Monday, November 14, 2011

Anyone else?

This post is a little different from most of my other posts, but . . .

I don't understand something and I wonder how many others of you out there have this problem . . .


Okay, so the picture is over the top, but you got the idea.
I get really emotional and weepy when I am PMSing like other girls, but what is just as bad is that toward the end of my menses I get angry/irrational. I have to be really weird right? In my head, I should be glad that this curse is about to be over, for a few more weeks anyway, but that is never what happens. I am never thankful when it's over, I am a combination of angry/irrational and I don't completely understand why.

I get angry over things that I have every right to be angry about, but I take it a little further than I normally would. I even start beating myself up (emotionally). Those are the worst days of the month that I get down on myself about everything. I even know that I am getting carried away and I can't do anything about it. I feel like I don't have complete control over myself. This makes me wonder if I am the only one out there . . .

We all hear about moodiness in PMS (PreMS), but what about what I go through? Do any others out there suffer the same way? Is it just hormones, like I hope, or is it some further deep seated issue?

My typical cycle: About a week before I start at new cycle (a.k.a. get my period) I lose it. I get weepy over everything. This month I get extremely touchy about the fact that my girls didn't want to spend any time with me on Saturday. My hubby has been working on Saturdays and while this is good for our finances (sort of), it's hard on me. But to have my girls not even want to snuggle up and watch a movie, which was the straw that broke the camel's proverbial back. The following Thursday, I started my period. Friday (I think it was) my hubby and I got in an argument all because I was too sensitive. Then Sunday, I started feeling a little bit angry/irrational, but yesterday was bad and this morning, it's even worse.

At this particular moment, I am angry because I feel like my youngest is pushing every button that she can. (Acting up at the dinner table, refusing to do what she is told, and trying to get away with everything that she can.) Then, I am also sensitive about my weight, which won't budge for three months now. Add to that the fact that I don't feel attractive or like a good person in any way, shape, or form and I am about to lose my mind. Now, all of this has a little truth behind why I am angry, but I feel completely irrational about it.

Yes, most of the information that I found refers to PMS, not moodiness during or after menstruation. I did find some helpful information, though.

Apparently, the reason some women experience mood swings a few days before and after their period is due to hormone influx. Well, duh, but what is really behind it?

The causes of menstrual cycle changes & mood swings can be attributed to stress, overdoing things and fatigue, which can cause emotional instability. But physical causes for menstrual cycle changes & mood swings are much more prevalent. Hormones have a definite effect on your mental state. Because your menstrual cycle regulates serotonin levels in the brain, which manipulate your mood and sense of humor, hormones can produce mood swings. So, when your serotonin levels drop, your mood will worsen, and when they rise, your mood will improve. Imbalanced hormonal levels are the most common cause for menstrual cycle changes & mood swings.

Understanding why these mood swings occur is the key to being able to defeat this troublesome roller coaster of emotion.

As a woman's progesterone levels fall, they begin to experience menstrual mood swings. One type of moodiness is characterized by anxiety, irritability and mood swings. These feelings are usually relieved with the onset of bleeding. Most likely, this type relates to the balance between estrogen and progesterone. If estrogen predominates, anxiety occurs. If there's more progesterone, depression may be a complaint.

So, basically, this is normal? How many of you suffer like this?

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