When your wife is “not in the mood,” it might simply mean she’s tired, or had a strenuous day, or has other things on her mind, but it might also mean she’s having a mood swing due to a shift in hormone levels.
Mood swings occur often in women who are having hormonal fluctuations because of something physiological like menstruation or menopause. These are commonly the result of a hormonal imbalance that can affect a woman’s health and be effectively treated with hormone therapy.
What Triggers Mood Swings?
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS or PMDD)
Adverse symptoms in women can happen anywhere between one to two weeks before menstruation.
This stretch of time is called PMS, or premenstrual syndrome. One of the symptoms that may occur during this time is mood swings, but other symptoms might include fatigue, bloating, depression, and changes in appetite.
These symptoms are caused by shifts in estrogen and progesterone levels that fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle.
Stress
How do you know when someone is stressed? Because it affects their mood.
Stress affects people both physically and psychologically. Neurotransmitters and hormones, which regulate mood, are influenced by levels of stress.
Excess stress causes cortisol levels to rise, which leads to sleeplessness, fatigue, and changes in appetite, all of which affect the way we feel.
Mental Health Issues
Changes in mood are not always due to a hormonal imbalance. The state of the individual’s mental health can also be the cause. Mood swings can be triggered by things like bipolar disorder, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety disorder, or depression.
Menopause
One common symptom of menopause is mood swings. During the early transition into menopause, estrogen and progesterone are being affected, which can cause extreme mood swings.
Changes in mood can also be jump started by menopausal symptoms, like night sweats and hot flashes, which can make it difficult to sleep.
Hormonal Imbalance
Estrogen and progesterone frequently fluctuate throughout a woman’s lifetime, but because of age or illness, other hormones may also be affected.
Low testosterone in women can affect weight, sex drive, self confidence and energy levels, and too much cortisol can lead to sleeplessness, weight gain, and anxiety.Learn more about hormone replacement therapy and how it can improve the quality of your life.