Hormone shifts affect your mood. Every woman knows this, because every woman has lived it. Hormones are not just numbers on a lab report, they influence how we feel, think and sleep. We’ve experienced the sadness, the irritability, the mood swings, and the rage. But what is going on in our bodies that is creating all this havoc?
Why Hormones Affect Mood
We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and the hormones that cause ovulation and sustain pregnancy are part of an intricate, God-designed mechanism. But the thing about intricate mechanisms is that small changes make a big difference (see PMS). And in perimenopause, the peaks and valleys get more dramatic. Then in menopause, women feel the sharp decrease in these hormones that do so many things in our bodies.
In other words, there are reasons we feel the way we feel.
I think that understanding what is going on is helpful. The emotions that overwhelm us can make us feel like our rational minds have been short circuited. Having this information can help us get out of our feelings and back into wisdom (or out of our amygdala and into our prefrontal cortex). It can help us remember that we love our husbands, children, coworkers, and friends, but maybe we aren’t quite in our right mind in this moment.
I say all the things in my disclaimer, but let me say it again here. This post is for information only. Yes, you can google and find all kinds of supplement recommendations that may fix this. But remember what I said about this being a delicate mechanism? You may inadvertently make something else worse. Or waste a lot of money. So please, don’t skip this step. Talk to your doctor first.
Estrogen and Mood
We know that estrogen drops sharply after ovulation and is low again during your period. And with menopause, estrogen levels drop dramatically. Besides the fact that there are estrogen receptors in your brain that are thought to affect mood and emotions, estrogen affects serotonin levels as well.
Serotonin is the “feel good” neurotransmitter that most antidepressants, like SSRIs, increase. Estrogen is thought to help our serotonin receptors work better, and may play a role in our body’s ability to make serotonin.
Most of the studies that demonstrate this are animal studies. We don’t have a good way of measuring serotonin in human brain tissue, so we have to measure it indirectly—which isn’t as reliable. But there is good evidence that this may be part of what is going on in our PMS, PMDD, perimenopausal, and menopausal brains.1
Progesterone and Calm
Progesterone levels are implicated here, too. Progesterone alone has a calming effect, and can promote sleep.
Some studies show that progesterone plays a role in the production of GABA. It also may affect the GABA receptors. What is GABA? Well, GABA is another neurotransmitter. Medications like Xanax and Valium work by enhancing the effect of GABA. This has a calming effect on the nervous system, and can stimulate sleep. It also helps you calm down faster from fight or flight mode.2
Testosterone and Mood
Women’s bodies make testosterone too. The levels of testosterone begin to drop in our 30s, and drop more after menopause. This has been studied more in men, but low testosterone levels may be associated with increased depression in women.
Now, this is a bit of a “chicken or the egg” thing. We don’t know if women are depressed if their testosterone is low, or if their testosterone is low because they’re depressed. So, this definitely needs more study. And, since having too much testosterone is worse, this is probably not something you should pursue without a lot of discussion with your doctor. So if you’re eyeing that supplement that is supposed to increase testosterone, look away for the time being and talk to your health care provider first.3
Stress Hormones Explained
The HPA axis is like a Rube Goldberg machine—a complicated chain reaction that eventually triggers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. We always have these hormones in our system, but spikes in their levels are what lead to the fight-or-flight response.
While I touched on this when I discussed progesterone and GABA, there is some evidence that low estradiol exaggerates the brain’s response to stressful situations.
The fluctuations of sex hormones makes HPA more sensitive. Cortisol spikes more easily. So if you’ve ever said you feel like “one big exposed nerve”? You weren’t too off track.4
Sleep and Emotional Health
I touched on progesterone and sleep above. And drops in estrogen can cause night sweats and insomnia. It is difficult to sleep when you wake up drenched in sweat. (Ask me how I know.) We all know that not sleeping well affects us in many, many ways. But since we are focusing on mood and irritability, it can exacerbate that. Which you already knew.
Managing Hormonal Mood Swings
So what do we do with this information? First off, self care was never unimportant, but it’s more important at certain parts of our cycles and during perimenopause and menopause. We know eating junk food can cause a sugar crash, so don’t add fuel to the fire. We all know scrolling on your phone late at night makes it harder to sleep well. Avoid that too.
The deck is stacked against you, so to speak. Don’t hand the opponent all your aces by not taking care of yourself.
But honestly? I think just understanding this helps get you out of your head. Increasing your self awareness can (hopefully) give you the gumption to take a breath, shake it off, and revisit the issue at a better time.
And yes, if things are really bad, talk to your doctor. I know it’s a hassle. I know you have to make an appointment. I know you might have to take off work or get a sitter. But this is your health. This is your body. You are one of God’s daughters and you are fearfully and wonderfully made—but the world is broken. Sometimes things need fixing, and you are certainly worth a doctor’s care. But as you pursue all this, remember this: Christ has already fixed what you cannot. You are not defined by your hormonal shifts, you are defined by his love. Your hormones may shift, but your Savior does not.
Disclaimer: This post is for information only. Do not make any medical decisions or avoid seeking treatment based on this post.
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- Amin Z, Canli T, Epperson CN. Effect of estrogen-serotonin interactions on mood and cognition. Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev. 2005 Mar;4(1):43-58. doi: 10.1177/1534582305277152. PMID: 15886402. ↩︎
- Gordon JL, Girdler SS, Meltzer-Brody SE, Stika CS, Thurston RC, Clark CT, Prairie BA, Moses-Kolko E, Joffe H, Wisner KL. Ovarian hormone fluctuation, neurosteroids, and HPA axis dysregulation in perimenopausal depression: a novel heuristic model. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 Mar 1;172(3):227-36. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14070918. Epub 2015 Jan 13. PMID: 25585035; PMCID: PMC4513660. ↩︎
- Maharjan DT, Syed AAS, Lin GN, Ying W. Testosterone in Female Depression: A Meta-Analysis and Mendelian Randomization Study. Biomolecules. 2021 Mar 10;11(3):409. doi: 10.3390/biom11030409. PMID: 33802106; PMCID: PMC7999217. ↩︎
- Albert K, Pruessner J, Newhouse P. Estradiol levels modulate brain activity and negative responses to psychosocial stress across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2015 Sep;59:14-24. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.022. Epub 2015 May 7. PMID: 26123902; PMCID: PMC4492530. ↩︎
