Understanding Menopause and the feelings of Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common perimenopausal and menopausal symptom. Anxiety is something that everyone experiences during different periods in their life. It is normal to feel anxious, nervous or worried at times, but these are feelings that should not be felt constantly or make one feel overwhelmed or trapped.

Causes of the Subsequent Feelings of Anxiety

What causes anxiety during menopause? Menopausal women are more susceptible to anxiety due to the fact that their hormones are in a constant state of fluctuation as their body prepares to shut down its ability to reproduce. During this time, many women suffer from depression and high stress levels. It is believed that feelings of depression are a result of insufficient estrogen, and anxiety is often a symptom of depression.

In addition, research has found that the hormone progesterone, which also depletes during menopause, has been known to have a calming and relaxing effect on the body. Thus, the lack of hormones are unsettling and allow for emotions that were once overlooked or produced minor anxiety, to be blown out of proportion.

Anxiety can cause emotional and physical symptoms including:

• Trembling or Shaking
• Fast Heartbeat
• Breathlessness
• Tight or full feeling in the Chest and/or Throat
• Profuse Sweating, or Cold and Clammy Hands
• Muscle Tension and/or Soreness
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Constant Worry and Feeling Sad
• Lack of Concentration
• Irritable
• Restless Sleep

The above symptoms may be felt independently during different times, or many of them can occur suddenly, last for a period of time, and then disappear. This sudden onslaught of anxiety is known as an anxiety attack or panic attack. Women who experience such attacks are likely suffering from an anxiety disorder.

The severity of anxiety women experience will vary, and is usually at its worst during perimenopause. Symptoms of anxiety tend to taper off after menopause is complete. However, despite how anxiety may affect you, it is important to seek treatment if the anxiety you feel is debilitating or interrupting your lifestyle.

The Solution

TRT is the preferred option for men with low testosterone levels, especially after experiencing Andropause; however not all doctors recommend it. Medical practitioners feel it is significantly better for men to go in for counseling so that they can better understand Andropause changes and treat these as normal parts of aging, instead of focusing inwardly on some assumed lack of manliness.

If left untreated, this anxiety issue, related with low testosterone levels during Andropause, could wrongly work its way in to feelings of low self-esteem and poor self-image; clinical depression in the extreme cases is also a reality for many Andropausal men.