Have you ever had a fleeting moment where you wondered if you were suffering from bi-polar disorder, or despaired that life was hopeless and you were an extremely weak and over sensitive person, that something terrible was about to happen, that all your friends secretly hate you...then the next day got your period and been like - “ah, coo”?
I’d be seriously surprised if no one could relate. Some things seem blindingly obvious - your period affects your mood. But sometimes understanding how and why, can blow your mind.
Your brain before your period, is like your brain on alcohol and other depressants. I’ll let that sink in. How much of your life do you spend due on? That is how much of your life you are going to feel depressed. Let alone the rest of your life where there are non physical reasons for feeling some type of way. Before you reach for a blunt object with which to club yourself about the head - this blog is about solutions not sad acceptance.
Let’s understand why.
It’s pretty much down to progesterone vs oestrogen. Progesterone pops up after you ovulate, and lasts for a between 9-11 days - until your body decides you won’t be getting pregnant this month.
Low levels of progesterone can cause an abnormal cycle and difficulty conceiving. It builds stronger bones, boosts your metabolism, helps control cravings, and can protect against cancers. A lot of hormones get broken down and metabolised, before your kidneys or liver kindly remove them from your body. But progesterone breaks down into metabolites that activate in the brain. They bind to the GABA-A receptor, which is a part of the brain that makes sure you’re not getting too worked up. But it calms your brain to the extent you will feel almost like you’ve been drugged at this point in your cycle. Sorry if needing to crawl into bed and sleep for two days is a mild inconvenience – but it might stop you rage-screaming in peoples’ faces, and life as a woman is always a trade-off isn’t it☺️ Progesterone turns fat into energy and helps with fluid retention. Too much oestrogen compared to progesterone can make you bloated and retain water, cause sore boobs, headaches, and can even lead to fibroids and heavy periods. It also adds to cellulite 😑 Stress will make your body convert progesterone into cortisol – at the expense of oestrogen and progesterone. Boo for stress. Low progesterone balance can eventually affect your thyroid levels.
Synthetic progestin is a whole different thing. It is used to treat lots of issues like menopause symptoms, not getting your periods, weight gain, and endometriosis. But it doesn’t convert to the same neurosteroid that calms your brain. (And for some women even natural progesterone doesn’t affect their brains positively – having the opposite affect.)
Scientists are discovering more and more evidence that progestin causes anxiety and the blues. It seems to have the same effect on your brain as alcohol and sleeping pills. But not in a good way...
Progestin is present in all hormonal contraceptives. The mini pill is progesterone only (these days the synthetic version called progestin no longer uses a male hormone) and the Mirena coil releases progestin, but less of it gets into your blood stream. My experience of the mini pill was fantastic for not having to deal with periods, getting hardly any migraines, and generally feeling physically quite healthy. However, after eight months I suddenly realised it was highly likely the reason I had been crying uncontrollably for six months. Within a few days of coming off it I felt like a black cloud had lifted. I’d had a bad experience with the combined pill in my teens - severe depression and not feeling able to keep living. But for some reason I didn’t connect it this time to the mini pill. So it was a little scary to realise that what I had been through over the previous months was being caused by something I chose to take every day.
So is progesterone good or bad? Actually it depends on the balance of it with oestrogen.
In my experience, synthetic hormones have had downsides that significantly outweigh the benefits. So how do we naturally balance these two hormones to minimise the havoc they wreak in our lives?
Would you believe it can be as simple as eating more fibre?
Fibre can help reduce oestrogen recirculating in your body by helping it to pass through your system. Oestrogen is absorbed from certain foods and the longer they take to get through your system, the more oestrogen you will absorb. Try oats (not instant), flaxseed, and quinoa.
Zinc is essential to producing progesterone, and FSH, which leads to production of progesterone. Try pumpkin seeds and nuts.
B6 can help improve progesterone levels – try sunflower seeds.
Magnesium is vital in hormone regulation – and boosts progesterone levels. It regulates the production of FSH, LH, and thyroid hormones, which produce oestrogen and boost progesterone. Try nuts and seeds again - and dark chocolate yaaaaaaay!
L-Arginine is an amino acid that can boost progesterone. Try pumpkin seeds
This is such a great article as well - not least for educating people in your life about what you might be going through. Easier to send someone a link than to expend emotional energy you don’t have trying to convince them.
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