Dr. Tina Krupczak, a licensed dietitian-nutritionist on the connection between hormones, PMS, and emotional well-being.

Hi, I’m Dr. Tina Krupczak, a certified nutrition specialist and licensed dietitian-nutritionist. I’ve been working with individuals and couples for over 10 years, helping them optimize their health by aligning nutrition, lifestyle, and their body’s natural rhythms.

As someone who’s personally navigated the challenges of endometriosis, I truly understand the mental and physical toll that these health issues can take, along with how difficult it can be to get the care and diagnosis you need.

At Concēv, my nutrition and lifestyle medicine consultancy, I focus on the deep connection between physical and mental health.

Understanding Hormonal Shifts for Emotional Balance

Often, factors like diet, sleep, stress, and relationships affect us in ways we don’t always recognize, but they can have a profound impact on our well-being.

If you’ve ever felt emotionally overwhelmed at certain points in your cycle—like right before your period—you’re not alone.

While these mood and energy shifts are common, it’s important to remember that they’re not normal.

Understanding your cycle can be a game-changer for managing your mental health, and there are nutrition and lifestyle strategies that can help make a positive shift.

For those of you who have been consistently working with a therapist, you may have noticed that sadness, anxiety, or irritability seem to spike at certain times of the month. There’s a good chance your menstrual cycle is contributing to these emotional changes.

In particular, the days leading up to your period—known as the luteal phase—can trigger emotional and psychological struggles for many women.

If these feelings go beyond typical PMS symptoms and interfere with your daily life, you might be dealing with an underlying condition like Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a more severe form of PMS.

Let’s break down what’s happening with your hormones during the luteal phase and why understanding these shifts is crucial for your mental well-being.

Why Does Your Menstrual Cycle Affect Your Mood?

Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about periods and cramps—it’s closely linked to your emotional and mental health. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone fluctuate throughout the cycle, and these changes can significantly impact your mood.

Hormonal Shifts: How Estrogen and Progesterone Affect Your Mood

During the follicular phase (the first half of your cycle), rising estrogen boosts serotonin, which stabilizes mood and energy. After ovulation, progesterone takes over during the luteal phase, generally promoting a calming effect.

As the luteal phase progresses, progesterone naturally declines, along with estrogen, eventually leading to menstruation. However, for some women with moderate to severe PMS or PMDD, this hormonal drop can be more pronounced, causing mood swings, anxiety, and emotional distress.

Low progesterone levels during the luteal phase are often linked to PMS symptoms like irritability, mood swings, and anxiety.

In some cases, insufficient progesterone can lead to an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, further intensifying emotional symptoms in the days leading up to your period.

Signs of a Healthy Menstrual Cycle

Maintaining menstrual cycle health is key to both your physical and emotional well-being. A healthy cycle typically includes the following markers:

• Cycle Length: Usually between 24 and 35 days. Although some variation is normal and expected, it should not vary more than 8 days in length from cycle to cycle. 

• Menstruation Length and Quality: Menstruation lasts between 3 to 7 days. Consistently heavy periods or significant blood loss may indicate anemia, fibroids, or endometriosis. If you experience fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath, it’s important to check for signs of anemia.

• Pain Levels: While mild discomfort during menstruation is common, moderate to severe pain is not and could signal conditions like endometriosis. If pain regularly disrupts your daily activities, seek medical advice.

• Cervical Mucus Patterns: Healthy cycles often involve changes in cervical mucus, particularly leading up to ovulation. Fertile-quality mucus is typically clear, stretchy, and similar to egg whites. If you don’t see these changes, it could indicate hormonal imbalances such as low progesterone. Increased mucus production the week before your period, short luteal phase (less than ten days), or premenstrual spotting can also indicate low progesterone. 

• Ovulation: Ovulation typically occurs around the middle of your cycle (e.g., day 14 in a 28-day cycle). Signs of ovulation include a rise in basal body temperature and changes in cervical mucus. Irregular ovulation or the absence of ovulation could be signs of conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or thyroid issues.

