ANXIETY
Hormonal fluctuation during this stage of your life can lead to constant butterflies, increased social anxiety or feeling intensely wound up or wired most of the time. In fact, frequent nervousness affects an estimated 51 per cent of women aged 40-55, during perimenopause, US research shows.
“Many women who have never experienced anxiety before may suddenly find themselves grappling with mild, moderate or severe anxiety at midlife, without realising their wildly shifting hormones are responsible,” says Dr Caroline Thew, consultant endocrinologist at the Women’s Mental Health Clinic at the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre. “This anxiety may then increase the risk of also developing depression.”
These symptoms come along at a time when many women are already pushed to their limits by juggling work and family, caring for parents or undergoing big changes such as divorce or empty nest. This can all create a double-whammy, as feeling stressed can feed hormonal anxiety.
“These life stressors can cause the release of stress chemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline, which increase the sensitivity of a woman’s hormone receptors, so that she has an even bigger reaction to the midlife hormonal swings from high to low oestrogen,” Thew explains. Whew! Nice to know that it’s not really you – it’s chemical.
Some research also suggests that certain types of hormone replacement therapy may exacerbate anxiety further in some women. “So if you find your anxiety increases on HRT, you may need to trial a different mix of hormones,” Thew suggests.
Ways to find relief Recognise triggers:
Make a diary note of any factors such as caffeine or late nights that ramp up your anxiety, even if they never used to make you anxious. Recognising patterns will allow you to minimise triggers. Visit anxiety.jeanhailes.org.au to better understand what anxiety is.
Practise mindfulness: When you use all your senses to focus on what you are doing right now you are less likely to engage in anxious thoughts. (for great tips, see our ‘Taming Your Brain’ feature on page 98)
Hormone replacement therapy: A form of HRT called Tibolone can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to research conducted at Monash University in Melbourne.
Antidepressants: “Antidepressants with a shorter half life – which means they stay in the body for a shorter period of time – tend to be less agitating and more calming, while antidepressants that last longer in the body can make menopausal anxiety worse in some women,” Thew says. Finding the right one for you may be a process of trial-and-error with your doctor.