How Your Hormones Might Affect Your Mood (Not Just Your Mind)

By: Destini Metallo

How often have you heard some variation of: “It’s just stress.” “That’s common with PMS,” or “It’s probably just anxiety,” when your mood is slightly off? 

On the surface, it may sound like a rational explanation. But underneath the surface, you know something is different. 

Maybe your mood swings happen more often. 

Maybe they feel bigger than stress or a bad day. 

Perhaps you experience irritability that feels disproportionate to whatever sets it off. 

And maybe these things are happening at the snap of a finger and disappearing just as quickly. 

It’s not all in your head. There’s a good chance your hormones are playing a major role in your story. 

Why Do My Hormones Affect My Mood?

Too often, hormones are isolated from brain chemistry. 

But the truth is that they’re in constant communication with one another. 

Estrogen supports the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are the neurotransmitters deeply responsible for your mood, motivation, and pleasure. 

Progesterone interacts with GABA, which helps with calming. When progesterone drops, the calming effect drops with it. 

And then, there’s cortisol, your primary stress hormone. Cortisol rises and falls in response to both external and internal hormonal shifts, so when any of these hormones fluctuate, your emotional regulation does as well. 

So, it’s not simply signs of stress, anxiety, or PMS. It’s your body letting you know that something is biologically imbalanced. 

Is It Normal for My Mood to Change With My Cycle? 

It may not happen with every cycle, but it's not uncommon for women to experience some degree of mild irritability, low energy, or mood shifts in the one or two week stage before a period. 

Most people would consider this to be PMS, but it’s more complex than that.  

There is a difference between “normal” shifts and shifts that disrupt your daily life.

What is PMDD? 

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a hormone-based mood disorder that causes severe emotional symptoms like intense irritability, depression, anxiety, or mood swings in the one- or two-week window before your period. 

The difference between PMS and PMDD isn’t really about which symptoms show up. It’s about the severity, impact, and consistency of these symptoms. 

PMS could mean that sometimes, in that one-to-two-week window, you feel a little more sensitive than usual. 

PMDD can mean you don’t recognize yourself, your relationships take a hit, and getting through daily life activities feels close to impossible. 

PMDD is a diagnosable condition rooted in how your brain responds to normal hormonal shifts. 

I’m a Woman Living With PMDD 

Somewhere between 5 and 8% of women are affected by PMDD. 

It’s not rare, but it is often overlooked. 

I know what it’s like to feel like a different version of yourself for two weeks out of every month. I know what it’s like to feel dismissed. 

I know what it’s like to constantly have to explain that you’re not “just being sensitive” or “having a bad day.”

I’ve sat in doctor’s appointments where I’ve had to advocate for myself because it felt as though no one was taking me seriously or that no one fully understood what I was describing about my symptoms. 

That firsthand experience shapes how I show up for my clients because I don’t just understand PMDD from a clinical perspective. I understand the weight of living with it and not being heard. 

I understand the cost of not having effective treatment, support, or resources to help navigate this condition. 

Why Hormonal Mood Changes Get Overlooked

Here’s something I’ve seen with my clients, and have personally experienced:

Physicians are quick to prescribe birth control or an antidepressant before testing for optimal hormone levels. 

Don’t get me wrong, every person’s situation is different, and for some, medication may be the best decision. 

But when hormonal changes go unexamined, women aren’t treated for the root cause of their symptoms and, in most cases, told their symptoms are psychological when biology is very much part of the picture. 

“It’s all in your head,” has been said to generations of women who are experiencing very real hormonal shifts. It connects to something much bigger. 

Culturally, women’s health symptoms get dismissed or minimized more often than they should. Our mind and body are not separate systems. Understanding the hormone-mood connection allows us to look at our mental health through both lenses. 

How Therapy Can Help With Hormonal Mood Changes

In session, I combine Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with somatic practices to support clients navigating PMDD and hormonal mood changes. 

IFS helps you explore the different parts of yourself that may show up alongside hormonal symptoms such as the overwhelmed part, the critical part, the angry part, or the part that feels like you’re not yourself. Together, we can better understand these parts, uncover what they may be trying to protect, and develop more compassionate ways of responding during the most challenging stages of your cycle.

Somatic practices take that work a layer deeper by helping you recognize and regulate the physical and emotional activation in your body so that you’re not just coping with the symptoms, you’re working through them. 

Therapy won’t change your hormones. But it can change how you feel supported, understood, and equipped to take control of your overall well-being. 

Your Symptoms Are Real and There is Support

As a woman living with PMDD, I want you to know that if you’ve been told that your mood swings are “just stress,” or you’ve walked out of a doctor’s appointment feeling unheard, you’re not alone. 

What you’re experiencing is real and valid, and there is support for it. 

Mental Health Support for Hormonal Mood Changes and PMDD in Sherman Oaks and the San Fernando Valley

A Road Through is a therapy practice in Sherman Oaks, CA, specializing in supporting women through PMDD, hormonal mood changes, and the mind-body impact of reproductive health. We work with women experiencing these symptoms online, and in person across Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Burbank, Glendale, and the greater Los Angeles area. 

If you or someone you know experiences signs or symptoms of PMDD, support is available. 

Ready to finally feel heard? Book a free consultation with Destini to start working through this with the support you deserve.