Until I took IB Biology in high school, I thought that testosterone was the male hormone, and estrogen was the female one.
I’d always imagined it was testosterone that made Tarzan beat his chest and estrogen that made me kiss my dolls goodnight.
I wasn’t completely wrong, but it turns out hormones are more complicated than that. Hormones are responsible for more than developing our sexuality. They are the messengers of our bodies, sending all kinds of push notifications throughout our cells - technically, the insulin that breaks down the sugar we eat, the melatonin that puts us to sleep, and the motilin that helps us push our poop out (if you know me, you know how much I love poop!) are all hormones.
By the time I reached university, I’d started to resent my female hormones. I thought that my PMS (the cramps and bad moods you get before you menstruate) were caused by an increase in my hormones. I felt that biology was being unfair to us somehow by burdening us with estrogen…wrong again!
Actually, women are not ‘hormonal’ when they get their periods. What happens is that our estrogen and progesterone levels plummet - and guess what else drops with our hormones? That’s right, serotonin, also known as the happy chemical.
So, we’re not actually hormonal when are PMSing, or even when we hit menopause (during menopause, your body pretty much stops producing estrogen) - we’re MISSING our hormones.
Estrogen makes women generally happier, as it promotes the release of serotonin (more about that in a later post)…and for men, testosterone is, believe it or not, converted into estrogen when it reaches the brain.
Hence, why hormonal fluctuations are actually linked to depression, not to mention a bunch of other gnarly symptoms 😿 So what can we do about it?
Learn about your hormone cycle
I love this super practical guide on Huda Beauty about how to manage your skin during your cycle (I even learned that the period flu isn’t a myth!) The article Your Brain on PMS is Like Your Brain on Alcohol and Antidepressants also makes some great points about how the modern women has more periods, and hence more PMS, than our antecedents (we used to be pregnant for most of our short lives!)
And, if you’re a guy, you’re not above it - we all have hormonal cycles - in the case of men, testosterone also plays a huge seasonal, daily, and even hourly role in your mood…and there’s even something called Irritable Male Syndrome if you’re a particularly moody dude.Check in with your doctor about your hormone levels
So, birth control can make PMS better, but it can also make it worse. The Pill brings up your progesterone, which breaks down and acts as the “brain’s police force” it regulates, making sure there isn’t ‘too much excitement’ going on.” If your progesterone levels are too high, then you may need to switch birth control pills or switch over to a method that is non-hormonal. If you’re still feeling blue, ask your doctor to test your thyroid or talk to a therapist to see if you’re clinically depressed.
3. Increase your serotonin levels naturally
The first thing you can do is exercise and change your diet. My friend Lubna also recommends 5-Htp pills, since they help your body create more serotonin, and vitamin B6 pills are also recommended - both can be found anywhere they sell supplements. In case of emergency, there’s always baby animal videos 😁
