Depression is a common mental health condition affecting millions. It can make you feel tired, sad, and experience a total loss of motivation. The condition is often accompanied by symptoms of other mental diseases, like anxiety, and can have a significant impact on your day-to-day life. Many people want to know if there’s a connection between HRT and depression. Some claims state HRT helps, while others have the opposite opinion. Let’s explore the potential impact of hormone replacement therapy on depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is used to replenish levels of declining hormones.
Testosterone is the primary hormone that HRT focuses on in men. For women, on the other hand, hormone therapies usually focus on estrogen and progesterone. While these hormones are found in both male and female bodies, their concentrations differ significantly.
Hormone replacement therapy has become more common in modern-day society. This is due to new research and studies, which highlight the success of HRT in the lives of patients.
Hormone Therapy and Menopause
More and more women are turning to HRT to help them cope with the depressing symptoms of menopause, such as:
- Hot flashes
- Mood swings
- Vaginal dryness
- Mental fog
- Bladder weakness
- Anxiety
- Sleep disruptions.
HRT and Depression
Depression is a complex condition that is caused and influenced by a variety of both external and internal factors.
While several internal factors come into play, hormones are one that people often overlook. These are chemical messengers that play vital roles in keeping the body functioning. Hormones are involved in everything from regulating body temperature to distributing fat and muscle mass.
Understanding Estrogen and Depression
Estrogen is a hormone that modulates the availability and activity of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. These are often referred to as feel-good chemicals. Several other factors also contribute to the production of neurotransmitters. However, you must keep in mind the role that hormones play in this process.
Changes or imbalances in estrogen levels can cause mood swings, sadness, and feelings of depression.
These feelings can start to surface due to the effects that low estrogen can have. Low levels of the hormone can negatively affect neurotransmitters, potentially impacting dopamine and serotonin levels.
There are other hormones that we should also talk about, of course.
Progesterone and Mental Health
Progesterone is a hormone that helps protect the uterine lining. Estrogen can cause excessive growth in the uterine lining. Additionally, progesterone also has a calming effect on the central nervous system.
When progesterone levels go out of balance, it can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. This is due to the impact it has on the brain’s “soothing receptors”.
Other Hormones and How They Impact Mental Health
We’ve talked about estrogen and progesterone. These are two vital hormones to keep in mind when looking at HRT and depression. Those are the hormones that experience a sharp decline during menopause, a natural process every woman goes through.
There are other hormones that you should also pay attention to:
- Testosterone: Found in both men and women, it can cause common signs of depression when its levels are allowed to stay too low. Low testosterone can cause poor energy levels, mental fog, and more.
- T3 and T4: These thyroid hormones are important because they are needed to regulate metabolism and energy levels and aid in other body functions. It is well known that hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, plays a role in the development of depression.
Changes in any of these hormone levels beyond the normal range can also alter neurotransmitters, which then affect mood, resulting in increased feelings of sadness, anxiety, and irritability.
Does HRT Help Depression?
A lot of people are interested in learning about the HRT and depression connection. Some women do find that they experience a decline in their depression symptoms while undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
With this said, HRT isn’t going to be a solution that completely replaces the need for antidepressants.
It’s important to note that HRT is not an FDA-approved treatment for depression. It’s generally considered most efficient when used to treat the vasomotor symptoms that are part of the manopausal transition.
There are also situations where HRT might not be the solution. You won’t necessarily get access to hormone therapy for depression when you don’t have any other problems related to low levels of estrogen or other hormones.
Some people also find that a combination of the two helps to address their depression and anxiety symptoms effectively.
How Androgenix Can Help
At Androgenix, we specialize in helping patients obtain a full clinical and hormonal assessment. This provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of your hormones and identify any potential clinical deficiencies, which we can then help address by establishing a personalized treatment plan tailored to your test results.
