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Dr. Jeanne Wei explores the connection between women’s moods and their menstrual cycles, helping us better understand our bodies.
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Nichole Niemann:
Welcome back to Arkansas style. Dr. Jeanne Wei, cardiologist at UAMS, joins us each week to help us understand our bodies better and why some things work the way they do.
To that end, today we are going to tackle an age-old complaint: women’s moods and how it relates to their time of the month. As always, Dr. Wei, thank you for joining me.
Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D.:
Thank you. Thank you so much, Nicole, for inviting me. I’m so grateful for us to get a chance to talk about this.
Now, this is a topic that’s topmost in many people’s minds. But as you know, men aren’t going to talk about it because, you know, they’re just going to say it’s a woman’s thing, and then that’s it. No, we’re not going to go anywhere. And they don’t understand it. So it’s a great thing that we have two women who are going to talk about it. It is so important that I want to make sure the men are listening, because you guys, you need to understand it just as well.
Niemann:
Fair.
Dr. Wei:
Yeah. So why is it that there are certain times of the month when women seem to have some shifts in their mood? Yes, it is true. It is true. It’s related to hormones. And how does that work?
Okay. So we all know about menstruation. We all know what happens. So let’s talk about it for a second.
The first half of the month is when the estrogen and the progesterone are elevating. And they’re rising.
And then, in about the middle of the month, we get — many of the follicles — this is where you say many are called, but very few are chosen. So all of the ovarian follicles get upregulated. And then only one usually or two actually ovulate. So now you get an egg.
So once you ovulate, the estrogen and progesterone come down. Well when they come down, some — the other — if you will — hormones that come with it also come down. I’m talking about serotonin. Now, estrogen and progesterone contribute to the serotonin levels because they come to help to make it. So when the estrogen and progesterone come down after you ovulate, now your serotonin goes down.
Now you’re going to start to feel some, you know, a little bit of sadness. You’re going to feel progressively less — if you will — ebullient or joyful. Right? Now you’re going to feel a little bit grumpy. You going to feel a little bit sad.
And so by the time that it’s about a few days before you start to menstruate, those hormones are at the lowest, and you’re the saddest. And so this is what explains why some women can feel kind of sad or irritable or have physical discomfort.
Now, anybody has the right to be grumpy if they’re in pain or discomfort. And part of what happens when the hormone changes is that there’s — you may retain a little bit more water. Well, that’s going to be a little bit uncomfortable. I’m saying everywhere in your whole body, you can get a little bit more fluid retention. Well, that doesn’t feel good. So you’re already going to be a little grumpy, and then you’re going to feel the rest of the coming down, as I said, of the hormones. And so it’s very much not a surprise that people can be a little bit sad, a little bit irritated, a little bit anxious, headache, you know…
Niemann:
Is there a way we can help ourselves as that serotonin and those hormones drop off?
Dr. Jeanne Wei:
The answer is yes.
Niemann:
Love it.
Dr. Wei:
Your best friend — one of your best friends is calcium. Okay? So calcium can be a woman’s best friend. If she would take calcium — 1,200 milligrams every day — she’ll be able to not have these ups and downs, first of all. Second of all, calcium is your best friend for so many other reasons. Right? Because it helps you keep your strength, helps you to maintain your bone density, the whole nine yards. The calcium will help you to reduce this up and down of the moodiness.
Niemann:
Does it matter how we take the calcium, if we just take an over-the-counter pill, or…?
Dr. Wei:
Yeah, you can — well, okay, thank you for asking. Yes. It’s always preferred if you could do it dietary-wise. Right? So what foods are high in calcium? Well, we’ve got milk, yogurt, dairy. Right? Also, leafy green vegetables, they’re high in calcium. So anyway you want to do that is good. But you could also want to supplement a little bit.
And then you’ll notice you are not so moody, or someone you love is not so moody, which is a good thing. What else can you do? Okay, vitamin B6 — which is pyridoxine — also helps to reduce the moodiness. Okay?
So if you take — if you recommend for your loved one to take a vitamin B complex and you recommend for them to take calcium and you say, “Here, beloved. Try this calcium and try this B6,” they won’t be so grumpy.
Niemann:
Alright, well, you know, my advice, with calcium, leafy greens and dairy, I say I will be prescribing myself a salad and a milkshake for lunch.
Dr. Wei:
That’s it. That’s it.
Niemann:
Well, Dr. Wei, thank you for helping me understand what a finely tuned delicate balance our bodies really are. Thank you for helping us.
Dr. Wei:
Isn’t it exciting? It’s actually very complex. I thank you for asking for us to talk about this topic because you’re not going to find too many other people who will talk about it.
Niemann:
Well, we can thank our executive producer, Taylor, for today’s topic.
Dr. Jeanne Wei:
Thank you, Taylor.
Niemann:
Alright, great to see you.
Dr. Wei:
Thank you.
Niemann:
As always. Dr. Wei will be back with us next week to tackle more of your medical questions and concerns.
In the meantime, if you or a friend have something you’d like her to address, don’t hesitate to reach out on social media, and will ensure your question is included in one of her upcoming segments.
