Expecting a new baby is always the happiest time in a woman’s life. Unfortunately, it does not always work out as expected. During pregnancy and postnatal, there is a significant link between mental health complications and women’s health. Various changes in mental health state, including appetite, may seem normal during pregnancy but may be signs of mental health problems. Are you a victim of mental health complications during pregnancy and looking for help? Look no further because Bethesda women’s & reproductive psychiatry has covered you. Let’s discuss some mental health complications during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Mood Swings
Generally, your brain is designed to release hormones that assist you in uplifting your mood. Besides, they are responsible for maintaining levels of other hormones that keep you active in your daily activities. However, progesterone levels surge after the ovulation period of the menstrual cycle. Such rapid rise surges depressive feelings in women because both progesterone and estrogen hormones are linked with mood and behaviors.
Fatigue
Not many individuals notice it in most instances, although progesterone enables better sleep. Once you have little progesterone in your body, you experience challenges in sleeping that can contribute to tiredness and fatigue. Furthermore, various women do not feel like engaging in physical activities because of cramps, inadequate sleep, and abdominal pain resulting in fatigue.
Nevertheless, you will start getting better sleep when you undergo a post-menstrual cycle. Therefore, if you encounter fatigue in your routine days with no menstrual, it may result from other factors, and you should consult your medical provider for a checkup.
Cravings
The levels of estrogen decline during the woman’s monthly period when the progesterone is rising. These hormone triggers play a vital role in significant changes in several women. As a result, most of us would like to eat comfort food that can enable us to stay feeling better. The serotonin hormone is responsible for your happiness, maintains a pleasant mood, and lowers during the menstrual cycle. The effect of the decline comes with the craving for carbohydrates. This effect notifies you that if you feel you cannot stay without chocolate, you should know serotonin levels are at a decline.
Irregular periods
In most cases, women with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are more prone to experience shorter menstrual cycles. Irregular cycles are related to eating disorders and depression. Alternatively, if the woman has bipolar disorder, she is more likely to experience irregular periods.
Depression
Women usually encounter depressed feelings when they begin to enter the menopause period. Also, most women report memory loss and irritation during menopause as a result of hormone changes in the body. Once a woman’s body is nearing the menopause phase, various changes may lead to low estrogen and serotonin levels. Nevertheless, these feelings diminish with time, and it is common to feel depressed after menopause. If the depression seems severe, you should seek medical assistance.
Mental health problems can be annoying to most women due to the effect on their behaviors. If you are experiencing any mental condition during your pregnancy, menstrual, or menopause, you should consult your healthcare provider for help. Do not worry if your doctor is fully booked because a team of specialists from the Washington Center for Women’s and Children’s Wellness (WCWCW) in Bethesda, Maryland, will help you. The team is determined to offer excellent psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services at their well-located offices. To enjoy these services, call their office or schedule an appointment online.
