Anxiety is a type of mental health disorder that involves significant worry that is difficult to control. Women with anxiety may find that it affects their ability to think clearly, sleep well, and function in different areas of their lives. While anxiety it around 20% of adults, women are more likely than men to suffer from anxiety.1 There are several treatments available for anxiety in women, including talk therapy, medication, support groups, and hormone therapy.
Most Common Symptoms of Anxiety in Women
Women with anxiety may experience physical and emotional symptoms like worry, irritability, or sleep difficulties, that cause distress and interfere with their ability to fully enjoy their lives. In small doses, anxiety can be beneficial and can motivate you to take action. However, chronic and severe anxiety that interferes with your life can be detrimental and a sign that you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
Common symptoms of anxiety in women include:1,2
- Excessive fear or worry
- Irritability
- Changes in behavior, such as avoiding things that cause anxiety
- Difficulty focusing or making decisions
- Feeling restless or on edge
- Muscle tension
- Shortness of breath
- Increased heart rate
- Upset stomach and nausea
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Hot flashes
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Almost everyone experiences symptoms of anxiety at some point. Brief or mild anxiety in response to a stressful event that does not interfere with your life is not necessarily a sign of an anxiety disorder. To have an anxiety disorder, your anxiety must cause you distress, interfere with your ability to function in different areas (e.g. work, school, relationships), and last at least six months.2
Anxiety isn’t all bad. The potential hidden benefits of anxiety include avoiding potential dangerous situations, increased productivity, and an ability to predict outcomes.
The Type of Anxiety Disorder Can Impact Symptoms
Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health condition in the United States.1 There are several different types of anxiety disorders that women may experience. Some anxiety disorders may develop after exposure to a stressful or traumatic event, while others may develop with no known cause. Your specific symptoms will determine which disorder you have.
Common types of anxiety disorders include:2
- Adjustment disorder with anxiety, which can develop after a person experiences a stressful event, like the death of a loved one or job loss. If a person’s symptoms continue for more than six months after the stressor is over, then this is a sign of another anxiety disorder.
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), an anxiety disorder that involves excessive worry about several different things that lasts for at least six months. In addition to worry, a person also experiences symptoms like irritability, fatigue, restlessness, muscle aches, and problems with concentration and sleep.
- Panic disorder, which involves episodes of intense worry and fear along with physical symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, nausea, shaking, sweating, and numbness. People with panic disorder also fear having a future panic attack and may avoid situations that could trigger one.
- Social anxiety disorder, a type of anxiety where a person feels anxious and overwhelmed in certain social settings, such as events with large crowds or fear of public speaking. People with social anxiety either tend to avoid social situations altogether or endure them with significant discomfort.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition that involves obsessions, which are intrusive and unwanted thoughts that cause anxiety, and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors that help alleviate the anxiety caused by the obsessions. People with OCD find that their obsessions and compulsions cause considerable distress and are difficult to control.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive thoughts or memories, avoidance of reminders of the event, negative mood, and changes in a person’s level of arousal and reactivity.
- Phobias, intense fear reactions to something that poses no danger, such as a fear of heights, animals, or needles. People with phobias may experience excessive anxiety and panic symptoms when exposed to or thinking about the feared object.
- Noise Sensitivity Anxiety, a condition where certain noises trigger anxiety symptoms ranging from irritability, the urge to escape the noise source, to anger.
Types of Anxiety Unique to Women
Anxiety is a common mental health condition among both men and women. Despite this, women face unique experiences throughout their lifetimes that can cause or worsen anxiety.3 Women experience significant hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause that can put them at greater risk for anxiety during these times. Anxiety during pregnancy or the postpartum period is referred to as perinatal anxiety.
Types of Anxiety unique to women include:
- Anxiety during puberty: Puberty is a time in a young woman’s life marked by significant hormonal changes and stress.3 Before puberty, boys and girls tend to experience similar rates of anxiety, but when puberty hits, adolescent girls are more likely than their male counterparts to develop anxiety.
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): Involves depressed mood and anxiety during the week before and the first few days of menstruation.2,4 Women may also feel overwhelmed and experience difficulty concentrating, fatigue, changes in sleep and appetite, physical symptoms like temporary weight gain, breast soreness and swelling, and muscle or joint pain.
- Prenatal anxiety: Approximately 6% of women experience anxiety during pregnancy, which is a time marked by significant hormonal changes.5 The stress of preparing for motherhood and childbirth can also contribute to anxiety during pregnancy.
