Anxiety vs. Premenopause: Understanding the Differences

Anxiety and premenopause share a few common symptoms, such as sleeping problems and mood swings. However, many differences exist between the two. Anxiety primarily involves an individual's mental and emotional health and can affect men and women both. Premenopause, in contrast, solely affects women and primarily involves physical health.

Definition

• Anxiety, when manifesting as a clinically diagnosed disorder, can have an ongoing effect on an individual's life, affecting mood, outlook, thoughts and emotions. Premenopause, on the other hand, occurs as a normal reproductive stage in a woman's life prior to the onset of perimenopause.

Description

• Anxiety disorder can present itself as panic, post-traumatic stress, obsession-compulsion, avoidant behaviors and a number of phobias, which are the most common. Premenopause, on the other hand, manifests itself with a wide array of primarily physical symptoms.

Symptoms

• The principal symptoms for many anxiety disorders include uncontrollable fear, obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors and panic attacks. With premenopause, however, the most common symptoms are hot flashes, sleep disorders, night sweats, decreased libido and memory problems.

Treatment

• One of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorder is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which usually includes exposure and desensitization therapies. For premenopause, treatment usually focuses on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, as well as estrogen supplements.

Prognosis

• Both anxiety disorders and premenopause respond well to treatment. Therapy can significantly reduce, and even eliminate, symptoms for many with anxiety disorders, and treatment can help individuals with premenopause to manage and minimize symptoms.