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Children, career, household, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, as a woman you are confronted with many factors in your life. Therefore, females are likely to be facing depression sooner or later in their life. Almost twice as much women as men have to deal with a particular form of depression in their life.
Biological factors which pave the way for depression with women
Puberty
Before puberty, the percentage of depression is the same for boys and girls. In the period between puberty and menopause that percentage is significantly higher with girls. The fact that girls go into puberty sooner than boys leads to them developing complaints of depression at a younger age. As early as the age of fifteen, already double as much girls are depressed, compared to their male peers.
Since the number of depressions in the period between puberty and menopause is much higher with women compared to men over the same period of time, researchers presume that hormonal factors negatively influence the development of depression. Moreover, puberty is also characterised by other changes which might influence the origin of depression, such as emerging sexuality, identity crises, conflicts with the parents, and social expectations which may be a heavy weight on adolescents’ shoulders. All those psychosocial factors combined with hormonal changes can increase the risk of depression.
Premenstrual problems
Most women experience emotional and physical changes before their menstruation. Examples are a swollen abdomen, sensitive breasts, headache, anxieties, irritability and overreactions. That is also known as PMS or the premenstrual syndrome. With most women, the symptoms are not that grave, and they pass quickly. However, a small percentage of women does experience PMS so much that their job and relationship suffer from it. Despite the fact that the exact link between the premenstrual syndrome and depression has not yet been discovered, some scientists believe that the cyclic changes in the oestrogen and testosterone level influence women’s chemical household in the brain, in particular hormones which determine your mood, such as serotonin. Other professors think that the increased risk of depression can be ascribed to androgens, the so called male hormones, which are present with women as well, but in smaller quantities. The fact that all women go through hormonal changes, but that not all women develop a depression, indicates that other factors must cause depression as well. Genetic predisposition or other elements may define your chances of depression as well.
Pregnancy
The drastic hormonal changes during pregnancy, combined with changes at work or in your relationship may influence a woman’s mood and cause depression during her pregnancy. Other factors which increase the possibility of a depression during pregnancy are little social support, mixed feelings about the pregnancy and previous depressions. Other related matters such as trouble getting pregnant, infertility, a miscarriage or unexpected pregnancy may all lead to depression.
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