{"id":2792,"date":"2026-09-18T10:28:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/is-it-your-hormones\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T15:01:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:01:02","slug":"is-it-your-hormones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/is-it-your-hormones\/","title":{"rendered":"So, Is It Your Hormones?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\/* The accent is a light-background device. 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In part one she writes \"There\n   is a long road between: [one] and: [the other]\", and dropping her \"and\" for\n   a tidier layout is the trade Sleep already refused once. *\/\n.hm-pair{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1px 1fr;\n  grid-template-areas:\"qa mid qb\" \"na mid nb\";\n  border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden;background:#fff}\n.hm-pair.nonotes{grid-template-areas:\"qa mid qb\"}\n\/* DOM ORDER IS READING ORDER: both statements, her word between them, then\n   both follow-up lines. The first build put each note inside its own column,\n   so a screen reader heard \"statement, note, and, statement, note\". The grid\n   places the notes under their statements; the markup keeps her sentence. *\/\n.hm-pair .cell{min-width:0;padding:0 28px}\n.hm-pair .qa{grid-area:qa;padding-top:26px}.hm-pair .qb{grid-area:qb;padding-top:26px}\n.hm-pair .na{grid-area:na;padding-bottom:24px}.hm-pair .nb{grid-area:nb;padding-bottom:24px}\n.hm-pair.nonotes .qa,.hm-pair.nonotes .qb{padding-bottom:26px}\n.hm-pair .mist{background:#faf8f3}\n.hm-pair .cream{background:#faf8f3}\n.hm-pair .plain{background:#fff}\n.hm-pair .q{font-size:18.5px;line-height:1.5;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.hm-pair .nt{font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;color:#355a3a;margin:16px 0 0;\n  padding-top:13px;border-top:1px solid rgba(68,112,74,.2);font-weight:600}\n.hm-pair .mid{grid-area:mid;position:relative;background:#e8e1d5}\n.hm-pair .mid span{position:absolute;left:50%;top:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);\n  background:#fff;border:1px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:999px;padding:4px 10px;\n  font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;\n  white-space:nowrap}\n@media(max-width:720px){\n  .hm-pair{grid-template-columns:1fr;grid-template-areas:\"qa\" \"na\" \"mid\" \"qb\" \"nb\"}\n  .hm-pair.nonotes{grid-template-areas:\"qa\" \"mid\" \"qb\"}\n  .hm-pair .mid{height:1px}\n  .hm-pair .cell{padding-left:22px;padding-right:22px}\n}\n\n\/* ---- the reframe ----\n   She makes the same move twice, in her own connectives: \"the question\n   changes from: ... to: ...\" in part two, and \"the most useful question is\n   not: ... Try: ...\" near the end. The first question is set quietly and the\n   second in the accent, stacked, so the direction of travel reads top to\n   bottom without an arrow being added to her sentence. *\/\n.hm-re{margin:0;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden;background:#fff}\n.hm-re .a,.hm-re .b{margin:0;padding:22px 28px}\n.hm-re .a{background:#faf8f3;font-size:19px;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259}\n.hm-re .b{background:#fdede5;font-size:21px;line-height:1.45;color:#355a3a;font-weight:600}\n.hm-re .j{margin:0;padding:9px 28px;border-top:1px solid #e8e1d5;border-bottom:1px solid #e8e1d5;\n  font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;\n  background:#fff}\n@media(max-width:560px){.hm-re .a,.hm-re .b{padding:18px 20px}.hm-re .j{padding:8px 20px}\n  .hm-re .b{font-size:19px}}\n\n\/* ---- the chain ----\n   Her arrows, drawn. In part four she sets a two-link explanation beside a\n   five-link one, and the point is visible as length before a word is read. *\/\n.hm-chain{margin:0}\n.hm-chain .row+.row{margin-top:26px}\n.hm-chain .lab{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;\n  color:#6b6259;margin:0 0 11px}\n.hm-chain ol{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;gap:10px 0}\n.hm-chain li{display:flex;align-items:center;margin:0}\n.hm-chain .nd{display:block;font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.35;padding:9px 