How Hormones Impact Depression Symptoms In Women
Did you know that more women show signs of depression when compared to men? While more women are likely to seek additional support and actually get diagnosed and treated for depression, women are actually more at risk of developing depression as well.
There isn’t one specific cause of depression. Several factors can increase someone’s likelihood of developing depression throughout their lifetime for both men and women. Biology, inherited traits, life events, and even hormones can put someone at a greater risk of depression.
Let’s learn more about how hormones can impact depression symptoms in women.
Puberty
While both boys and girls go through puberty, girls go through puberty faster than boys do. This means that they have to deal with changing hormones, mood swings, added pressure, fighting with their parents, and trying to figure out their identity and sexuality a little earlier on compared to boys. Since girls go through puberty quicker than boys, depression rates are often higher in females compared to males, which can remain constant throughout their lifetimes.
PMS
Females have to go through the premenstrual syndrome or PMS stage in their lives as well. PMS brings on its own signs and symptoms like aches and pains, anxiety, bloating, and irritability. Some females even experience extreme signs and symptoms that can prevent them from their normal day-to-day lives.
Pregnancy
While pregnancy can be a beautiful blessing, it’s also a life event that can cause a lot of hormonal changes within the body. These changes can affect one’s mood and also increase someone’s likelihood of developing depression. The desire to want to have children and not get pregnant easily can also add to the anxiety and stress that can contribute to depression. On the other hand, having an unexpected pregnancy can do the same.
Postpartum
Postpartum depression can be very common among new mothers. This is a type of depression that occurs shortly after having a newborn. Postpartum depression can include feelings of anger, irritability, and sadness. Other symptoms may include feeling numb, difficulty sleeping, suicidal ideation or attempts, or even unwanted or intrusive thoughts about harming your child.
Transition to Menopause
Most people are familiar with the term menopause but aren’t as familiar with perimenopause. Menopause is the timeframe that a woman goes through for up to a year after they experience their last period. The transition to menopause is perimenopause. Both perimenopause and menopause cause the hormone levels in the body to change drastically and erratically. The signs and symptoms of each can include mood swings, hot flashes, lack of concentration, and night sweats, just to name a few. All of these hormonal changes and signs and symptoms that the body experiences can be added factors in developing depression.
Next Steps
Women go through a lot of different changes throughout their lifetime, especially within their own bodies. These changes from puberty through adulthood can cause a lot of hormonal changes and fluctuations. These changes mean that the body has to accept and adapt every time a change occurs. A lot of the time, hormonal balances are likely to occur.
If you’re struggling with depression, one of the best things you can do is to reach out for additional support. Depression that is caused by something like hormones may seem like its something out of your control. While that may be true, there are certain lifestyle changes you can make on your own end as well as treatment options a licensed and trained mental health professional may be able to recommend to you. Reaching out for help is one of the best and strongest things you can do. Help is available to you when you’re ready. Reach out to us today to learn more about depression therapy.