Hormonal Agents for the Treatment of Depression Associated with the Menopause

Perimenopause marks the transition from a woman’s reproductive stage to menopause. Usually occurring between 42 and 52 years of age, it is determined clinically by the onset of irregular menstrual cycles or variable cycle lengths. Women are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety during perim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drugs & aging 2022-08, Vol.39 (8), p.607-618
Main Authors: Herson, Megan, Kulkarni, Jayashri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Geriatrics/Gerontology
Hormones
Internal Medicine
Kinases
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Menopause
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Middle age
Older people
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Pharmacotherapy
Review
Review Article
Womens health
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Summary:Perimenopause marks the transition from a woman’s reproductive stage to menopause. Usually occurring between 42 and 52 years of age, it is determined clinically by the onset of irregular menstrual cycles or variable cycle lengths. Women are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety during perimenopause and the menopausal transition. Depressive symptoms experienced in perimenopause are often more severe compared to pre- and post-menopause. During menopausal transition, the impact of fluctuating estrogen in the central nervous system (CNS) can have negative psychological effects for some women. Traditional first-line management of menopausal depression involves antidepressants, with modest outcomes. The positive effects of estrogen treatment in the CNS are becoming increasingly recognised, and hormonal therapy (HT) with estrogen may have a role in the treatment of menopausal depression. In this review we will outline the prevalence, impact and neurochemical basis of menopausal-associated depression, as well as hormone-based approaches that have increasing promise as effective treatments.
ISSN:1170-229X
1179-1969
DOI:10.1007/s40266-022-00962-x