Perimenopause & Anxiety

Does Perimenopause cause anxiety? 

I write this from my own personal experience. I began to suffer with night time anxiety attacks in the first COVID lock down. I put this down to the stress I was feeling. Our family transport business had lost all revenue and as the vast majority of our customer demographic was in shielding it was an incredibly worrying time for my family.  

However, as the world adapted and we entered back to forms of normality, my anxiety and sleep did not. It was two years before I spoke to my GP about my symptoms. As a result of endometriosis treatment in my early twenties and having undergone a medically induced menopause at the time, my GP informed me, I was very likely to be entering peri-menopause early.  

Over the two years, I have become clever at recognising when my anxiety will rear its ugly head and what things can trigger it. If I'm really clever I listen to those early warning signs. However, there are times where I am so wrapped up in the hectic life of working and motherhood, that I simply ignore what’s coming, or don’t pick it up early enough!   

Is peri-menopause anxiety normal? 

Every woman is different and the perimenopause phase of your life can impact how you are feeling. Many women report feelings of anxiety or low mood during this time.  

How menopause affects anxiety 

During perimenopause our hormone levels drop and fluctuate which is what causes our moods to alter. Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels all change during this period of our life. 

In addition to this, cortisol and adrenaline, hormones linked to protecting our response to stress change. Oestrogen and progesterone normally shelter us from the impact of stress on our bodies, but as our levels dip so does our resilience to stresses in our life, leading to potential anxiety and low mood and mood swings, playing havoc with our wellbeing.   

When does menopause anxiety go away 

Many women report that once they have come through the worst of the perimenopause symptom's and are confirmed to be in menopause (periods have stopped all together) that they symptoms start to ease. However, at this time in our life we often have external factors impacting us that can merge the two events together. Often our children are getting ready to leave home, or we are caring for a parent  

How to treat menopause anxiety naturally 

I'm always on the lookout for natural ways to support my body, before I head down a medicated route. For me personally, I have found the herbs I blend in my tea to be particularly beneficial. During the night when I am struggling with sleep and anxiety, it is my Mother Cuppa RELAX blend that has aided me. With natural sedatives and the most amazing smell I find it helps to alter my brain from over working. In fact, this blend was designed in one such episode at 2am!   

Other natural things I have tried that have worked for me are:  

• Meditation 
• Breathing exercises  
• Putting pen to paper  
• Cutting out alcohol 
• Cutting out caffeine 
• Exercising  

Do leave a comment if you have a natural remedy that’s worked for you, I would love to hear from you.  

Much love,  

Candice