Women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of depression, and some of that difference has to do with hormones and stress, experts say.
Simply being a woman in today’s society—experiencing higher levels of sexual assaults, harassment, and domestic violence than men, for example—can lead to stress and depression, according to researchers quoted in an October 10, 2019 Good Morning America article.
Hormones can also play a role in depression, said Shruthi Mahalingaiah, assistant professor of environmental reproductive and women’s health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For example, an estrogen decline in a woman’s body after childbirth or ovulation can cause mood swings, she said.
“There is individuality in this, so each woman is different in how they experience their hormone fluctuations,” said Mahalingaiah. “Some might experience [mood swings] and seek help, others may experience and suffer it alone or some may have much more mild experiences.”
Read the Good Morning America article: How life changes like childbirth and menstruation affect women’s mental health