💧Why Do I Cry So Much on My Period?😭

 

Table of Contents

 

- Introduction

- Hormonal Changes During Menstruation

- Mental Health Factors Contributing to Period Crying

- Effective Coping Strategies to Minimize Period Weeping

- When You Should See a Doctor About Excessive Crying 

- The Bottom Line: Why Your Period Makes You Cry

- Frequently Asked Questions

 

Introduction

 

It's very common to feel more emotional, sad, irritable, or prone to crying spells before or during your menstrual period. But if you find yourself weeping frequently with no explanation, it can feel confusing, embarrassing and frustrating. 😣 Excessive crying during your period is usually linked to hormonal fluctuations related to your menstrual cycle. But mental health issues like stress, anxiety, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder can also cause increased tearfulness.👇

 

Keep reading to dive deep into the hormonal, biological, and mental health reasons you may cry so easily on your period. You'll also discover practical coping strategies and lifestyle remedies that can minimize mood swings and crying spells when you get your period each month. I'll also cover warning signs that indicate when you should see a doctor about severe PMS mood disturbances like uncontrollable weeping.

 

Whether you deal with occasional weeping or find yourself sobbing uncontrollably every cycle, understanding why your period makes you so emotional can bring relief. 😌 You can implement changes to balance your hormones and manage stress better. With a few key strategies, you can reduce period crying spells and feel more like yourself even during that time of the month. Keep reading to understand and overcome excess crying on your period!

 

💢Hormonal Changes During Menstruation

 

The major hormonal fluctuations that occur leading up to and during your menstrual period are the primary cause of increased crying, sadness, irritability, and mood swings in the days before and during your period.

 

Here's an overview of how your reproductive hormones impact mood:

 

 The Impact of Estrogen and Progesterone

 

In the first half of your menstrual cycle leading up to ovulation, your estrogen levels gradually rise, eventually peaking around the time you ovulate. The rise in estrogen causes the buildup and thickening of your uterine lining to prepare for potential pregnancy.

 

After ovulation, progesterone kicks in and begins to rise as well. If an egg is fertilized, progesterone helps maintain the nourished uterine lining so that a fertilized egg can implant and a pregnancy can develop.

 

If no pregnancy occurs that cycle, both estrogen and progesterone rapidly decline about 5-7 days before your next period. This withdrawal of estrogen and progesterone signals your body to shed the uterine lining built up that cycle - triggering the start of your period and menstruation.

 

This rollercoaster ride of estrogen and progesterone rising and falling dramatically at various points of your cycle directly impacts your mood.

 

Research indicates estrogen plays a key role in regulating levels of serotonin - a neurotransmitter that strongly influences mood, well-being, sleep, appetite, and cognition.

 

When your estrogen levels are high, you have more circulating serotonin, which is associated with feeling calm, stable, and happy. Right after ovulation when estrogen peaks, many women feel great - full of energy, optimism and mental clarity. 

 

However, in the days before your period when estrogen is plunging, your serotonin levels also rapidly decline. Lower serotonin is linked to sadness, irritability, increased anxiety and depression. This is why many women start to feel weepy, fatigued, or moody a few days to a week before their periods - because the dramatic drop in estrogen brings serotonin levels down with it.

 

Progesterone is also involved in regulating mood, particularly by interacting with GABA receptors and calming excess activity in the brain. It acts as a natural tranquilizer during the second half of your cycle after ovulation. But when progesterone withdraws right as PMS symptoms kick in, women lose those calm, mellowing effects.

 

The sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone just before menstruation explains why many women experience mood disturbances like sadness, anxiety, anger, irritability, fatigue, trouble concentrating, food cravings and crying spells in the week leading up to their periods. The drastic hormonal fluctuations disrupt serotonin, GABA and other brain chemicals that keep your emotions stable the rest of the month.

 

 The Impact of Prolactin

 

Prolactin is a hormone that helps enable breast milk production in women who are pregnant or nursing. It remains low for most of your cycle, but begins to rise when estrogen and progesterone drop right around the time of your period. Scientists have found higher prolactin levels in women who experience severe PMS symptoms including mood changes like crying spells, anxiety, irritability and depression.

 

Research indicates prolactin serves different functions unrelated to milk production in non-pregnant women. Scientists hypothesize that the rise in prolactin seen before menstrual periods may play a role in PMS symptoms and may also independently contribute to mood disruptions. More research is still needed to understand prolactin's exact effects on emotion. But the evidence suggests that elevated prolactin likely exacerbates the mood effects of the estrogen and progesterone drop, making crying spells, sadness, anxiety and irritability worse.

