When severe menopause symptoms keep interrupting your daily life, the effects go beyond feeling tired. They can also affect your mood, confidence, and emotional well-being. Intense hot flashes may interrupt meetings, conversations, exercise, or social activities. Some can be so severe that they cause “significant perspiration and you have to sit down and stop what you’re doing,” says Dr. Dweck.
When these disruptions happen often or without warning, they can leave you feeling frustrated, embarrassed, or like you’re not fully in control. “Many people don’t want to appear weak, or like they can’t do their jobs, and they don’t want to be viewed that way, so sometimes they’re afraid to ask for help,” says Dweck.
It’s understandable, then, why hormonal changes during menopause can lead to mood changes. But not every emotional symptom is caused by hormones alone, adds Dweck. Persistent sadness, anxiety, or severe mood swings may also be signs of depression or an anxiety disorder that has developed or worsened during this time. These symptoms deserve attention and should be evaluated by a mental health provider rather than dismissed as “just menopause,” says Dweck.
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