Food | Anxiety | Menopause

Menopause & low mood

This is a tough one ladies, I know from experience that low mood is a symptom of menopause and when it takes hold, can be hard to shake.
Those of you who know me, know that my experience of menopause was a tough one which is why I launched Meno & Me. www.menoandme.com
I also want women to understand the choices that are on offer to better manage their menopause, as every woman has a different experience and what works for one does not work for someone else.
Sometimes it is good just to know that others are in the same boat as you and you are not alone!
Did you know?
49% of women who were experiencing symptoms leading up to the menopause didn’t realise this was due to the perimenopause e.g. the time before and after the actual menopause61% of women suffer from anxiety due to peri menopause and menopauseThose aged 50 – 55 are the most anxious71% of the 41-55-year-olds said they experience low moods which could be attributed to the perimenopause74% of women in their early 40s struggle with low mood – the largest of any age group33% of women embarrassed by symptoms at this time of their livesA recent poll carried out by Dr Louise Newson on social media showed that 59% of women were offered anti-depressants for their menopause over HRT.
I suffered with low mood and anxiety, I considered taking anti-depressants, especially after my father died when my menopause was in full swing. I am not saying that these are bad, I have been on them before, the brain like the body sometimes needs help re-balancing through medication. I just knew that there was something underlying that was not right. Then, after many months and lots of doctor visits later realised that the problem was my hormones; a massive decrease in oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, I was menopausal, therefore for me anti-depressants were treating just one of the symptoms not to cause; Menopause.
HRT defiantly helped me, however there are so many other things that can be done to help with low mood and anxiety.
My top tip is defiantly to surround yourself with positive energy – we all have people in our lives that bring us down or make us feel bad. Ask yourself – do you really need to be spending time with that person? If it is a work colleague then try and delegate or minimise the time spent with that person, sometimes just identifying that they are the trigger can help.

Take control; do your research and make changes to your food, activity levels, supplements and medication, you might want to go onto HRT; a lot of GP’s do not understand menopause or HRT if you want to try this path then do your research and stand firm, if I had a £1 every time I have heard that GP’s will not prescribe HRT for one reason or another I would never have to work again. Feel free to download the letter from Dr Louise Newson from our site www.menoandme.com (See GP Letter)

Talk more; my husband didn’t know how badly I was doing until he heard me on a radio station when I phoned in to talk to Dr Louise Newson, he was really shocked. He did not realise how much I was suffering and it made him a lot more sympathetic, I was feeling so low, tired and emotional we would argue, which affected my moods and sleep so therefore contributing to my symptoms, it was a downward spiral.Plan nice things, have something to look forward to, this always lifts my spirits, even if it is a cuppa and a walk with a friend, you don’t have to spend lots of money to raise a smile.Learn to say NO! When we reach our age, we have put family first for so long it, it is hard to say no, I do understand this, however you need time to be still and to look after yourself, otherwise your health will be compromised. Our mental health is linked to our body so therefore taking some time out is really important for a healthy body and mind.

You do not have to be selfish to do the above ladies, but honestly this is the time to revaluate how to life your life. Perhaps the menopause is sometimes called “The Change” for this very reason!?
My mantra now is “Nobody is going to look after you better than you.”
Happy Monday all.
Jane xx
Article worth a read.