Here’s what your reproductive system is doing throughout your menstrual cycle and how hormonal changes may make you feel and act.

🏷️Feeling Good: The Follicular Phase and Ovulation.

The follicular phase of your menstrual cycle begins on the day you start your period and lasts for about 10 to 14 days. During this time, the hormone estradiol begins to rise.

The estradiol rising in the body can help to tamp down the effects of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, and that could also play a part in preserving happy moods.

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: The Ovulatory Phase

During a woman’s ovulatory phase, a substance called luteinizing hormone increases.

This hormone prompts the release of an egg from the ovaries into the fallopian tubes for fertilization. Estradiol is present in significant quantities around the time of ovulation, and it can interact with other hormones to increase your libido.

Estradiol makes insulin more effective. Then the insulin tells the body to release more  testosterone, and testosterone is one of the hormones that regulate sex drive. Some experts surmise that this may be nature’s way of encouraging women to have sex during their most fertile time.

🏷️The Other Shoe Drops: The Luteal Phase.

After ovulation, the empty follicle that once contained the egg begins to secrete the hormone progesterone to thicken the lining of the uterus and prepare it for the possible implantation of an embryo.

As progesterone levels rise, you may begin to feel moodier. This happens because progesterone helps the body make cortisol, a hormone that tends to be higher in people who are stressed.

Sources -

https://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/how-your-menstrual-cycle-affects-your-behavior.aspx

Photo Credits -

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327490