How your menstrual period affects your mental health

During the menstrual cycle, a woman goes through a series of hormonal processes that can induce states of tension, sadness, joy, and sexual desire.

To understand these emotional changes during menstruation, it is important to understand the timing of hormonal processes and how they affect mental health.

The menstrual cycle is made up of phases that allow the intervention of sexual hormones for the release of neurotransmitters, these stages can positively or negatively affect the emotional state of the woman.

Emotional Health According to Each Phase of your Cycle

The first phase is menstruation, during which progesterone and estrogen levels are low. When estrogen is lower, it is associated with a lack of secretion of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, whose function is to regulate moods.

Simultaneously, low levels of the hormone estrogen affect the mechanism of endorphin production, which is a chemical substance that brings satisfaction and well-being to our brains.

For these reasons, discomfort and declining moods are experienced during menstruation.

The second phase is the Follicular phase, in this stage estrogen levels increase, leading to a positive mood change, you may experience more energy, high self-esteem, and optimal concentration and memory.

Because in the follicular phase there are higher levels of estrogen and testosterone, with the presence of lower levels of progesterone, serotonin, and endorphin levels increase.

The third phase is Ovulation, where more testosterone is released and there is an increased sexual desire. In relation to this, the high levels of estrogen and the interaction of estrogen with other hormones allow a high libido.

In this phase, the brain releases a luteinizing hormone from the pituitary gland, this hormone is responsible for an elevated mood, which allows the woman to feel attractive and happy.

In the fourth phase, called the luteal phase, there are negative changes in mood: sadness, anger, irritability, anxiety, and fatigue, a consequence of high levels of progesterone that induce the production of cortisol.

Cortisol tends to be abundant in people who are stressed, and the luteal phase can cause problems concentrating. It can also produce physical symptoms such as headache, swelling, and breast tenderness, among other conditions.

How to deal with a bad mood during menstruation?

Mood swings are the result of physiological and chemical processes in our body, and avoiding them is not an alternative. But you can always use other methods such as recreational activities to lighten and maintain optimal mental health during the menstrual cycle.

A healthy lifestyle, exercise, favorite hobbies, and proper hygiene during menstruation can lead to healthy mental health.

Small but significant aspects such as avoiding allergic reactions in the intimate area help you feel more comfortable and secure, to achieve this you can use ecological pads that are also hypoallergenic, and free of chemicals and plastic.