Do you remember when you were a teenager, and your emotions seemed to change almost daily? This rollercoaster ride resulted from the onset of puberty and the awakening of your reproductive system.
It's easy to overlook the profound influence hormones have on our mood. When confronted with emotional ups and downs seemingly out of nowhere, women often find themselves at a loss. Hormone levels are usually the last thing on their minds!
1. Overwhelming fear or full-blown panic attacks
2. Persistent tension headaches or even migraines
3. Chest tightness or discomfort
4. Sleep disturbances
5. Nausea
6. Irritability, restlessness, or shakiness
7. Frequent bouts of tearfulness
8. Hot flushes
9. Upset stomach or even irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
The timing of these symptoms often coincides with perimenopause. Yet, countless women are bewildered by what's happening to their bodies. The 'menopause penny' doesn't always drop!
Throughout perimenopause, your levels of oestrogen and progesterone decline with each menstrual cycle as your body navigates its way to menopause. However, this journey is far from smooth, often featuring dramatic peaks and troughs in hormone levels. It's no wonder, then, that these hormonal fluctuations can send your emotions haywire.We now know oestrogen has a significant role in regulating mood and emotions within the brain. This intricate relationship involves a decrease in an enzyme called Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) due to declining oestrogen levels, leading to changes to neurotransmitters that influence mood, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and melatonin.
The challenges don't stop there; the imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone creates stress within the body. Suppose you're already feeling stressed due to the symptoms you're experiencing. In that case, your body will likely ramp up cortisol production, the stress hormone. Increased cortisol production, in turn, suppresses progesterone production, exacerbating imbalances.
It's also important to remember that hormonal shifts affect the whole body. You have oestrogen receptors all over your body from head to toe, which explains why symptoms can be so diverse and individual. Is it any wonder that menopause is often referred to as puberty’s big sister?
Menopause Support is perfect for anyone going through perimenopause regardless of HRT use. We're all about the big picture rather than temporarily fixing symptoms. Menopause Support is an all-in-one solution to your nutritional needs while supporting your stress and blood sugar response. You might sleep better, too, and have more energy. Safe to say all of this has the potential to profoundly affect your mental health during menopause.
