A survey of 2,048 women conducted by Merck Company’s Seven Seas found that 15 percent of women polled said that when their mood swings came, they longed to be a male. An additional nine percent stated that men are better off physically, not needing to deal with menstrual cycles and other female issues.

The survey was conducted in conjunction with health supplement company Seven Seas’ Femibion product and sought to better understand women’s opinions about being female.

For example, when asked about how they felt about the physical changes to their bodies during puberty, 87 percent of women said that they didn’t feel at ease or were irritated with the process. When asked about being prepared for pregnancy, 12 percent said that they weren’t ready to deal with the physical changes associated with pregnancy.

The survey also discovered that 55 percent of the women were not content with the current state of their lives. Yet when asked about the state of being a woman, 36 percent of respondents said that they were happy with it, feeling they could express themselves better than men could.

The results of the survey were commented on by Dr. Rosemary Leonard, a South London GP and media contributor, suggesting that hormone levels play an important part in how a woman feels.

“Hormone levels are central to women’s wellbeing. It’s vital to have a balanced diet and nutritional support when your body needs it,” she reportedly told the Daily Express.

Women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop depression, and hormones likely play a role in that. Constant shifts in hormones during menstruation can at times contribute.“Although the exact interaction between depression and premenstrual syndrome remains unclear, some researchers say that cyclical changes in estrogen, progesterone and other hormones can disrupt the function of brain chemicals such as serotonin that control mood,” says the Mayo Clinic Web site.

“Still, because such hormonal changes occur in most women, but not all women develop depression, hormonal changes can’t be the only cause of depression in women,” the site added.