 

In summary, your primary reproductive hormones - estrogen, progesterone and prolactin - fluctuate dramatically from the time you ovulate through when you get your period. The hormonal rollercoaster each cycle includes estrogen and progesterone spiking mid-cycle, then declining rapidly before menstruation begins, as prolactin rises. These coordinated shifts trigger a wide range of physical and emotional PMS symptoms including fatigue, cramps, headaches, food cravings, trouble concentrating, anxiety, irritability, anger, sadness, hopelessness and frequent crying spells. Understanding your hormonal picture explains why you may cry more easily in the week before your period.

 

Mental Health Factors Contributing to Period Crying

 

While hormone fluctuations are the major biological cause of increased crying before or during your period, mental health factors can also contribute to period crying spells or make them worse.

 

Here are some of the main psychological factors that can lead to excessive weeping during your period:

 

 Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

 

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a more severe form of PMS causing extreme mood disturbances, crying spells, irritability, anger and depression in the week or two before your period. PMDD affects roughly 5% of menstruating women.

 

Researchers believe PMDD is caused by an abnormal reaction to normal hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. People with PMDD seem to have a heightened sensitivity to shifting hormone levels, leading estrogen and progesterone declines to trigger more severe mood changes. These hormone changes interact with brain chemicals like serotonin to cause intense irritability, sadness, anxiety, anger and frequent crying episodes.

 

PMDD goes well beyond normal PMS symptoms or increased emotional sensitivity - it can completely disrupt your ability to function at work, school or in relationships each month.

 

Other common PMDD symptoms include:

 

- Extreme fatigue, low energy, hypersomnia

- Severe irritability, anger, anxiety, tension

- Depressed mood, frequent crying, hopelessness

- Trouble concentrating, confusion, brain fog

- Marked changes in appetite, food cravings 

- Lack of interest in usual activities

- Physical symptoms like breast tenderness, swelling, headaches, joint or muscle pain

 

If your periods consistently cause extreme mood disturbances like severe depression with frequent uncontrollable crying, intense irritability or anger, or emotional symptoms that interrupt work and relationships, you may have PMDD. Seeing your gynecologist or doctor can help get an accurate diagnosis. PMDD is typically treated with antidepressants or birth control pills to regulate hormones and improve symptoms.

 

 Stress

 

Even if you don't have full-blown PMDD, high stress levels can magnify normal period-related sadness, moodiness, irritability and crying.

 

When you're under a lot of stress, the hormonal changes of your cycle seem more pronounced - estrogen enhances the intensity of emotions you're already feeling. Studies demonstrate that women under chronic stress have a more difficult time emotionally before and during their periods.

 

Daily stressors from work, relationships, family, finances and other obligations can all pile up. This creates a heavier burden that makes you feel more vulnerable and sensitive when PMS mood changes kick in.

 

Sudden high stress events like getting in a fight with your partner, losing a job, or having a major financial setback right before your period also hit hard. Your already delicate emotional state from estrogen and progesterone dropping makes it harder to handle new stresses.

 

Finding healthy ways to manage everyday stress - like exercising more, meditating, journaling, talking to a therapist, or improving time management - can help stabilize your mood across your cycle. But it's also important not to take on too much right before your period, since your coping bandwidth is lower when hormones are in flux.

 

 Underlying Mental Health Conditions

 

Many women find their underlying mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder worsen around their monthly menstrual cycles.

 

The hormonal fluctuations of your cycle combined with high sensitivity to emotions during PMS can exacerbate existing mood disorders. Premenstrual exacerbation of an underlying condition is sometimes referred to as Premenstrual Exacerbation (PME).

 

For example, if you already tend towards depression when hormones are stable, the decline of estrogen and progesterone may deepen feelings of sadness, hopelessness and frequent crying. Or if you have generalized anxiety, you may experience worsening anxious thoughts, panic attacks or tension when PMS hits.

 

Bipolar disorder follows a pattern of cycling between highs (mania) and lows (depression) – so the mood shifts of PMS can trigger stronger manic or depressive phases. Borderline personality disorder includes intense, unstable emotions and relationships, which may become more rocky each month from PMS.

 

So for those already managing a mental health condition, the flux of reproductive hormones often compounds emotional challenges. Tracking your symptoms across a few monthly cycles can help you identify if your disorder consistently worsens around your period. Let your doctor know if you experience pronounced mood changes, like increased depression with uncontrollable crying, before your period. Adjusting medications or treatments may help stabilize symptoms that become amplified around your cycle.

 

In summary, while hormone changes are the driving force behind period crying spells and sadness, mental health factors like stress overload, PMDD, and exacerbation of existing conditions can worsen weepiness, moodiness and irritability before and during your period. Managing stress well and getting any underlying conditions under control can help minimize intensified symptoms during PMS.

 

Effective Coping Strategies to Minimize Period Weeping

 

Now that you understand the key hormonal and mental health contributors to increased crying before or during your menstrual period, let's explore pragmatic lifestyle changes and coping strategies you can implement to minimize sadness and weepiness.

 

Here are some effective natural remedies, activities, diet and lifestyle tweaks that can help overcome period crying:

 

 Boost Your Serotonin

 

Since dips in estrogen drive decreases in serotonin production leading up to your period, trying to boost your serotonin levels can help compensate. 

 

There are several ways to give your serotonin levels a lift in healthy, natural ways:

 

Exercise - Cardio like running, cycling or aerobics releases endorphins, which then stimulate serotonin production to boost mood. Aim for 30-60 minutes of exercise per day.

 

Sunshine - Getting adequate sunlight exposure supports serotonin synthesis and circulation in your brain. Spend 10-15 minutes per day catching some rays.

 

Social Connection - Laughing and bonding with friends activates and circulates serotonin. Make time for social activities even when you don’t feel like it when PMS hits.

 

Sleep - Getting at least 7-8 hours per night enables serotonin production. Prioritize rest when hormones are in flux.

 

Food - Carbohydrates aid in serotonin synthesis, so foods like whole grains, sweet potatoes and beans can give your levels a bump.

 

Supplements - Magnesium, vitamin B6, tryptophan and SAM-e supplements support serotonin production, so ask your doctor if they might help.

 

Taking proactive daily steps to boost serotonin by exercising, sleeping, socializing, and eating mood-friendly foods can help counteract the serotonin-lowering effects of declining estrogen and minimize period sadness and crying.

 

 Lower Your Stress

 

We explored how high stress magnifies feeling weepy and sad when your hormones are swinging. Finding ways to manage daily stress better and lower your overall stress levels can stabilize your mood across your cycle. 

 

Here are some go-to stress reducers to try:

 

- Relaxation practices - Try yoga, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, prayer, or progressive muscle relaxation daily. These tools decrease your nervous system's stress response.

 

- Aromatherapy - Scents like lavender, bergamot and chamomile have calming properties. Use them in a diffuser, bath or lotion.

 

- Limit caffeine - Caffeine exacerbates anxiety and tension, so cut back around your period.

 

- Organize and plan - Getting on top of obligations before your period prevents feeling overwhelmed when energy is low.

 

- Say no - Don't overcommit to obligations right before or during your period. Save discretionary social activities for when you're up for them. 

 

- Rest and recharge - Listen to your body and take relaxing baths, naps, or early nights when needed before and during your period to help cope with fatigue.

 

- Identify comforts - Cozy pajamas, soft socks, warm drinks, and favorite blankets can be soothing.

 

- Get support - Talk to your significant other, family and friends about your PMS challenges so they can support you.

 

Reducing stressful stimuli and activities while proactively caring for your body helps counterbalance hormone-driven sensitivity and crying spells.

 

 Journal About Your Emotions

 

Keeping a journal to write out all your feelings provides a safe space to express challenging emotions - so they don't get stuffed down or leak out in crying fits.

 

Journaling about your inner world through stream-of-conscious style entries, lists, poetry or drawings allows you to directly release any swirling sadness, anger, tension, grief or anxieties.

 

Let your journal be a complete emotional dump - no judgments or censorship. The act of expressing feelings openly rather than bottling them up eases inner turmoil. Journaling also helps identify recurring thought patterns or behaviors around your period so you can choose how to respond.

 

 Engage In Comforting Activities

 

When you're feeling delicate and weepy before or during your period, engaging in nostalgic, familiar activities you find comforting can lift your spirits. Tap into your inner child!

 

Some soothing ideas:

 

- Watch favorite childhood movies or TV shows

- Listen to meaningful music from your teen years 

- Look through old yearbooks, photo albums or memory boxes

- Re-read a beloved book that gave you joy and escape

- Cuddle up with a soft stuffed animal

- Indulge in comfort foods like mac and cheese or chicken noodle soup

 

Engaging your senses with familiar, nostalgic activities boosts oxytocin production in your body. Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" and its warm, soothing effects help counteract tension and sadness.

 

 Talk Through Your Feelings

 

When crying spells or sadness start setting in before your period, pick up the phone and talk out what you're feeling with a trusted friend, family member or empathetic partner.

 

Letting your emotions flow freely to a listening ear prevents you from bottling up sadness or anger until it overflows in sudden crying fits. Feelings often lose some intensity when you speak them aloud to someone compassionate.

 

Choose your listener wisely - turn to people in your life who are emotionally generous, caring and won’t judge. Venting to someone dismissive can make you feel worse. Know who your safe space people are!

 

 Limit Exposure to Emotional Triggers

 

Some find excessively sad or sentimental movies, songs, commercials, news stories or other media can heighten sensitivity when hormones are changing. If weepiness is setting in, limit your exposure to emotional triggers that fan the flames.

 

Stick to lighthearted, upbeat TV shows and playlists during your PMS window. Avoid tearjerker movies or sensational news outlets. Temporarily mute accounts prone to gloomy content on social media.

 

Controlling your media exposure helps keep your fragile emotions in check when estrogen and progesterone drop. There’s no shame in guarding your heart!

 

 Find Humor and Laugh

 

Laughter truly is some of the best medicine when you’re feeling delicate and weepy. Seek out humor and funny exchanges to get yourself giggling.

 

Humor and laughter release tension while also increasing beneficial, mood-boosting hormones like dopamine and endorphins. Plus, it’s pretty hard to cry while simultaneously laughing!

 

Some ways to bring humor to your premenstrual days:

 

- Watch a hilarious movie or comedy special

- Listen to a funny podcast or audio book

- Read humorous essays that make you chuckle

- Swap funny stories with a friend by phone or text

- Look at cute animal memes or bloopers online

- Watch a live comedy show

 

Lightening your mood prevents you from wallowing in sadness or crying jags. Laughter forces you out of negative thought patterns. Let yourself be silly and find any excuse to laugh.

 

 Avoid Alcohol

 

Alcohol can exacerbate mood changes and instability before your period. While a glass of wine may make you feel cozy temporarily, alcohol is a depressant that actually lowers serotonin long-term. This can deepen feelings of sadness and tearfulness when hormones are shifting.

 

Sticking to non-alcoholic beverages is best when PMS hits. Stay hydrated with water, herbal tea, seltzer or fresh juices. Limit or eliminate alcohol to prevent intensifying mood changes.

 

 Get Out in Nature

 

Spending time outside in fresh air and nature surroundings can instantly lift your spirits when you feel weepy.

 

Sunshine and open blue skies boost serotonin naturally. The sounds of birds chirping, a flowing stream or wind rustling the trees ease tension. The sights and smells of flowers blooming, rain falling and trees anchoring you bring a sense of renewal.

 

Get outside for a little bit each day - go on walks, sit on your porch, lie under trees. Immersing yourself in the soothing constancy of the natural world stabilizes emotions.

 

 Call on Community Support

 

Don't isolate when you're feeling sad or crying frequently. Surround yourself with a community of caring friends, family members or co-workers who can empathize and offer support. 

 

Lean on your tribe and ask loved ones for what you need - whether that's someone to vent to, a shoulder to cry on, a girls' night in, or help managing obligations that feel overwhelming.

 

Sharing what you're going through lets people understand changes in your mood or energy. Good friends and family will be there with love, hugs, chocolate, extra hands and reassurance! 

 

 When You Should See a Doctor About Excessive Crying  

 

While temporary period-related sadness or crying spells are normal, frequent uncontrollable weeping or pronounced depression is not.

 

Consult your gynecologist or primary care physician if:

 

- You cry uncontrollably most cycles before your period

- Crying episodes interfere with work, school, relationships or daily activities 

- You have thoughts of self-harm related to PMS mood changes

- You experience pronounced irritability, anger, anxiety or tension most months

- Symptoms don't improve with over-the-counter medication or natural remedies

- Intense fatigue or low motivation accompany weeping each month

 

Seeing your doctor can rule out underlying factors like thyroid disorders or iron deficiencies contributing to extreme fatigue and crying. Bloodwork can check hormone levels for abnormalities.

 

Your physician may diagnose premenstrual dysphoric disorder if your mood symptoms are severe. They may prescribe SSRIs like Prozac, Zoloft or Lexapro to balance serotonin. Or hormonal birth control pills can regulate estrogen and progesterone fluctuations.

