Survey study, 2015
Does changing hormones during menopause cause depression?
Changing hormones during menopause may disrupt the body's stress-management system, making depression more likely. This is a theory based on reviewing research, not new evidence from testing.
What they did
The authors reviewed research about depression during menopause, animal studies, and other hormone-related mood disorders to develop a theory about what causes this depression.
What they found
Depression increases 2 to 3 times during the menopause transition. The authors propose that changes in ovarian hormones disrupt a brain chemical that helps regulate the stress system, which makes women more vulnerable to depression.
What it means for you
This explains why some women get depression during menopause. The main limit is that this is a theory based on other studies, not new research testing actual women.
2 to 3 times
increase in depression during menopause transition
About the study
- Original title
- Ovarian hormone fluctuation, neurosteroids, and HPA axis dysregulation in perimenopausal depression: a novel heuristic model
- Authors
- Gordon JL, Girdler SS, Meltzer-Brody SE et al.
- Journal
- The American journal of psychiatry
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14070918
Topics
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