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Hormone Replacement Therapy Changed My Life
Yet some doctors won’t prescribe this effective treatment for anxiety, mood swings, and depression
It’s not in your head. Hormone imbalances in menopause are linked to anxiety, mood swings, and depression, but women don’t need to meekly accept mental suffering as part of menopause. Hormone replacement therapy might be the key to getting your even keel back — but does your doctor know that?
Women’s health, especially mental health, is not always taken as seriously as it should be. Gender biases in healthcare are well established, and while that may be changing — slowly — it’s still a problem. Research into women’s health is lacking and legitimate physical health concerns can still be dismissed or chalked up to hormones or anxiety. I have seen it happen to female patients many times in my career.
It’s ironic then, that when hormones actually are the culprit, that too is under-recognized and under-treated. Hormone changes during the menopause transition have very real impacts on mood and mental health. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help lift and rebalance the mood, but your doctor may not tell you that.
Not all providers are up to date on current HRT research and guidelines. Many are hesitant or outright refuse to prescribe…
