Why menopause can be the trigger for anxiety

Hormones don’t just control your cycle — they play a huge role in your mental health.

Oestrogen boosts serotonin (your happy hormone) and keeps cortisol (your stress hormone) in check. Progesterone has a calming, stabilising effect. Testosterone supports mental stamina and focus.

When these hormones decline and fluctuate during menopause, brain chemistry shifts — like Wi‑Fi dropping in and out. This can make your internal “alarm system” (the amygdala) overly sensitive, triggering fight, flight, or freeze responses to situations that wouldn’t have bothered you before.

For many of us, emotions are something we push aside. We tell ourselves to “just get on with it,” to stay strong, and not let emotions get in the way. But what if suppressing emotions is actually making us weaker?

In this blog we’re unpacking how emotions shape our daily choices, our health, and ultimately, the quality of our lives. And why in midlife and menopause, it’s important to take back control of your emotions instead of letting them control you.

When my anxiety started in 1995 the word wasn’t even applied to what I was feeling, even by the doctor. In fact I remember him referring to it as ‘another funny turn’.

On the outside it appeared I was living a very normal life and doing what someone very normal did, but on the inside I felt everything was rapidly closing in on me.