Premature menopause can be a life-changing diagnosis, bringing with it serious physical, emotional, and social effects.
A new study published in the journal Menopause explores why some women are more deeply affected than others.
The researchers focused on women diagnosed with premature or primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a condition where the ovaries stop working normally before age 40.
This condition not only causes a drop in estrogen but also brings unexpected infertility. That combination can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, weaker bones, and a higher risk of heart disease.
On top of these physical problems, many women also experience a sense of loss, grief about fertility, and changes to their personal goals or social roles. All of this can lead to mental health struggles.
In fact, earlier research showed that women with POI are over three times more likely to experience depression and nearly five times more likely to experience anxiety compared to other women. However, not every woman with POI goes through depression.
To find out why, researchers studied nearly 350 women with POI. They found that almost 30% of them reported depressive symptoms. Several factors were linked to these symptoms.
Women diagnosed at a younger age, those who had stronger menopause symptoms, and those who were grieving their loss of fertility were more likely to be depressed. A lack of emotional support also played a major role.
Interestingly, the study found that taking hormone therapy—specifically estrogen and progestogen—did not make a difference in depression levels. This shows that emotional and social factors are just as important as medical treatments.
Another unexpected finding was that while menopause symptoms overall were linked to depression, night sweats and hot flashes by themselves were not.
The researchers also noticed that women whose POI was caused by genetics had fewer symptoms of depression, although the reasons for this are still unclear.
This is the first large-scale study to look at what specific factors increase the risk of depression in women with POI. The results suggest that it’s not enough to treat only the physical symptoms. Mental health support should be part of every woman’s care plan.
Dr. Monica Christmas, a leader with The Menopause Society, emphasized that hormone therapy alone is not a first choice for treating depression. Instead, mental health should be addressed with proven behavioral treatments.
She says the findings show why it’s so important to screen women with POI for signs of depression and offer them full emotional support.
The results of the study are published in the article titled “Depressive symptoms in women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI): a cross-sectional observational study.”
If you care about depression, please read studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies that ultra-processed foods may make you feel depressed, and extra-virgin olive oil could reduce depression symptoms.
The study is published in Menopause.
