How Periods Can Affect Your Mental Health

Hormones can affect a woman’s emotions and moods in different ways throughout our lifetime. For most women, the impact on mood can affect a woman’s quality of life. Women with a mental health condition may have other symptoms related to their menstrual cycles or menopause. Throughout all these stages, you can learn ways to help your mental and reproductive health.

How does my mental health condition affect my menstrual cycle?

Throughout your monthly menstrual cycle, levels of certain hormones rise and fall. These hormone levels can affect how you think and feel mentally and physically.

Mental health conditions can make some period problems worse:

·         Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) – Most women get PMS symptoms a week or 2 before their period. PMS can cause bloating, headaches, and moodiness. Women who suffer with depression or anxiety disorders may experience worse symptoms of PMS. Many women who seek treatment for PMS have depression or anxiety. Symptoms of these mental health conditions are like symptoms of PMS and may get worse before or during the period. Consult a doctor about ways to relieve PMS symptoms.

·         Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) – PMDD is a condition like PMS but with more severe symptoms, including severe depression, irritability, and tension. Symptoms of PMDD can be difficult to manage and disrupt your daily life. PMDD is more common in women with anxiety or depression. Consult your doctor about ways to help if you experience worse symptoms of depression or anxiety around your period.

·         Irregular periods – Studies show that women with anxiety disorder or substance use disorder are more likely to have shorter menstrual cycles (less than 24 days). Irregular cycles are also linked to eating disorders and depression. Women with bipolar disorder are also twice as likely to have irregular periods.

How does the time before menopause (perimenopause) affect my mental health?

As menopause approaches, certain levels of hormones in the body begin to change. This initial transition to menopause when you still get a period is called perimenopause (for more information on perimenopause please see our blog post: https://www.organyc.uk/blog/perimenopause-signs-you-are-starting-menopause). During perimenopause, some women begin to feel symptoms such as intense heat and sweating (hot flashes), trouble sleeping, and changing moods.

As you get closer to menopause, you may notice other symptoms, such as pain during sex, urinary problems, and irregular periods. These changes can be stressful on you and your relationships and cause you to feel more extreme emotions.

Women with mental health conditions may experience more symptoms of menopause or go through perimenopause differently than women who do not have mental health conditions.

·         Women with depression are more likely to go through perimenopause earlier than other women. Studies show that women with depression have lower levels of oestrogen.

·         Bipolar disorder symptoms may get worse during perimenopause.

·         Insomnia affects up to half of women going through menopause. Insomnia may be more common in women with anxiety or depression.

·         Menopause can cause a relapse of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or a change in symptoms.

Steps you can take to support good mental health include the following:

·         Get enough sleep

·         Get enough physical activity

·         Choose healthy foods most of the time

·         Take your medicines

·         Keep a support network

·         Stay involved as you get older

We hope we helped you learn more about your mental and reproductive health. Remember to consult a doctor if you have any symptoms you need help with.