Depression Relief for Women

Life is full of ups and downs. But when the downs last for weeks or months at a time - or keep you from living your regular life - you may have an underlying hormonal imbalance that needs to be addressed.

- Marita Schauch

Life is full of ups and downs. But when the downs last for weeks or months at a time— or keep you from living your regular life—you may have an underlying hormonal imbalance that needs to be addressed.

Depression involves the body, mood, and thoughts, and it affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about life. It’s also a gender thing: women in North America are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. Approximately 12 million women in the U.S. experience clinical depression each year. It occurs most frequently in women aged 25 to 44.

There is often no single cause of depression, but a multitude of factors can contribute, including:

Hormonal imbalances—Menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, low thyroid, miscarriage, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause.

Stress—Stressful life events such as trauma, loss of a loved one, a bad relationship, work, and caring for children and aging parents.

Medical illness—Dealing with serious conditions such as stroke, heart attack, or cancer.

Environmental toxins—Heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, and aluminum), as well as pesticides, formaldehydes, and benzenes.)

Underlying Causes

Depression has been linked to a variety of hormonal and health issues, including:

Perimenopause/Menopause - The Massachusetts Women’s Health Study observed that rates of depression begin to decrease as women move through perimenopause into menopause, and are lowest for women who have been postmenopausal for at least 27 months. These results show that depression is moderately associated with perimenopause, and that the depression is transient and may decline about two years after menopause.