New Study: Menopausal Women Experience Negative Hormone Effects From Ages 40 – 55

In a podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett, Dr. Mindy Pelz discussed recent research findings about women’s menopause. The June 13 podcast episode outlined the overlap between rising suicide rates for older women and the known menopause time frame.

Pelz began in the segment, “45 to 55 years old in that decade is the most common time when women commit suicide.” Despite the concerning findings, this age group of women tends to be the most understudied, according to Pelz.

She continued to explain in the video the science behind why women’s hormones tend to be less stable during that decade. She said, “After 40, our sex hormones start to decline, so estrogen goes up and down…progesterone plummets after 40. From 40 to about 55, that is a period where the woman’s brain has to recalibrate to this loss of hormones, and so our moods are all over the place during that time.”

Pelz went more in-depth by giving examples of how these changing hormones can present themselves in a woman’s mood.

“If you live with a 43-year-old woman, you’re gonna experience one day she’s great and the next you’re gonna be like ‘who are you?’ that’s because her estrogen is on  a rollercoaster ride.”

She added , “As progesterone goes down, we are less stress resilient. So little things are gonna irritate us like they’ve never irritated us before.”

According to Healthline, in a piece medically reviewed by doctor Alana Biggers, these negative menopause effects can be harsher on Black women. She wrote, “Black women may experience more severe menopause symptoms than white women and tend to start menopause at an earlier age.” This means that the negative symptoms reported by Pelz could be even more drastic for women of color.

This difference in age of onset can be influenced by environmental factors such as socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors.