How does your cycle impact mental health? Understanding the connection between hormones and mood

Have you ever felt your mood dip before your period started? Maybe you feel on edge, more anxious than usual, or just not quite yourself. It can be frustrating and confusing, but it’s important to know that these feelings are tied to real changes in your body. These ups and downs are closely linked to the natural hormonal shifts of your cycle, which affect your brain as much as your body. When you understand this connection, it becomes easier to make sense of what’s happening, and to treat yourself with more care and compassion.

Table of contents

1. How do hormones influence your mood?

2. Oestrogen and mental health: Why it can lift your mood

3. Progesterone and anxiety: When calm turns to overwhelm

4. Why do you feel heavier during your luteal phase?

5. PMS vs PMDD: what’s the difference?

6. Natural ways to balance hormones and support mental health

7. Breaking the stigma around periods and mood changes

8. Final thoughts

How do hormones influence your mood?

Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about physical changes. Hormones like oestrogen and progesterone directly affect your brain, influencing serotonin and dopamine - chemicals that regulate mood, motivation, and stress response. That’s why your emotions can feel so different depending on where you are in your cycle.

Oestrogen and mental health: Why it can lift your mood

Oestrogen, particularly estradiol, peaks in the first half of your cycle. During this time, many feel more confident, focused, and energised. Oestrogen boosts serotonin (stability) and dopamine (motivation), helping you feel emotionally resilient and less reactive to stress.

Think of this phase as your natural “springtime”, a moment where your brain and body feel aligned and lighter.

Progesterone and anxiety: When calm turns to overwhelm

After ovulation, progesterone becomes dominant. For some women, it has a soothing effect, promoting rest and reflection. But for others, especially those sensitive to its byproducts, progesterone can trigger anxiety, irritability, or low mood. This dip in serotonin can make it harder to regulate emotions, which explains why the premenstrual week can feel emotionally intense.

💡 Did you know? The hormone progesterone activates the brain’s GABA system, the same system targeted by anti-anxiety medication. That’s why it can feel calming for some, but unsettling for others.

Why do you feel heavier during your luteal phase?

The luteal phase (the 10–14 days before your period) can feel like an emotional autumn. Progesterone is high, oestrogen is falling, and many women feel more sensitive, tearful, or quick to anger. Even when life looks “normal” on the outside, your inner world may feel heavier.

These emotional changes usually ease once your period sets in, but even a few difficult days each month can affect your confidence, relationships, and sense of balance.

💬 “The week before my period, it feels like my inner critic has a megaphone. Just knowing it’s hormonal helps me meet myself with more patience.”

PMS vs PMDD: What’s the difference?

Most menstruators are familiar with PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome): mood swings, irritability, or sadness before a period. But for 3–8%, symptoms are so severe they interfere with daily life. This is known as PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), a recognised mental health condition linked to hormonal sensitivity.

Signs of PMDD can include intense depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger, and social withdrawal. It’s more than “bad PMS”, and it deserves medical attention and care.

📊 People with PMDD are more likely to have a history of anxiety, depression, or PTSD, and many wait years before being properly diagnosed.

Natural ways to balance hormones and support mental health

You can’t stop hormones from cycling, but you can soften their impact.

Nutrition

Eating foods rich in magnesium, vitamin B6, and omega-3 fatty acids can help regulate mood and stabilise blood sugar. These nutrients support brain chemistry and ease emotional ups and downs throughout your cycle.

Exercise

Gentle, regular movement, such as walking, yoga, or swimming, boosts endorphins and reduces stress. Exercise also helps improve hormone sensitivity, making it easier to keep mood steady.

Sleep

Quality sleep is essential for hormone balance. Deep, regular rest allows your brain to reset, stabilises emotional responses, and keeps your body’s hormonal rhythms on track.

Mind-body practices

Breathwork, journaling, and meditation are powerful tools for calming the nervous system. They can give you perspective during emotional lows and help you respond more gently to stress.

Medical support when needed

Sometimes lifestyle changes aren’t enough. Hormonal contraception or SSRIs can help smooth out severe mood swings or conditions like PMDD. If your symptoms are disrupting daily life, seeking medical support is a valid and important option.

🌸 Tracking your cycle can help you spot patterns, so instead of feeling blindsided by mood swings, you know when to plan in more rest and care.

Breaking the stigma around periods and mood changes

For too long, emotions linked to menstruation have been dismissed as “just hormones.” This can make it harder to seek support, even when symptoms are disruptive. But your experience is valid. Hormonal shifts can significantly affect mental health, and acknowledging that is the first step to care.

Final thoughts

Recognising the connection between hormones and mood is a game changer. It turns confusion into clarity and helps you plan for your emotional wellbeing throughout the month. No matter whether you experience mild PMS or severe PMDD, you deserve support, compassion, and tools that make the cycle feel more manageable.

Key takeaways

• Hormones directly affect brain chemistry, shaping mood and stress response.

• Oestrogen often boosts mood, while progesterone can calm - or trigger anxiety.

• PMS is common, PMDD is more severe and diagnosable.

• Lifestyle, mind-body practices, and medical care all play a role in managing symptoms.

• Menstrual mood changes are real, valid, and deserving of care.

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