15px;border-radius:11px;\n  background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;color:#2a2622}\n.hm-chain .row.long .nd{border-color:#f3d5c6;background:#fdede5;color:#355a3a}\n.hm-chain .ar{display:block;width:26px;height:12px;flex:0 0 auto;margin:0 6px}\n.hm-chain .ar path{fill:none;stroke:#a9bba6;stroke-width:1.8;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round}\n.hm-chain li:last-child .ar{display:none}\n@media(max-width:640px){\n  .hm-chain ol{flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start;gap:0}\n  .hm-chain li{flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start}\n  .hm-chain .ar{transform:rotate(90deg);margin:7px 0 7px 12px;width:20px}\n}\n\n\/* ---- figures, shared chrome ---- *\/\n.hm-fig{margin:0}\n.hm-fig .hd{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:baseline;gap:16px;margin:0 0 14px}\n.hm-fig .ti{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;\n  color:#355a3a;margin:0}\n.hm-fig .un{font-size:12px;color:#6b6259;margin:0}\n.hm-fig svg{display:block;width:100%;height:auto}\n.hm-fig figcaption{font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.6;color:#6b6259;margin:16px 0 0}\n.hm-fig .key{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px 20px;margin:12px 0 0;font-size:13px;color:#2a2622}\n.hm-fig .key span{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:7px}\n.hm-fig .key i{width:16px;height:3px;border-radius:2px;display:block;font-style:normal}\n.hm-fig .tabs{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;margin:0 0 14px}\n.hm-fig button{font:600 15px\/1 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border-radius:9px;cursor:pointer;\n  padding:11px 16px;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;background:#fff;color:#b23c0c;\n  transition:background .16s ease,border-color .16s ease}\n.hm-fig button:hover{background:#faf8f3}\n.hm-fig button[aria-pressed=\"true\"]{background:#b23c0c;border-color:#b23c0c;color:#fff}\n.hm-fig button:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #b23c0c;outline-offset:2px}\n.hm-fig .say{font-size:17.5px;line-height:1.5;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 12px;min-height:1.5em}\n.hm-fig .say b{color:#355a3a;font-weight:700}\n\/* the sensitivity chart: two stretched bands, words in HTML *\/\n.hm-sens .plot{position:relative}\n.hm-sens .ph{position:relative;height:20px}\n.hm-sens .ph span{position:absolute;top:0;font-size:12.5px;color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap}\n.hm-sens svg.hb{height:clamp(120px,17vw,176px)}\n.hm-sens .hbw,.hm-sens .rbw{position:relative}\n.hm-sens .same{margin:7px 0 0 2px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:600;\n  color:#6b6259;letter-spacing:.02em;z-index:1}\n.hm-sens .pk{position:absolute;transform:translate(calc(-100% - 9px),-50%);font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;\n  white-space:nowrap;pointer-events:none}\n.hm-sens .pk.e2{color:#b23c0c}\n.hm-sens .pk.p4{color:#978a7d}\n@media(max-width:480px){.hm-sens .pk.p4{transform:translate(calc(-100% - 9px),40%)}}\n.hm-sens .tag{position:absolute;transform:translate(calc(-100% - 10px),-50%);font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;\n  color:#355a3a;background:#eef4ec;padding:1px 6px;border-radius:5px;white-space:nowrap;pointer-events:none}\n.hm-sens svg.rb{height:clamp(54px,7vw,72px)}\n.hm-sens .rl{margin:16px 0 7px;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.06em;color:#355a3a}\n.hm-sens .tk{position:relative;height:22px;margin-top:6px}\n.hm-sens .tk b{position:absolute;top:4px;transform:translateX(-50%);font-size:12.5px;font-weight:400;\n  color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.hm-sens .tk b:first-child{transform:none}\n.hm-sens .tk b:last-child{transform:translateX(-100%)}\n@media(max-width:480px){.hm-sens .tk b:nth-child(2),.hm-sens .tk b:nth-child(4){display:none}}\n\n\/* ---- the loop ----\n   Four of her lines, each causing the next, and the fourth returning to the\n   first. Laid out as a square with the arrows running clockwise, so the eye\n   goes round rather than down. Under 640px it becomes a column with the\n   closed bracket