Low Hormones, High Anxiety, and Low Mood-Is There A Link?

In the aging process have you noticed that your moods and emotion seem a little more tender than in years past?  Has it been suggested that you take an anti-depressant for your depression? Is there a potential link between declining hormones and anxiousness? 

I'm asked these questions pretty commonly and wanted to address them more broadly through this blog post.  When it comes to depression and anxiety, serotonin frequently steals the spotlight with medical providers in regards to these concerns of their patients.  But, should another discussion open in considering declining hormones, the menopausal transition, and hormone replacement therapy as a therapeutic intervention?  I say YES! Anti-depressants may provide improvement for some in mood and stability, but have fallen short of optimal for others.  I'm happy to have 25+ years experience behind me in saying that the therapeutic toolbox seems to be opening up more in addressing the wondrous complexity of hormones and their affect on mood, emotions, and anxiety.  The heads of the medical community are now turning their attention to hormonal balance as a means to help patients in health and wellness.

Serotonin the "happiness molecule" helps us with many things such as adaptation to stress, energy balance, sleep, sexual behavior, and of course mood. To make serotonin in the brain and the rest of the body, humans convert tryptophan through food sources like meat, fish, dairy, nuts and seeds into serotonin.  A very important enzyme makes this happen but there are some other important cofactors that contribute as well (i.e. Vit B6, iron)  The pendulum can swing the other way in breaking down serotonin to the very important sleep neurotransmitter melatonin by yet another enzyme. Too much or too little can make a tremendous difference in symptoms for a person.

Estrogens are very important to serotonin in terms of it's production and lingering effectiveness. Simply, when estrogen goes down, serotonin may also take a dive leaving an individual with the classic symptoms of what we connect with depression, anxiety, and fluctuating moods.   A recent study provides evidence that depressive symptoms can be improved or prevented with hormone replacement therapy. This information is significant to many women who would otherwise have to take anti-depressants which can dampen sexual desire and performance.  Hormone deficiencies, it appears, need to be evaluated and included in the 'whole person' approach to health-care. 



Our stressful lifestyles can be another impactful implication in the imbalance of hormones and neurotransmitter production.  Hyperactivation of Cortisol can be a wrecking ball to neurotransmitter production and is worth consideration in assessing an individuals levels. If Cortisol is ramped up all the time as a response mechanism to stress, the person will often have noticeable symptoms. Many of which cross over into the realm of anxiousness, insomnia, low energy, and poor mood.  Remember, when it comes to testing of hormones, salivary assessment is a great indicator of the levels and is very convenient and affordable. 

There's much more to be researched on these topics, but I'm really happy to see women and men testing their hormones and not just immediately signing up for an anti-depressant prescription.  Now let me be clear that it's not wrong to take these medications and to many, as noted above, it can be a critical help.  I've recommend anti-depressants many times for different individuals with different clinical needs. But, (there's that word), if you have suspicion that your hormones have taken a dramatic shift, then I would suggest you test and address that as a part of your care plan.   To treat and Band-Aid one area of health without noticing the other contributors can leave you lacking in efforts to have "whole" wellness. 

For more information, email: thehormonemaven@gmail.com if you would like to test your hormones.

All the Best,
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan