Menopause and the link to Anxiety Disorders

In today's society women struggle to survive and do more than they should, at work and at home. The demands of work, motherhood and marriage can be exhausting. Women at this stage in life are also coping with ill, aging parents and are often caregivers.

Many women will begin to experience acute nervousness, generalized anxiety and sometimes full-blown panic attacks during menopause, especially after a hysterectomy.

For millions, these feelings are overwhelming and can interfere with their daily activities. Anxiety attacks refer to a combination of negative emotions including extreme fear and worry, often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath. If you have not been correctly informed, anxiety attacks can indeed be terrifying. It is important that you know about and understand the hormone-based causes.

What is the link to Anxiety Disorders and Menopause?

The causes for anxiety attacks are divided into psychological and physical. However, physical causes (hormone imbalances) are primarily responsible for this issue in menopausal women.

• Psychological causes for Anxiety attacks

  Here we have the ones related to uncommon disorders- rare hereditary diseases provoked by chemical imbalance in the brain, and those related to life stresses, fatigue, etc. If these cannot be controlled, your emotional stability is lost, culminating in anxiety attacks. However, these cases are temporary and anxiety attacks usually stop when the stressful event is over.

• Physical causes for Anxiety attacks

  Hormonal imbalance is the main cause for anxiety attacks during menopause. Sometimes a trigger is something external, such as very loud noise. (This is referred to as a cued panic attack) At other times, the feelings will seem to appear out of nowhere, without explanation or warning. (This is referred to as a spontaneous panic attack)

  Estrogen hormones have a great effect on one's mental state, as it regulates the levels of cortisol, the hormone that is a direct product of stress and anxiety. Thus, if estrogen drops, cortisol cannot be controlled, leading to a feeling of more stress and anxiety. Also key is the health of your adrenal system. The adrenals can normally assist with hormone production; however if your adrenals have become severely fatigued, you may not be properly manufacturing enough estrogen, DHEA and progesterone. Without proper levels of these hormones, even a small stress event can rapidly escalate into an anxiety attack.

What do I do about Anxiety attacks during menopause?

The most important step in relieving your anxiety is to find out whether your problem has a psychological or physical nature. If there is an extreme psychological disorder, you may need to be treated by a psychologist or other trained mental health professional. There may be a legitimate need for prescription medications to control the symptoms.

You may ask yourself "Why is this happening to me?" because maybe you have never experienced an anxiety disorder before and taking antidepressants or anxiety medication is a concern to you. There are alternative treatments available in many cases. Work with your doctor to explore all possible health issues. Hormone testing should reveal any imbalances, which can usually be corrected with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, medical massage therapy, accupuncture -- or a combination of these therapies. It may take weeks or many months to fine-tune the treatment, but you have a great chance of full recovery.


Some symptoms of a panic attack

Hot, prickly sensation
Burning pain, intense heat
Unusual, intense rush of energy
Sudden tingling sensations
Icy cold sensation
Chest tightening, chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Shaking, either visibly or feeling of shaking inside
Indigestion, nausea and general abdominal discomfort
Skin irritation and itching
Rapid, racing heartbeat