- Postpartum anxiety: Around 10% of postpartum women experience anxiety during the first year after giving birth.5 Postpartum anxiety may occur along with depression or on its own.
- Anxiety during menopause: Similar to puberty, menopause is another time period that involves significant hormonal changes that can put women at risk of developing anxiety.3 Women who experience physical symptoms like hot flashes and insomnia are more likely to develop anxiety during menopause. In some cases, hormone therapy may help alleviate symptoms.
Is Anxiety More Common in Women Than Men?
Anxiety is more common among women than men. In fact, women are more than twice as likely to experience anxiety at some point in their lifetimes compared to men.1 Women are also more likely to suffer from more than one anxiety disorder at the same time or experience both depression and anxiety.
Women are more likely than men to suffer from the following anxiety disorders:6
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Agoraphobia and other specific phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Hormones are believed to play a role in why women are more vulnerable to anxiety than men.1,3 Changes in estrogen levels during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause can explain why women are more likely to suffer from anxiety during these time periods. Women also typically have lower levels of testosterone than men, which is also believed to explain these gender differences.
Stress is another explanation for why women may be more likely to experience anxiety than men.3 Girls are more likely than boys to experience traumatic events during childhood, like sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect. As adults, women experience similar rates of trauma, but much higher rates of sexual assault. In fact, women are 10 times more likely to experience sexual assault than men. These traumatic experiences can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders, especially PTSD.
Causes & Risk Factors of Anxiety in Women
Anxiety is often caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors. In general, genetics, hormonal changes, and stress can explain why some women develop anxiety.1 Like men, women who have a family history of anxiety or those who experience trauma or other stressful events are more likely to develop anxiety. Women are particularly vulnerable to experiencing anxiety during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause because these events involve significant hormonal changes.
Risk factors are those experiences that increase the likelihood that a person develops a condition. There are several different risk factors that can increase the chances that a woman experiences anxiety, including:3,7,8
- Family history of anxiety
- Poor support system
- History of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- An avoidant coping style (i.e. avoiding rather than facing negative emotions, such as not leaving the house for fear of having a panic attack)
Risk factors for anxiety during the perinatal period (i.e. pregnancy and postpartum) include:9,10
- Low income
- Living with other extended family members
- Limited support system
- Having a poor relationship with one’s partner
- History of anxiety or another mental health condition
- Family history of mental health issues
- Experiencing sleeping problems
- Having a difficult pregnancy or birth, including a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)
- Giving birth to multiples (e.g. twins, triplets)
While certain risk factors can increase the likelihood of anxiety, protective factors can decrease a person’s risk.9 Having a more active coping style and a good support system of family and friends can reduce the likelihood that a person develops anxiety.
7 Tips for Managing Your Anxiety
Whether or not you choose to get treatment for your anxiety, you can benefit from making certain lifestyle changes if you have not already. Taking care of your mind and body can help you recover from your anxiety.
Seven coping strategies that may help women experiencing anxiety are:
1. Find Time for Self-Care
Self-care is any act that brings you positive feelings. Finding time each day to do at least one positive activity for yourself can help reduce stress, which can make you less prone to feeling anxious. What activities are considered self-care vary depending upon what you personally enjoy, but some examples include exercising, taking a bath, reading, or connecting with a loved one.
2. Try Meditation
Meditation techniques, like mindfulness, yoga, and tai chi, all involve non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. Countless studies have shown that practicing meditation can help decrease anxiety.12 Meditation is believed to affect areas of the brain involved in attention and focus and also stimulate the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin. If you are new to meditation, you can consider taking a class or practicing on your own by watching a guided video. Just a few minutes of meditation a day can provide significant benefits.
3. Exercise
Physical activity is important for your physical and mental health and is associated with lower levels of anxiety.12 Experts recommend at least 60 minutes of light aerobic exercise, like walking, or 20 to 30 minutes of more rigorous exercise, like running, at least 4 days a week. If you are new to exercising, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a new regimen.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping issues are common among people with anxiety. In fact, up to 50% of people with generalized anxiety disorder experience sleeping problems.13 Insomnia can be both a risk factor for anxiety and a symptom of it. If you are experiencing sleeping issues, be sure to avoid substances that can impair your sleep, like caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. You can also practice good sleep hygiene by keeping a consistent sleep and wake schedule, avoiding electronic devices before bed, and creating a dark, distraction-free environment in your bedroom. If you continue to struggle with sleep, consider speaking with your healthcare provider. You may benefit from further testing or treatment.