If your cycle aligns with these menstrual health markers and you experience minimal symptoms, it’s usually a sign of hormonal balance. However, severe PMS, mood swings, or other disruptive symptoms may point to hormonal imbalances, inflammation, or an underlying condition.

How Tracking Your Cycle Can Improve Your Mental Health

Cycle Tracking

One of the most powerful tools I use with clients is menstrual cycle tracking, which provides valuable insights into how your body, emotions, and hormones connect. It’s not just for those with PMS or irregularities—it benefits everyone. By tracking your cycle, you can improve your body literacy, gaining a better understanding of your overall health and how your body functions, helping you stay more in tune and better support your well-being.

While Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) involve tracking specific signs like basal body temperature, cervical positioning, and cervical mucus, you can start more simply. If you’re new to tracking, you can begin by using a basic calendar or app (such as Natural Cycles or Wild.AI) to log your cycle and any associated symptoms.

Here’s how cycle tracking can support your mental health:

• Identify patterns: Tracking your cycle helps you understand your baseline and recognize patterns, which you can share with your healthcare provider for more personalized care.

• Anticipate mood changes: By recognizing when hormonal shifts, especially during the luteal phase, are likely to affect your mood or energy, you can plan self-care strategies in advance.

• Improve communication with your therapist: Sharing your cycle data with your therapist offers insights into how your emotional health correlates with hormonal fluctuations, helping tailor your mental health support.

• Optimize self-care: Identifying patterns in your mood and energy allows you to plan for better self-care during more vulnerable phases, such as the luteal phase.

Cultural Dismissal of Menstrual Symptoms

Menstrual symptoms like severe cramps, mood swings, or heavy bleeding are often dismissed by society as “just part of being a woman.” This can prevent women from seeking the medical support they need.

Conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and thyroid disorders are frequently overlooked for years because women’s complaints about their periods are minimized. These conditions cause irregular periods, pelvic pain, fatigue, and emotional imbalances—symptoms that deserve serious attention.

Whether you’re dealing with PMS, PMDD, or other menstrual conditions, know that your experience is valid. Don’t let cultural norms diminish your symptoms—your health matters, and if you’re experiencing persistent menstrual challenges, it’s time to seek proper support.

Collaborating with Your Therapist to Support Your Cycle and Mental Health

Your therapist can be a powerful ally in helping you navigate the emotional challenges tied to your menstrual cycle. By tracking your cycle and sharing that data, your therapist can better understand how your mental health is impacted by hormonal shifts.

• Work together to identify how your mood changes in sync with your cycle.

• Develop coping strategies for emotionally challenging phases, such as the luteal phase.

• Adjust session timing to get extra support when you need it most.

Final Thoughts: Supporting Your Cycle and Mental Well-being

Understanding the connection between your menstrual cycle and your mental health is a powerful first step in supporting your emotional well-being. By tracking your cycle and working with your therapist, you can develop personalized strategies to manage the mental and emotional challenges that often arise during certain phases, especially the luteal phase.

While this post provides a general overview of a complex topic, the key takeaway is that if you’re experiencing symptoms, don’t disregard them. Many symptoms can have multiple contributors, and this is just a starting point to consider. In future posts, I’ll dive deeper into nutrition and lifestyle strategies that can help make positive shifts in your health and support your hormonal balance.

Remember, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone—your therapist and healthcare team are here to guide and support you every step of the way.

For more about my journey and experience with endometriosis and FAM, check out this Fertility Friday podcast episode.

For healthcare practitioners, learning more about Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) can be a powerful way to enhance the support you offer to your clients. If you’re interested in integrating FAM into your practice, I encourage you to explore the FAM training program that shaped my understanding.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.

More notes on somatics:

Dr. Tina Krupczak is a board-certified, licensed dietitian-nutritionist with a Masters in Nutrition & Integrative Health and a Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition. In her practice, she helps individuals achieve their health goals through proactive, holistic preconception planning. Inspired by her clients' fertility success, Tina founded Concēv to support men and women in optimizing their reproductive health before officially "trying." She's passionate about addressing overlooked aspects of reproductive health, debunking trends with science, and shifting focus beyond a woman's age.