Mood and anxiety in perimenopause

NPR recently featured a story about mood and anxiety issues in perimenopause. I have seen this play out many times with mom patients: women who have a history of depression and/or anxiety see a spike in symptoms during the perimenopausal period. There is often a “perfect storm” of factors at play–at the same time as moms are experiencing physical and hormonal changes their children are often leaving the nest, which represents a profound identity shift. It’s so important that we pay attention to moms during this significantly vulnerable time in their lives and offer them the therapeutic support they need!