss liked your project results, and you can quickly become tired enough to just want to give up and sleep through the rest of your life.

Even more importantly, if you do become depressed, anxious or tired, you probably won’t pay attention to the other parts of your treatment plan that you and your primary healthcare provider have worked out. Not only can that make your other menopausal symptoms worse, it can leave you open for increasing your risk of developing those life-threatening side effects of menopause that can show up during your postmenopausal years.

If mood swings are your only symptom, you might talk with your doctor about antidepressants known as SSRIs, but note, these do have some potential side effects of their own. Possibly more beneficial would be a discussion of how a natural remedy such as black cohosh or soy isoflavones can help. These plant and herb extracts can not help with your mood swings, they help with a wide variety of other symptoms, too.

Of course as with any new lifestyle change or treatment plan, be sure to consult with your primary care provider before starting. He or she might be able to suggest additional treatments beyond those you have researched. And do research all your options – that’s the key to understanding the right questions to ask!

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