Biologically, there may be a reason women cry more than men: Testosterone may inhibit crying, while the hormone prolactin (seen in higher levels in women) may promote it.
Some of the most common emotional changes that people share about estrogen are crying more, feeling more tender, and even experiencing greater empathy. These changes can be subtle or intense, depending on your body and sensitivity to GAHT.
Oestrogen deficiency is thought to be the instigator of tears, cognitive decline, depression and almost everything bad in menopause (or at least it feels that way).
Serotonin is the brain chemical responsible for modulating mood. If serotonin levels are high, so are our moods. If levels are low, mood drops.
That's because rising progesterone in your Week 3 (which begins the day after ovulation and lasts 8 days) and plunging estrogen in your Week 4 (your premenstrual week) both affect mood-moderating brain chemicals in a way that can trigger the urge to cry from something sad, high stress or even no reason at all.
If you have estrogen or progesterone imbalances, you can have difficult remembering things. You might cry at the drop of a hat and you can experience mood swings from deeply sad one minute to happy the next.
An insufficient amount of progesterone results in a decrease in endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are chemicals that reduce pain and increase the presence of happiness. So, the absence of these endorphins is associated with emotional symptoms including irritability, crying easily, anger and depression.
Unfortunately, any change in hormones is likely to cause mood swings. If your mood changes quickly and dramatically for no identifiable reason, it may be because you have too much estrogen.
Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain.
Mood swings are another effect of low estrogen. You may feel sad, anxious, or frustrated. Shifting hormone levels and night sweats may disrupt your sleep. This can cause fatigue, which may make mood swings worse.
Hormonal imbalances can cause changes in mood that might cause you to cry more easily. Changes in hormone levels caused by pregnancy, menopause or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can all impact your mood.
This type of crying may result from a mental health condition, such as burnout, anxiety, or depression. It might instead stem from hormonal imbalances or neurological conditions. If frequent crying for no apparent reason is causing concern, see a doctor for a diagnosis or a referral to a mental health professional.
Progesterone is usually soothing to mood but can sometimes cause anxiety. A negative mood reaction to changing levels of progesterone is called neurosteroid change sensitivity or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and affects about one in twenty women.
Mood swings: Estrogen dominance can cause a range of mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Decreased sex drive: As the levels of estrogen hormone rises, one may notice a dip in their sexual drive. Severe headaches or migraines: Headaches during the menstrual cycles are normal and everyone experiences it.
Progesterone in MHT and depression. The balance of evidence available suggests that progesterone in MHT may lead to negative mood symptoms.
production of serotonin – serotonin is a hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep; a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression.
“Ovarian hormones change in a cyclical way and some of the hormones (particularly progesterone) can affect your mood significantly. This can make you feel low, emotional and can make you feel like crying for no reason.
Fluctuating levels of estrogen and testosterone, which are considered sex hormones, may play a role in how much anxiety you experience. Changing levels of these hormones can affect your mood. This is why anxiety sometimes peaks during times of hormonal change such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
High estrogen levels lead to weight gain, change in sleep patterns and memory problems. Regardless of whether a woman's estrogen levels are low or high, the imbalance can contribute to cloudy thinking. For women, maintaining a balance of estrogen can reduce the feelings of brain fog.
Estrogen helps protect the heart from disease, potentially by maintaining higher levels of good cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL), in your blood. Lower estrogen levels, especially during menopause, can increase your risk of developing heart disease.
Estrogen can reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. If you have a uterus, you'll likely need to take progesterone along with the estrogen. Estrogen without progesterone increases the risk of uterine cancer.
Low levels of progesterone can cause irregular menstrual periods, spotting and headaches, and could affect your ability to get pregnant. Speak with your healthcare provider if you notice symptoms of low progesterone. They may want to run blood tests, especially if you're trying to conceive.
The most noticeable manifestation of low progesterone levels is irregular periods and short cycles, but sometimes symptoms like premenstrual spotting may appear. Other symptoms may include mood changes, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. Progesterone affects the regulation of fluid levels in the body.