How to Recognize Women’s Mental Health at Menopause?
Menopause is a phase of life that will be experienced by all women who menstruate. Lots of women who experience menopause have a psychological state that often makes the quality of life decreases.
Some of the symptoms associated with psychological recurring caused by menopause are sleep disturbances, changes in libido, feeling uncertain atmosphere (mood swings), irritability, crying easily, anxiety, increased appetite, forgetfulness and fatigue.
In developed countries about the menopause topic always raises the pros and cons. Feminist women’s groups have always felt reluctant to talk about this is because women are often considered pejorative. Topic of female reproductive hormones always causes resentment in certain circles. The issue of gender equality has always been a barrier to discuss this topic openly.
Psychoanalytic view of some of this is that men and women alike do not recognize the physical changes, behavior and feeling the atmosphere due to menopause. This denial is an attempt to defend themselves from a sense of loss and the limitations that naturally occurs in the age-old women who experience menopause. Psychoanalysis experts have recently concluded that menopause is very meaningful for a woman, because it is a personification of a feminine woman.
Existing research on this has found evidence that depression during the menopausal transition is a matter that is independent. Which means, that very little influenced by family history and the usual age of depressed women who are usually younger.
There are two theories about the increase in depression during the menopausal transition. First is the theory that estrogen withdrawal in line with the theory of hypothalamus pituitary gonadal axis (HPG) which is both cause depression. Estrogen is believed to have qualities as an anti-depressant that can increase serotonergic function. Some studies even say that there is a relationship between ovarian function by improving the atmosphere of feeling (mood).
The second theory is called the Domino theory. Women, who experience menopause experience many somatic complaints such as night sweats, sleep disturbances that lead to mood instability and depression. However, depression as mentioned above is sometimes not accompanied by vasomotor symptoms, and studies have shown that estrogen can improve mood in women who do not experience hot flushes. Anxiety disorders are also often elevated in the menopausal transition is sometimes accompanied by panic attacks. Symptoms such as this are very hard to distinguish from hot flush.
Some things can be done by the patient when having symptoms of menopause:
- Physical examination by physician specialists womb
- Laboratory tests support the need (including the function of hormones)
- Mental health status examination, including screening of mental health disorders on the client by a psychiatrist
- According to the results of the examination procedure of the client’s health status both in the hormonal, pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy / counseling
To achieve maximum results required cooperation between obstetricians with mental health specialists.

