For many women, the years around menopause can feel like an emotional rollercoaster — and it's not just hormones. A major expert review has confirmed that the perimenopause (the transition into menopause, which can last several years) is a genuine risk period for depression.
The tricky part is that the symptoms overlap. Hot flushes, broken sleep, irritability, low mood, and exhaustion can all be signs of menopause — but they can also be signs of depression. And when both are happening at once, it's easy for depression to go unrecognised or untreated.
The research found that midlife women who develop depression during perimenopause often have a history of depression earlier in life. It's not a sign of weakness — it's the brain responding to real hormonal shifts during a major life transition.
The good news: talking therapies like CBT, and in some cases antidepressant medication, work well for perimenopausal depression. There's also growing evidence that hormone therapy (HRT) can have antidepressant effects for some women, particularly when hot flushes and sleep problems are part of the picture.
If you're in your 40s or 50s and feel like you've lost yourself — flat, exhausted, tearful, or just not coping — please don't put it down to "just menopause." A psychologist can help you figure out what's going on and get the right support.