Menstruation & Mental health

Despite the markedly obvious significance of menstruation on health and wellbeing, the relationship between the two areas has largely gone under-researched. While most women are aware of the emotional, mental, and physical changes they experience, science has often overlooked these shifts and has only recently begun catching up. As an area of growing interest, research has opened up important conversations about how the fluctuations in energy and mood impact our mental health.

We sat down with Jennifer Ward, a women’s health and hormone Naturopath to discuss the intersection of menstruation and mental health.

What’s really going on during the cycle?

Our cycle is made up of four phases: Menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase where the follicular phase includes the menstruation (or the bleed).

Jennifer maps out that, “when the uterus sheds its lining, there are no hormones being produced. However, at the end of the bleed, our bodies produce estrogen and two other hormones responsible for releasing an egg. After ovulation, we enter the luteal phase where both estrogen and progesterone are produced”.

Many women report feeling particularly irritable, anxious, and low in mood before/during their bleed. Jennifer explains that when our bodies prepare for ovulation, we produce estrogen. High levels of estrogen coupled with progesterone imbalance, typically expected “5-15 days out from your bleed”, can cause irritability, low moods, and anxiety.

From a naturopathic perspective, Jennifer recommends tracking your cycle to help you identify which stage of the cycle you are in. Not only does this provide a sort of support and explanation, but it also helps inform you on what your mind and body currently need. When your mood is low and energy levels are depleting, it’s okay to “rest, nest and focus on nurturing yourself”. In the pre-ovulation stage of the follicular phase, feel free to be “more adventurous, social, and get moving more”.

Mindful and intentional living is all about attunement to self. Cycle-tracking and syncing is one way to honour this. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup, and if cancelling plans and staying in is what your mind and body need, then that’s okay. The socialisation you look forward to in one week will not be met with the excitement in the next. Knowing your limits and honouring what you need is important.

How do I know when to see someone?

Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS) symptoms are expected and largely accepted by most women. Of course, with everything that goes on with our hormones and energy levels, fluctuations in mood to a certain degree are understandable. However, Jennifer urges that we should not “fall into the trap of feeling ‘it must be normal’ and ‘I just need to push through’.”

Under-education and word-of-mouth advice from relatives have largely been held responsible as sources of self-doubt and uncertainty when it comes to reaching out for support. Many women are told to not overthink their symptoms and to ‘just deal with it’. However, Jennifer vouches for intuition, stating that, “women have a good radar to pick up when things aren’t quite right…I recommend trusting that intuition”.

Just as we recommend not over-relying on social media and pop-psychology to diagnose or treat our mental health, we offer the same advice when it comes to hormonal health. Every body is different, every pain tolerance, symptom, mental and emotional state is different. So, if your radar picks up that something just does not feel right, please visit a professional.

To wrap it up…

We live in the aftermath of a world that under-researched and overlooked women’s health. As a result, despite the growing interest and scientific focus on its links to mental and emotional health, we still have a long way to go. You may have family members who breed doubt into your concerns. You may feel guilt or shame for wanting to seek support on managing your symptoms and mental health. We urge you to place your intuition above this noise.

“If you want to rest, rest. If you want to take a gentle walk in nature instead of going to the gym do that. Women are notoriously hard on themselves so being kind can be hard but is often so necessary.”

If something feels wrong, reach out.

For mental health support, reach out to book with one of our amazing Psychologists today.

For naturopathic support, reach out to Jennifer and her team today.

With warmth and encouragement,

Ruchi and Jennifer.