Relationship between hormones and your mood during your period
Even though experts are not entirely certain on what exactly the cause of mood change is during a woman’s menstrual cycle, they believe hormones have played an important role in it. Naturally, you experience hormonal fluctuation over the course of your period. Still, they can have an effect on other hormones in your body notably the neurotransmitters dopamine [3] and serotonin [4]. These two hormones are known to play a part in depression.
Dopamine levels increase alongside rising estrogen levels before ovulation. This fluctuation could help explain why you might notice changes in working memory and affect concentration during your period. After ovulation, your dopamine and estrogen levels decline again, and right before your period starts there’s a drop in estrogen and progesterone.
For some women, the post-ovulation drop in estrogen leads to a corresponding drop in serotonin. Research has also shown that there is a relationship between progesterone fluctuation and the decline in dopamine. Having low progesterone, like low estrogen can also contribute to mood changes during your period, including symptoms like depression. These hormonal changes are what cause mood changes, like irritability and depression. A few days after your period starts, you will start to notice some improvement when your hormone levels begin to rise once more.
However, different women have their mood changes when there starts to be a fluctuation in their hormones. Not all women experience depression during their menstrual cycle. This is because these mood changes aren’t only associated with hormones. Other factors such as genetics can affect your sensitivity to hormonal changes and make your premenstrual syndrome (PMS) more likely.