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[Sweetlittlemaiden]

Does anyone else suffer low mood and mood swings after menopause? I have been 13 months without a period and I am now getting feelings of low mood and sometimes a bad mood. I thought that it all would get better once I got passed the 12 months but it is still as if I get premenstrual and I even have the sore boobs to go with it   

[Salad]

Hi 

I don't personally but I'm sure others will pop along who do - maybe have a read around the threads or use the search bar to highlight threads that interest you.

[racjen]

Yes, for me depression and anxiety have been my main symptoms - I did have hot flushes before I started HRT but they weren't too bothersome. So far adding estrogen has definitely helped with the low mood, but progesterone is causing more problems than it's solving. It seems that mood problems need a much higher level of estrogen to resolve than the physical symptoms - my hot flushes disappeared within days of starting HRT. Dont know if you're already on HRT, but don't let your GP fob you off with 'there's no evidence that depression/anxiety are linked to menopause' as mine tried to, you only have to browse this forum to see that they most definitely are!

[Hurdity]

Hi Sweetlittlemaiden

There is some cyclical activity even after menopause although not as much as pre-menopause - and some women are still aware of a dergee of cyclical hormonal change. Oestrogen levels on average continue to drop for approx two years following menopause and then bottom out. Some women only start to experience symptoms at this point and for others the symptoms might worsen - so there is no set pattern. Also the post-menopause time is set at 12 months so that any woman who bleeds after this point gets investigated to rule out cellular changes due to thickened womb lining which can lead to cancer if untreated. You might actually get another period - especially if this preceded by typical pms symptoms of sore boobs and mood swings.

However - have you thought of HRT? Oestrogen deficiency is a major factor in causing low moods especially post-menopause. As racjen says - some GPs think that once you are post-meno then if you experience low moods you must be depressed - but unless you have reason to be - you're not - it's hormones! Do think about HRT - and really the sooner the better - it is best started close to menopause so that your body doesn't experience years without oestrogen.

If you want to go down this route - have a look at Treatments (top tabs above) and we can also advise you

Hurdity x