Is It Normal to Feel Hopeless During Perimenopause? (What’s Actually Happening)
If you're asking yourself, “Is it normal to feel hopeless during perimenopause or menopause?” You are not alone.
Many women experience feeling hopeless during perimenopause due to hormonal changes that affect mood and emotional regulation. It can feel confusing, especially if this isn’t how you’ve experienced yourself before.
While this is common, it’s not something you have to ignore or push through, and understanding why it’s happening is the first step toward feeling more like yourself again.
If this feels familiar—like your emotions have shifted in ways you don’t fully understand. I walk through why this is happening during perimenopause (and what actually helps) in a free class.
The Science: Link Between Hormones and Mood
During perimenopause and menopause, levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone fluctuate significantly. These hormonal changes impact not only your physical health but also brain chemistry, especially neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA—all of which help regulate mood.
Estrogen, for instance, plays a key role in serotonin production and receptor sensitivity. When estrogen levels decline, serotonin can drop as well, which is associated with low mood, irritability, and in some cases, feelings of hopelessness or depression.
Mood Symptoms Are Medically Recognized
According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), women in the menopause transition are up to two to four times more likely to experience depressive symptoms than premenopausal women, even if they have no prior history of depression. The Mayo Clinic also lists depression, anxiety, and mood swings as common menopausal symptoms.
It’s not unusual for women to report:
Loss of motivation
Persistent sadness or hopelessness
Crying spells
Emotional numbness
These are not signs of weakness—they are neurobiological, emotional, and behavioral responses to profound physiological change. This is often the moment women realize: this isn’t just in my head, but I still don’t know what to do with it.
If that’s you, I break this down (and what actually helps in real life) in a free class.
A 2023 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that taking estrogen (alone or with progesterone/antidepressants) significantly reduced depressive symptoms compared to control groups. Researchers highlighted that stable estrogen levels—rather than higher doses—have the strongest mood benefit .
Latest Medical Evidence
A 2024, a Canadian clinic study involving 170 perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women found:
62% scored in the depression range at baseline
Menopause hormone therapy (MHT)—used alone or with antidepressants—led to significant mood improvement after 3–12 months
These findings align with current North American Menopause Society guidance: MHT is a proven option to ease hot flashes, sleep issues, and mood changes
Getting Support
A combined approach often works best:
mental health support
medical evaluation
hormone therapy (when appropriate)
lifestyle and nervous system support
Understanding your options is important, but knowing how this is actually showing up in your daily life is where many women feel stuck.
That’s why I focus on helping women bridge the gap between understanding what’s happening and being able to respond differently in real time.
You Don’t Have to “Just Tough It Out”
It’s easy to dismiss feelings of hopelessness during menopause as “just part of aging.” But research shows these experiences are tied to real neurological and hormonal shifts.
You deserve more than just coping—you deserve to understand what’s happening and feel equipped to respond to it.
I created a free class that walks you through why emotions can feel so intense during this stage—and where to start when everything feels overwhelming.
👉 Watch the free class: Why You Feel So Reactive Right Now
If you’re ready for more personalized support, I also work with women 1:1 to apply this in their real, everyday lives.