The shifting hormones in the years leading up to and after the end of periods cause a wide range of scientifically documented symptoms.
Common physical issues include hot flashes, night sweats, hair loss, weight gain, vaginal dryness, and urinary issues known as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause.
“Women without preexisting anxiety or depression can in fact be hit very hard at this time,” Dr. Santoro says, although she notes that women with a history of these conditions are at the highest risk.
Other women develop brain fog, a type of sluggish thinking that impacts life and work. Studies confirming the link between brain fog and menopause include one reported in April 2023 in the journal Maturitas. In a survey of nearly 2,000 women, those in perimenopause or who had surgical menopause were more likely than premenopausal women to cite issues with executive function (the term used to describe working memory, flexible thinking, and other mental processes).
“There is clear evidence” that mood is related to the menopausal transition, Santoro says.
The menopause transition is a process that generally starts in a person’s forties and continues into their fifties. Women in the throes of it are not mentally unstable. They’re simply dealing with the physical or mental symptoms that result when reproductive hormones fluctuate, Dusenbery says.
“Any woman of perimenopausal age who is experiencing new mental health issues — or symptoms of any kind — should consider that the menopausal transition could be the cause,” she says.
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