What to do if you are often grouchy
Estrogen working together with neurotransmitters in your brain usually help keep extreme emotions in check but everything changes in menopause. Menopause is notorious for producing mood swings.
What exactly are are mood swings?
They are “extreme and unexplained fluctuations in the mood that interferes with the physical, social and professional aspects of a person’s life.” Another way to put it, they are an overreaction to life’s challenges.
When estrogen production declines to a significant degree (as in menopause), the chemical changes result in alterations in mood that may reach from episodic blowups of wrath and crankiness to intense unhappiness and depression.
So what can one do to deal with mood swings attributable to menopause?
First, accept that mood swings are expected during menopause. They may, however, negatively affect those you encounter in your daily life. The consensus of medical authorities is that control of mood swings should begin with the mildest of treatment.
Nevertheless, recent research implies that mood swings and any minor alterations in mood may indicate underlying depression due to menopause.
Studies also suggest that women with a past diagnosis of depression or other mental problems should be closely observed for the signs depression may be coming back. Perimenopausal mental conditions are difficult to recognize and even more challenging to treat.
Lifestyle and nutritional modifications can lower the amplitude of mood swings and are recommended by most doctors. Nevertheless, if you are having other worrisome symptoms or if your mood swings are unresponsive to lifestyle and nutritional modifications, you should think about BHRT (or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy).
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a good option for mood swings around menopause.
Menopause is characterized by a large number of physical in addition to neurological and psychological manifestations. Individual variations from person to person play a major role in how the symptoms manifest. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is often a better way of controlling mood swings as opposed to conventional hormone replacement. Synthetic hormones elevate the risk of heart disease, deep venous thrombosis and cancer.
Here are top 3 reasons to consider BHRT:
- Estrogen is not the only hormone that declines in menopause and needs to be replaced. Conventional hormonal replacement therapy typically addresses only estrogen decline.
- Biodentical hormones can be custom prepared and delivered in exact doses each patient requires based on testing. This is not the case with conventional hormonal therapy.
- Doses and formulations of bioidentical hormones can be more easily adjusted based on patient’s ongoing test results and risk factors.
According to a recent research using BHRT over a 6-month period, many common symptoms of menopause have significantly decreased. That included mood swings by 25%, irritability by 25%, and anxiety by 22% without any harmful side effects. Women also indicated a decrease in hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disruptions.
Evidence strongly suggests that BHRT should seriously be considered for treatment of menopausal symptoms, especially mood swings.
