January 20, 2026
Mental Health and Perimenopause
Why Your Mood Is Not “Just Stress”
Why Your Mood Is Not “Just Stress”
For many women, perimenopause feels less like a hormonal transition and more like a mental health crisis they did not see coming.
One day you are coping.
The next, you feel anxious, low, irritable, foggy, wired at night, flat during the day, and strangely unlike yourself.
What makes this even harder is that these experiences are often minimised. Women are told it is just stress, just ageing, or just life. Sometimes medication is offered, sometimes reassurance, but rarely a clear explanation of what is actually happening in the body and brain.
The truth is this: perimenopause is a period of profound neurochemical change. Hormones do not only affect periods and hot flushes. They directly influence brain chemistry, stress resilience, sleep, inflammation, and emotional regulation.
This is one of the key themes we will be exploring in our upcoming 3 week Perimenopause and Menopause Journey.
One of the foundations of our approach is understanding how hormones and neurotransmitters are deeply interconnected.
In simple terms, each key hormone has a close relationship with specific neurotransmitters:
When hormone levels fluctuate during perimenopause, neurotransmitter balance can shift with them. This can show up as anxiety, low mood, irritability, poor sleep, loss of motivation, brain fog, or emotional volatility.
In future sessions, we will unpack these connections carefully and practically, so women can understand why they feel the way they do and what can actually help.
Oestrogen plays a significant role in serotonin production. It increases activity of tryptophan hydroxylase, an enzyme required for serotonin synthesis. When oestrogen levels fluctuate or decline, serotonin support can fall away, increasing vulnerability to low mood and anxiety.
This helps explain why some women notice mood changes that feel very real and very biological, not simply psychological.
It also helps explain why antidepressants can feel inconsistent during perimenopause for some women. If oestrogen is fluctuating, serotonin signalling can be harder to stabilise. This does not mean medication has no place, but it does suggest we need to consider hormones alongside mental health support rather than in isolation.
We will explore this relationship in more depth during the programme, including how hormonal support, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies can influence mood resilience.
Progesterone is often thought of purely as a reproductive hormone, but it is also one of the brain’s most important calming influences.
Progesterone supports GABA activity, the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter. GABA helps the nervous system switch off, settle, and recover from stress.
As progesterone levels fall in perimenopause, women may experience increased anxiety, internal agitation, panic, racing thoughts, and disrupted sleep. This is one reason many women report feeling calmer and sleeping better when progesterone is supported appropriately.
We will explore progesterone’s role in nervous system regulation, sleep, stress resilience, and blood sugar stability during week one of the journey.
Testosterone is essential for women’s mental health, energy, and motivation.
It supports dopamine activity in the brain’s reward and motivation pathways. When testosterone declines, women may experience apathy, reduced drive, difficulty concentrating, low motivation, and a sense that everything requires more effort.
Some women notice ADHD-like symptoms emerging in midlife. Often this is not a new condition, but a change in hormonal support that previously buffered dopamine function.
In the programme, we will explore how to support testosterone naturally, when to consider testing, and how strength training, nutrition, and targeted support can influence energy and cognitive clarity.
Hormones are only part of the picture. Perimenopause is a whole body transition.
In future sessions, we will also explore:
These systems interact constantly. When several are under strain at once, mood symptoms can escalate quickly.
Functional medicine asks a different question. Not “what label fits this symptom”, but “what is driving this, in this person, right now”.
That means looking beyond hormones alone and considering:
This is not about endless testing. It is about clarity and precision, so support can be targeted and effective.
These are the frameworks we will be teaching throughout the 3 week journey.
If your mental health has felt fragile, unfamiliar, or harder to manage during perimenopause, please know this:
Your experience is common.
It often makes biological sense.
And it deserves thoughtful, whole person support.
Perimenopause is not a failure of resilience. It is a transition that asks for a different kind of care.
If you would like to explore these topics in a structured, supportive way, we would love to welcome you into our 3 week Perimenopause and Menopause Journey.
Across the three sessions, we will cover:
Sometimes understanding what is happening in your body and brain is the first step toward feeling like yourself again.
🎉 Book now and save! Secure your spot for just £199 (usually £295).