How Your Menstrual Cycle Influences Your Mood, Eating Habits and Your Body

Some people may find they don't feel any different throughout their menstrual cycle. Others may find they transform into an entirely new human every week throughout their cycle.

Sound like you? If so, not to fret. What you're about to learn is that the changes we experience in our mood, eating habits and body image throughout our cycle are actually somewhat normal based on the hormonal fluctuations and changes that are happening during that time!

I personally used to be super disconnected to my cycle. I never tracked it or kept note of when I got my period so I could be somewhat prepared for when my next one would be arriving. Yup, I was that girl who would either bleed through her pants or perpetually bum a tampon off of you, month after month (we're talking pre-Diva Cup days, by the way – now I don't have that problem!).

But over the past couple of years, that began to change. I started to notice how my energy would plummet right before my period and I would be ravenous and want to eat all of the things; or how I was insanely attracted to my boyfriend while I was ovulating, but couldn't stand to look at him while on my period (still love you, babes!).

Month after month, I started to notice a pattern which ended up being super empowering for me as it helped me to understand why I was feeling the way I was on certain days of the month which allowed me to stop blaming myself for being a little "cray-cray". It taught me to listen to my body, like I do when it comes to food, and respond to it in a compassionate manner based on what it was going through. It also taught me how to optimize the days that I knew I would be more energetic and upbeat.

Knowing that this is something all women face and are often confused by (just like I was!), I felt inspired to dive deep into the "why" and help you understand what really happens during each phase of your menstrual cycle so you can start taking advantage of the days where you are expected to feel your absolute best and learn to practice self-compassion (instead of beating yourself up) on the days where you may feel a bit more low energy.

Say hello to the 4 phases of your menstrual cycle!

1. Menstrual Phase aka Your Period (Day 1-5)

If you have a 28-day cycle (some people have shorter, some people have longer – not to fret), your Menstrual Phase aka your period begins on day 1 of that 28-day cycle. During this time, the uterus lining will begin to break down and shed blood/tissue that will exit your body, preferably into your Diva Cup (can you tell I'm obsessed with the Diva Cup?!).

How It Affects Your Body: You may feel more bloated than usual – as a result of water retention and fluctuating hormones, not because you actually gained weight.

Although funny enough, studies show that we still tend to perceive our body size as being larger than it really is during menstruation. 44 Female volunteers were instructed to select from a range of body sizes, from slender to obese, over the course of their monthly cycle and chose larger bodies to represent themselves during their period. However, body measurements taken by researchers proved that these women stayed the exact same size throughout their whole cycle. So the next time you experience doubt or engage in negative self-talk during your period, remember this study!

Other speculations about why we might often feel "bigger" during the Menstrual Phase is because, periods as a whole, make people feel more self-conscious in their bodies. Aside from that, you might experience cramping caused by the contraction of the uterine and abdominal muscles which expel the menstrual fluid, or headaches due to lower levels of estrogen.

If you have very heavy periods, you may have very low energy as a result of your iron levels declining. You may find it helps to load up on legumes, red meat, liver, spinach, and organ meats during these days (if you can stomach the latter, haha).

How It Affects Your Mood: Leading up to your period, you might experience PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) which you may know as mood swings and irritability, but once your period arrives, you will likely find those symptoms disappear.

In fact, during the Menstrual Phase, which is also the Follicular Phase (the first half of your cycle), you will generally feel happy, and even more so as your estrogen levels rise up until ovulation (generally on Day 14). The little things won't bother you as much, compared to in your Luteal Phase, where you might find you could nearly rip someone's head off for standing too close to you! In other words, you might want to avoid the TTC during this time (sorry, this is a local joke and also a jab at my love bug who works for the TTC!).

Estrogen will be at its lowest on Day 1 of the cycle and since estrogen is often associated with your energy and serotonin levels, the feel-good chemical in your brain, you may find that you feel a bit lower energy and have a poor or "meh" mood during these days. But the good news is that, mid-way through your period, estrogen will begin to rise and you should feel some relief and more feel-good feels!

How It Affects Your Eating Habits: Those with heavier flows may crave more iron-rich foods due to the loss of iron (fun fact: cravings are born out of nutrient deficiencies!).

