I went to see a reflexologist yesterday, in the hope of helping sort out my insomnia.
We had a long chat about my symptoms, and I said that I felt anxiety was a symptom not the cause (my other symptoms being irregular cycles, palpitations even when relaxed, low blood sugar, change to hair condition and colour, dry skin and nails, low libido, fatigue).
She said that I shouldn't be so quick to assume it was a hormonal issue, but an anxiety issue throwing hormones out and causing all the symptoms.
It's clear reading through many members' experiences here that anxiety is one of the major symptoms during peri/menopause. Some members say that they had experienced anxiety before but nothing like that during menopause. Others say that it came out of nowhere, from previously being confident and outgoing.
So, do hormones cause anxiety...or does anxiety create a hormonal problem?
How does a doctor decide which to treat?
It strikes me that many of the symptoms of thyroid problems, menopause and anxiety cross over - how do you decide what's at the heart of the issue?