Irritability

Irritability is a symptom affecting more than half of women in peri – menopause and menopause. Changes in hormone levels are believed to be the main causes of irritability at this stage of their lives. The transitional stage prior to menopause is known as peri – menopause where the fluctuations on hormone levels give rise to irritability. Irritability may start off slowly and tends to become more prevalent making day to day interactions increasingly difficult. Because you are not normally irritable, you may feel confused and upset by your behaviour. The other symptoms of menopause such as sleeplessness, night sweats, hot flushes, vaginal dryness and fatigue can add to feeling irritable. Of course, the best way to deal with irritability is to understand it. So what is Irritability? Irritability can be described as an unreasonable response to situations or events. Irritability can cause confusion and frustration to menopausal women who find that they simply cannot control their irritability where once they seemed to have an evenness of temperament. They find themselves reacting angrily to situations and stimuli which is out of proportion to the causes of their irritation.