You might also find you feel more tired during the Menstrual Phase as a result of losing iron or having low estrogen levels. When we feel tired or low energy, we often turn to carbohydrates, since it's the body's fastest-acting and preferred form of energy.

We all know periods can make us feel a bit "ick", which may also encourage you to turn to food for comfort. My advice during this stage and any stage of your cycle is to listen to your body and what it needs. Sure, comfort food will provide you relief in that moment, but strive for foods that you enjoy and that will also help to support you, make you feel good and energetic!

2. Follicular Phase (Day 1-13 or 6-11)

Now we're leading up to ovulation with the Follicular Phase! During this phase, the Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) will stimulate your ovaries to produce a matured egg. This maturing process produces estrogen to help your uterus thicken with blood and nutrients (aka forming the endometrium) and provide the egg with nourishment, in the event that pregnancy occurs.

How It Affects Your Body:

You'll find you will feel less sluggish and less sensitive to pain during this week, thanks to increasing levels of estrogen and pain-masking endorphins. You may also notice changes in your cervical fluid, transitioning into a clear, thin, slippery fluid which makes it easier for sperm to get all up in your biz–nass!

Keep in mind, as the days progress, so too will your fertility, so if you are trying to get pregnant, you'll want to start getting busy around day 11-14 (please note, these numbers can vary depending on how long your cycle is). If you aren't, then I recommend practicing safe methods of birth control.

While the rise in estrogen levels can make everything feel hunky-dory (aka really awesome), it can also result in anxiety or greater stress since high levels of estrogen can trigger arousal in the brain. If that's the case for you, don't shy away from calming activities during this time such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing and walks in nature.

How It Affects Your Mood: As estrogen continues to rise up until ovulation, your mood and energy levels will too! The high level of estrogen you'll be producing will also trigger the production of various mood-elevating brain chemicals. You may find that things that would typically make you feel irritated or annoyed are much easier to brush off during this phase. You might feel more sociable, optimistic and motivated around this time.

The reason for this from a primitive perspective is because long, long ago, we evolved to be this way to attract a potential mate, specifically when we were ovulating so we can reproduce! While you may not want to reproduce every month, you can sure as heck soak up the benefits of feeling like a confident, badass chick!

How It Affects Your Eating Habits: You may find you are a bit less hungry as estrogen's slight appetite-suppressing effect takes its toll. That's typically why we may see a decrease in caloric intake during this phase, often referred to as the "peri-ovulatory" phase. However, if that's not the case for you, please do not worry! Recognize that everyone has unique needs and will respond to things differently based on their biological blueprint.

3. Ovulation (Day 12-14)

During ovulation, your estrogen levels are peaking and your body is ready for the egg to emerge from the ovarian follicle. The egg will be released from the follicle into the fallopian tube and travel to the uterus. The egg can only survive 12-24 hours, but sperm can last for up to 5 days so even if the sperm makes its entrance before ovulation occurs, there's still a chance the egg can be fertilized by the sperm and you can get pregnant.

How It Affects Your Body: Some tell-tale signs that you are ovulating may include tender breasts, dull abdominal pain and a higher basal body temperature than usual.  A high basal body temperature is a sign that you're ovulating which is also a method you can turn to if you wish to track your cycle naturally.

You may find you feel better in your body during this time due to the high levels of estrogen which bring about feelings of happiness and confidence and when you exude those two things, you naturally feel better about your body.

How It Affects Your Mood: Putting on your primitive pants again, you may also find you feel much more confident during this time, as again we're trying to attract our mate so we can start reproducing! That's because estrogen will be at an all-time high at this point and estrogen = high serotonin and other feel-good brain neurotransmitters! On top of feeling confident, you will likely feel most energetic and inspired during this time, so be sure to take advantage of it.

And of course, your libido will be very high at this point which is why you might feel extra attracted to your partner during this phase.

How It Affects Your Eating Habits: If you're finding that your glass of beer or wine [insert your alcohol of choice here] is going down much easier during this time, there's actually a reason for it. Studies show that when estrogen levels peak, as they do leading up to ovulation and at ovulation, people are much more attuned to the pleasurable effects of alcohol.

You may notice your intake of carbohydrates, fat and protein may also begin to rise towards the end of ovulation and continue into the Luteal Phase during this time, but throughout ovulation when estrogen is peaking, you may not feel very hungry due to estrogen's appetite-suppressing effects (not to be misconstrued as the next dieting regime!)

4. Luteal Phase  (Day 15-28)

Progesterone starts to increase during the first half of your Luteal Phase and because progesterone is a sedating hormone, you may feel and move a bit slower, be more quiet and calm during this phase. That's because progesterone's role here is to continue to build up the lining of the uterus and make it a hospital environment for the egg to implant. In the event that the egg is not fertilized, the lining of the uterus will begin to break down in preparation to be released from the body during menstruation.

How It Affects Your Body: Feeling constipated or bloated? You can thank progesterone for that! Progesterone can trigger constipation as it slows digestion as a way of helping your body absorb more nutrients in the event that you were to get pregnant.

The bloating can come about through water retention due to fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone. If you're experiencing bloating, you can turn to some of these tips and consider limiting the amount of alcohol and caffeine you're consuming. Exercise can also help to reduce hormone-influenced water retention.

If you're struggling with some bad body days during this time, please do not fret. Know that the changes your body is going through is completely normal and only temporary. It's a result of fluctuating hormones.

How It Affects Your Mood: The first half of your Luteal phase is considered the pre-PMS phase which may consist of mood swings, irritability, fatigue and generally just feeling down. That's also because estrogen takes a nose-dive here (bye bye, feel good hormones!).

If you find yourself having difficulty writing in your gratitude journal these days and focusing more on the negative than the positive, don't be alarmed. This can actually come as a result of declining estrogen levels and will be most noticable the days leading up to your period when estrogen levels are bottomed out.

How It Affects Your Eating Habits: The rise in progesterone may have you craving more comfort foods high in fat and carbohydrates. That's because your body thinks it might have gotten pregnant during ovulation and wants to bring in more nourishment for potentially a new member of the family! If you feel hungry or ravenous during this phase, don't panic – recognize this is a normal physiological response. Plus, your body is doing a lot for you so it's entirely normal to feel more hungry than usual.

Another reason why you might feel have more cravings for foods, such as carbohydrates, and have an increased caloric intake during this time is because of the low levels of estrogen in your body during this time which means you aren't experiencing all of the joys of the feel-good serotonin it brings. Eating carbohydrates has this same effect, by releasing serotonin, which is why we feel more drawn to them. If possible, turn to complex carbohydrates like sweet potato or quinoa that actually sustain you during this time. With that said, don't beat yourself up if only pizza or pasta will do the trick. There ain't no food shaming around here because we know where that gets us.

I would recommend ensuring you are having consistent, balanced meals around this time because your blood sugar levels will be much more sensitive and you run the risk of dipping low into feelings of angriness, sadness and "hangriness".

Summing It Up

Now with all of that said, the symptoms that were mentioned through each phase of the menstrual cycle may not be typical for everyone. It's heavily influenced by your genes and your lifestyle, including what type of quality sleep you are getting, the food you're eating, activity levels and stress levels. In other words, you can totally be free from mood swings and irritability during your luteal phase and right before your period by optimizing each of these factors.

Also, if you're wondering why chocolate cravings weren't mentioned during this piece, it's because the jury is still somewhat out on why women crave chocolate during their cycle. Some say it's a response to the fluctuating hormones, specifically in the Luteal phase when estrogen takes a nose-dive and we crave serotonin-boosting foods like carbohydrates and chocolate, while others say its a learned behaviour in society. My take is, have some high-quality delicious chocolate (make your own) if you wish. If you don't, then simply, don't!

I know this might seem like a beast to wrap your head around at first, as it was for me too, but like I mentioned before, it was so empowering to dive into this and really made me feel more in touch with my body. By understanding what happens on a physiological level during my cycle, I was able to befriend even some of the unfriendly symptoms, like bloating, that often strikes at various points of my cycle and understand that many of these symptoms are natural physiological responses.

But like I said, many of these symptoms like mood swings, irritability and sadness can be alleviated by optimizing your hormonal health and taking a deeper look at this. I really hope you found this to be helpful and remember, this is only scratching the surface so if you have any more questions or if there's another topic related to this you'd like me to dive into, let me know in the comments below!