5. Don’t Over Consume Caffeine
While small doses of caffeine can increase energy and alertness, too much caffeine can negatively affect your anxiety and cause irritability, headaches, and sleeping problems.14 If you use caffeine, try to limit it to less than 400 milligrams a day and 200 milligrams if you are pregnant. Some coffee and energy drinks have high levels of caffeine, so be sure to check how much you are drinking and also avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening hours.
6. Don’t Drink too Much Alcohol
While some people find that alcohol “takes the edge off,” excessive drinking can actually worsen your anxiety.15 It can also impair your decision-making and judgement, harm your relationships, and negatively affect the quality of your sleep, which can lead to more stress. If you do drink alcohol, be sure to stick to the recommended guidelines for moderate drinking, which is no more than one drink per day for women. If you are taking prescription medication, be sure to ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to consume alcohol and always avoid alcohol if you are pregnant.
7. Speak Up!
Many women with anxiety will put off speaking up or seeking help for a number of reasons. If you have tried alternative ways to deal with your anxiety and just feel like it is not working or not enough, do not hesitate to seek professional help. For some women, getting help is necessary for recovery. There is no reason to suffer in silence when other options are available.
When & How to Get Help With Anxiety
It is never too early to get help for your anxiety. In fact, waiting too long may cause unnecessary suffering. Untreated anxiety can negatively affect many areas of your life, including your mood, relationships, and ability to function at work, school, or home. If your anxiety is mild and not significantly affecting your life, you may be able to deal with it on your own with by taking care of your physical and mental health, practicing self-regulating activities like havening, and connecting with your support system.
However, if your anxiety is causing you distress, negatively affecting your life, and does not go away within a few weeks or months, then you should strongly consider getting help. Also, if you are dealing with more than just anxiety, like depression or sleeping problems, then you should think about getting professional help.
OB-GYNs Often Detect Signs of Anxiety & Recommend Therapy
Choosing Therapy conducted a survey of 135 OB-GYNs on Sermo, a global data collecting platform of over 800,000 anonymous, verified physicians, about the mental health of their patients—they reported that about 43% of their patients present with anxiety. Of those surveyed, 73% say that they’d ideally like the patients they recommend speak with a therapist have their first session within a week. However, the majority say that of the patients they recommend speak to a therapist, 30% or less actually make it to a first therapy session.
If you are interested in getting help for your anxiety, you can start by speaking with your physician or OB-GYN. They will be able to assess you further, determine whether treatment is necessary, and provide you with a referral. You can also search for local mental health providers by contacting your health insurance company or doing an online search. The type of provider to look for will depend upon the specific type of treatment that you choose.
How Anxiety Is Treated
Treatment for anxiety among women typically involves therapy, medication, or a combination of both.11 There are several different types of therapy and mental health medications that are effective for reducing anxiety. During menopause, women may also receive hormone therapy to help alleviate their anxiety. The type of treatment that is best for you will depend upon how severe and long you have been dealing with anxiety, the causes of your anxiety, and your own personal preferences.
Common treatments for anxiety in women include:
Therapy
Therapy for anxiety involves speaking with a mental health professional who will help you change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to your anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy are two popular and effective therapies for anxiety.11 CBT helps you change unhealthy thought patterns that contribute to your anxiety, while exposure therapy helps you confront situations that you may be avoiding because of your anxiety. Therapy is provided by psychologists, social workers, counselors, and therapists.
Medication
Psychiatric medications do not cure anxiety but can help alleviate some of your symptoms.11 Benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and beta blockers are medications that can help decrease anxiety. For more information about medication for anxiety, and whether medication is safe during pregnancy, you can speak with a physician, psychiatrist, OB/GYN or psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Support Groups
If you are experiencing anxiety, you may benefit from attending a support group where you can talk about your feelings and receive encouragement and feedback from other group members.11 Support groups for anxiety are available both online and in-person and may be helpful in addition to therapy.
Hormone Therapy
Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) or those undergoing menopause may also benefit from hormone therapy to help treat their anxiety.3 Some studies have found that prescribing birth control pills or estrogen can help alleviate anxiety and depression in these women. For more information about whether you are a candidate for hormone therapy, speak with your OBGYN or endocrinologist.
Anxiety in Women Infographics
