What causes anxiety during the menstrual cycle?

The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle – the phase after ovulation and before a period – is when our “hormones go through quite a roller coaster”, explains Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart, a health researcher and nutritionist.

In anticipation of a potential pregnancy, the body boosts progesterone and oestrogen. Progesterone is a hormone that helps to keep the brain calm and thickens the uterus lining, while oestrogen is a chemical that helps with serotonin regulation and production, which contributes to wellbeing and happiness. “These shoot up and we think: Great, I feel regulated, stable and calm,” says Joshua Fletcher, an anxiety counsellor and the author of And How Does That Make You Feel?

However, as soon as the body recognises there is no pregnancy, these levels plummet. “This causes a big shift in the body and puts a lot of stress on it,” says Fletcher. In reaction to this stress, the body also starts to produce more cortisol – one of the main chemicals associated with fear and the flight or fight response – to try and combat it. “Plummeting progesterone, plummeting oestrogen, rising cortisol – it’s a lot for the body to deal with,” says Fletcher.

Cortisol not only makes us feel anxious, it also has a litany of physical symptoms, like increased heart rate, insomnia, hot flushes and digestion issues.

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