 

Don't dismiss pronounced period crying or allow it to disrupt your life regularly. Seek medical guidance to get your hormones and mental health on track!

 

💡The Bottom Line: Why Your Period Makes You Cry 

 

In summary, period crying spells, sadness and sensitivity stem from the major reproductive hormone fluctuations occurring each menstrual cycle. Swings in estrogen, progesterone and other hormones interact with brain chemicals like serotonin to cause mood changes, including increased tearfulness just before your period.

 

While hormone shifts are the primary physical cause, mental health factors like high stress, PMDD and underlying conditions can worsen crying episodes. To reduce period weeping, proactively boost your serotonin, lower stress, limit emotional triggers, find humor and joy, and tap into community support.

 

Occasional crying is no cause for concern, but frequent uncontrollable weeping or pronounced depression each cycle may require medical treatment. Don't hesitate to see your doctor and get the care you need to balance hormones and overcome period crying. With the right lifestyle adjustments and remedies, you can minimize mood swings and feel steadier even during PMS.

 

Understanding why you cry so easily on your period is the first step to taking back control. You don't have to suffer through extreme tearfulness and sadness each month – relief is possible! Implement targeted strategies to smooth out hormonal highs and lows so you can feel emotionally steady all cycle long.

 

🤔 Frequently Asked Questions

 

 💧 Why am I so emotional before my period?

 

Hormonal fluctuations before your period trigger mood changes - specifically drops in estrogen and progesterone and increases in prolactin. These shifts affect serotonin levels and make many women feel more sad, anxious, irritable or sensitive the week before their periods.

 

 😭 Why do I cry for no reason on my period?

 

Hormones directly influence our emotions, so crying spells can seem to come "out of nowhere" before or during your period. Even if nothing sad happened, you may find yourself weeping. Estrogen increases sensitivities, while drops in estrogen and progesterone combined with rising prolactin increase tearfulness.

 

 😢 Why do I feel so depressed before my period?

 

Shifts in estrogen, progesterone and other reproductive hormones interact with chemicals like serotonin that regulate mood. As your cycle progresses, estrogen peaks mid-cycle, then drops along with progesterone just before your period, while prolactin rises. These rollercoaster-like shifts can cause sadness, irritability, and depression in the days leading up to menstruation.

 

 😥 How can I stop crying on my period?

 

Reducing stress through relaxation techniques, avoiding emotional triggers, practicing self-care, increasing comforting activities, and finding humor can help minimize period crying. For severe PMS mood issues, your doctor may prescribe SSRIs or birth control pills to regulate hormones and improve symptoms.

 

 😰 Why am I so moody before my period?

 

The hormonal fluctuations in the luteal phase at the end of your cycle cause mood changes like irritability, anxiety, sadness, and sensitivity about 5-11 days before your period starts. As estrogen and progesterone decline and other hormones like prolactin rise, these shifts interact with brain chemicals to cause moodiness right before menstruation begins.

 

 😣 Why do I get so angry before my period?

 

Estrogen levels peak mid-cycle, then plummet by up to 50% in the days leading up to menstruation. This rapid drop in estrogen before your period makes some women more prone to anger and rage. Estrogen helps regulate serotonin levels, so when it falls very rapidly, it can cause aggressive behavior and irritability due to low serotonin.

 

 🤬 How can I control my anger on my period?

 

Practicing relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing when you feel anger rising can help. Gentle exercise boosts endorphins to improve mood. Avoiding triggers that make you angry or irritable around your period minimizes outbursts too. For severe PMS anger, SSRIs might help regulate hormones and improve symptoms.

 

 😪 Why am I so tired and emotional before my period?

 

Shifts in reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone rising and falling dramatically across your cycle trigger physical and emotional changes. In the days before your period, decreased hormones paired with disrupted sleep from hormone changes result in fatigue, weepiness, and sensitivity in many women.

 

 😭😭 Why can't I stop crying before my period?

 

Some women experience excessive tearfulness due to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a more severe form of PMS causing debilitating mood disruptions. If you uncontrollably cry for multiple days most cycles, see your gynecologist - PMDD can be treated with antidepressants or birth control pills to balance hormones.

 

 😿 Why do I feel so sad before my period?

 

Consistent feelings of hopelessness, frequent crying and sadness before your period can indicate depression that may be Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) or underlying clinical depression exacerbated around your cycle. See your doctor if period sadness interferes with work, school or relationships.