Overview
Women being on their periods makes them vulnerable to plenty of uncomfortable symptoms. These symptoms vary from person to person and they often extend beyond physical discomforts, like headaches, cramps, and fatigue. You can also experience emotional distress during your period, it is believed to be as a result of fluctuating hormone levels, a very common one is depression. Others include:
- Anxiety [1]
- Frequent crying and not having a particular reason
- Feeling sad
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anger
This emotional distress that appears as symptoms of your period often shows up in the days before the period starts, and tends to stay for a while once they begin. They don’t just disappear once they start, they may or may not last throughout your period, and some people also experience depression even after their period ends.
Severe cases of Premenstrual syndromes (PMS) [2], symptoms may indicate another condition, which is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Also, if you have an existing mental health condition, the fluctuation of your hormones may temporarily worsen during a menstrual period.
You might have only been focusing on the physical symptoms not knowing that these mood symptoms can equally affect your day-to-day life. Depression, in particular, the big question is what exactly causes symptoms of depression before, during, and even after your period?
Keep reading the article to get an answer, plus tips to cope when you are experiencing it.