We’ve all been through it – an unexpected angry outburst for the slightest of triggers or uncontrollable crying over innocent remarks. Sometimes we even find ourselves in this wave of emotions without a trigger at all.

We’re talking about mood swings, which are completely normal, though not always welcome, and they are one of the most common to appear due to the changes in your hormones through your monthly cycle. These physical and emotional symptoms that show up before your period are known as premenstrual symptoms or PMS.

When you reach your 40s, you may start with irregular periods. Connecting your sudden surge of emotional changes with your cycle is not crystal clear, but it is likely to have a lot to do with it. Feeling depressed, irritable, bad tempered, upset, anxious or just a bit more emotional are some of the moods you might experience due to hormonal changes, which are part of the symptom range found with PMS.

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To help determine if your mood swings are hormonal, try to be familiarize yourself with the following commonalities:

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• Does this range of unwanted emotional reactions seem to occur monthly, and give you the feeling that there was no apparent reason for them to have escalated?

• Your mood changes might start with anger and irritability before other emotions make an appearance.

• You notice that this emotional flood is or may be accompanied by other PMS-like symptoms, sleep disturbances, bloating, food cravings, body aches, etc.

• Is it a few days to a week of every month that you are feeling more sensitive to things, and, even though you know what the trigger was, you’re now unsure why it’s affecting you more than usual?

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PMS-like symptoms occur due to changing hormone levels, directly affecting your brain’s psychological functions. You will also see changes in your monthly cycle. Whether you have experienced this before or not, around your 40s and onward, you might be more sensitive to these changes, and they may worsen your PMS or PMS-like symptoms. As hormone levels fluctuate more dramatically at this stage of your life, women who suffer from mood swings before their periods tend to see more of these fluctuations during this time.

The encouraging news is that there are steps you can take to help you manage these ups and downs:

1. Diet: there are some vitamins and minerals that are mood boosters and hormone balancers. Food supplements, like Femarelle® Rejuvenate, help relieve hormone-related PMS and PMS-like symptoms (e.g., sadness, irritability, fatigue, etc.). It’s a natural product that works to balance the uneven hormonal changes that happen around the end of your reproductive age, 40 and onward.

2. Exercise: If PMS-like symptoms have you feeling tired and emotionally drained, try leisure activities, like taking a brisk walk or swimming. Exercise helps release the oxytocin hormone associated with relaxation. Yoga, breathing exercises and meditation can also help.

3. Sleep: Try to keep a regular sleep routine by going to bed and getting up around the same time.

Just remember that it is completely normal what you’re experiencing, and you’re not alone. It's estimated that around 85% of women experience PMS-like symptoms at some point in their lives. By being aware and taking proactive measures, you can make your symptoms more manageable. Do not feel bad for your outbursts. You can act on it and start the journey to get your inner balance under control.

 

Dr. Mariangel Mora M.