Sleep uses for its loops. *\/\n.hm-loop .ring{position:relative;display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;grid-auto-rows:1fr;\n  gap:68px;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}\n.hm-loop .ring li{margin:0}\n\/* clockwise placement, desktop only: inline styles would pin the phone column\n   to two tracks, so the positions live here behind the breakpoint *\/\n@media(min-width:641px){\n  .hm-loop .c0{grid-column:1;grid-row:1}.hm-loop .c1{grid-column:2;grid-row:1}\n  .hm-loop .c2{grid-column:2;grid-row:2}.hm-loop .c3{grid-column:1;grid-row:2}\n}\n.hm-loop .node{display:flex;gap:12px;align-items:flex-start;width:100%;height:100%;text-align:left;\n  font:400 18px\/1.5 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;color:#2a2622;background:#fff;\n  border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:14px;padding:20px 22px;cursor:pointer;\n  transition:border-color .16s ease,background .16s ease}\n.hm-loop .node:hover{border-color:#e8e1d5;background:#faf8f3}\n.hm-loop .node .k{flex:0 0 auto;font:800 17px\/1.3 \"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;color:#a9bba6;\n  font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;min-width:1.1em}\n.hm-loop .node.on{border-color:#b23c0c;background:#faf8f3}\n.hm-loop .node.on .k{color:#b23c0c}\n.hm-loop .node:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #b23c0c;outline-offset:2px}\n.hm-loop .arr{position:absolute;width:22px;height:22px;margin:-11px 0 0 -11px;pointer-events:none}\n.hm-loop .arr path{fill:none;stroke:#a9bba6;stroke-width:2;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round}\n.hm-loop .a1{left:50%;top:calc(25% - 17px)}\n.hm-loop .a2{left:calc(75% + 17px);top:50%;transform:rotate(90deg)}\n.hm-loop .a3{left:50%;top:calc(75% + 17px);transform:rotate(180deg)}\n.hm-loop .a4{left:calc(25% - 17px);top:50%;transform:rotate(270deg)}\n.hm-loop .ask{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:baseline;gap:6px 14px;margin:18px 0 0}\n.hm-loop .ask p{margin:0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259}\n.hm-loop .ask b{color:#355a3a}\n@media(max-width:640px){\n  .hm-loop .ring{grid-template-columns:1fr;grid-auto-rows:auto;gap:12px;padding-left:30px}\n  .hm-loop .ring::before{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:0;top:18px;bottom:18px;width:14px;\n    border:1.5px solid #a9bba6;border-right:0;border-radius:10px 0 0 10px}\n  .hm-loop .ring::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:14px;top:18px;width:8px;height:8px;\n    border-top:1.5px solid #a9bba6;border-right:1.5px solid #a9bba6;\n    transform:translate(-50%,-50%) rotate(45deg)}\n  .hm-loop .arr{display:none}\n  \/* the square is read clockwise, so the bottom row is read right to left.\n     As a column, source order already is the loop order. *\/\n}\n\n\/* ---- the temperature ---- *\/\n.hm-temp .scale{position:relative;height:74px;margin:8px 10px 0}\n.hm-temp .track{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;top:30px;height:10px;border-radius:6px;\n  background:linear-gradient(90deg,#dfe8f1 0%,#f3f1ec 57%,#f7e7d1 100%);border:1px solid #e8e1d5}\n.hm-temp .span{position:absolute;top:30px;height:10px;border-radius:6px}\n.hm-temp .mk{position:absolute;top:22px;width:2px;height:26px;margin-left:-1px;border-radius:1px}\n.hm-temp .mk b{position:absolute;top:-21px;left:50%;transform:translateX(-50%);white-space:nowrap;\n  font:700 13px\/1 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.hm-temp .mk.end{background:#b23c0c}\n.hm-temp .mk.end b{color:#b23c0c}\n.hm-temp .mk.st{background:#2a2622}\n.hm-temp .mk.st b{color:#2a2622}\n.hm-temp .ticks{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;top:50px;height:16px}\n.hm-temp .ticks b{position:absolute;transform:translateX(-50%);font:400 12px\/1 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;\n  color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.hm-temp input[type=range]{width:100%;margin:14px 0 0;accent-color:#b23c0c}\n.hm-temp .ctl{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;gap:8px 12px;margin:6px 0 0}\n.hm-temp .ctl label{font-size:14px;font-weight:600;color:#6b6259;margin-right:4px}\n.hm-temp .out{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:12px;margin:16px 0 0}\n.hm-temp .out div{border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:12px;padding:13px 16px;background:#fff}\n.hm-temp .out .l{display:block;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.13em;\n  text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;margin:0 0 6px}\n.hm-temp .out .v{display:block;font-size:19px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.3;color:#2a2622;\n  font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.hm-temp .out .same .v{color:#b23c0c}\n@media(max-width:520px){.hm-temp .out{grid-template-columns:1fr}}\n\n\/* the hormone row under the thermometer *\/\n.hm-temp .cyc{margin:26px 0 0;padding:20px 0 0;border-top:1px solid #e8e1d5}\n.hm-temp .pl{position:relative;height:clamp(96px,12vw,124px);margin:4px 0 0}\n.hm-temp .pl svg{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%}\n.hm-temp .x{position:absolute;width:0;height:0}\n.hm-temp .x i{position:absolute;left:-8px;top:-8px;width:16px;height:16px;border-radius:50%;\n  background:#fff;border:2.5px solid #a9bba6;box-sizing:border-box;transition:background .2s ease,border-color .2s ease,transform .2s ease}\n.hm-temp .x span{position:absolute;left:0;top:-32px;transform:translateX(-50%);font-size:12px;font-weight:700;\n  letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap;transition:color .2s ease}\n.hm-temp .cyc[data-dir=\"up\"] .x.up i,.hm-temp .cyc[data-dir=\"down\"] .x.down i{background:#b23c0c;border-color:#b23c0c;transform:scale(1.25)}\n.hm-temp .cyc[data-dir=\"up\"] .x.up span,.hm-temp .cyc[data-dir=\"down\"] .x.down span{color:#b23c0c}\n.hm-temp .cyc .tk{position:relative;height:22px;margin-top:6px}\n.hm-temp .cyc .tk b{position:absolute;top:4px;transform:translateX(-50%);font-size:12.5px;font-weight:400;\n  color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap}\n.hm-temp .cyc .tk b:first-child{transform:none}\n.hm-temp .cyc .tk b:last-child{transform:translateX(-100%)}\n.hm-temp .cs{margin:10px 0 0;font-size:17px;line-height:1.5;color:#2a2622;font-weight:600}\n\n\/* the loop's ring: an ellipse through the card centres, drawn behind the\n   cards, and a dot that runs once round it from the card you press *\/\n.hm-loop .ring li{position:relative;z-index:1}\n.hm-loop .orb .dot{z-index:3}\n.hm-loop .ring{margin:34px 26px}\n.hm-loop .ring li.orb{position:absolute;inset:0;z-index:0;pointer-events:none}\n.hm-loop .orb svg{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%;overflow:visible}\n.hm-loop .orb rect{fill:none;stroke:#a9bba6;stroke-width:2;stroke-dasharray:2 7;stroke-linecap:round}\n.hm-loop .orb .dot{position:absolute;left:-8px;top:-8px;width:16px;height:16px;border-radius:50%;\n  background:#b23c0c;box-shadow:0 0 0 5px rgba(178,60,12,.16)}\n.hm-loop .arr{z-index:2}\n.hm-loop .node.pass{border-color:#b23c0c;background:#faf8f3}\n@media(max-width:640px){.hm-loop .ring li.orb{display:none}.hm-loop .ring{margin:0}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){\n  .hm-next,.hm-fig button,.hm-loop .node,.hm-temp .x i,.hm-temp .x span{transition:none!important}\n}\n@media print{\n  .hm-fig .tabs,.hm-temp input,.hm-temp .ctl,.hm-loop .ask{display:none!important}\n}\n\n\/* small phones (360-375): long reference words and the list column must be able to break *\/\n@media(max-width:480px){.eqp ol.wp-block-list{padding-left:18px}.eqp ol.wp-block-list li{overflow-wrap:anywhere}}\n\n\/* phone tap targets: 44px minimum (added, phone only) *\/\n@media(max-width:640px){.hm-fig .tabs button{min-height:44px}}\n<\/style><style>\n\/* ---- glossary popups ---- *\/\n\n\/* THE PAGE MUST NOT SCROLL SIDEWAYS BECAUSE OF A CARD NOBODY CAN SEE. A hidden\n   absolutely positioned box still extends the scrollable width, and a card\n   centred on a word near the right edge hangs off it until the script nudges it\n   back. The script does that on load, but \"on load\" is a moving target: web\n   fonts reflow the line after it, and the sleep article was still scrolling\n   41px sideways at 720px on some loads and not others.\n\n   overflow-x:clip settles it without depending on timing at all. Not hidden:\n   clip does not make this a scroll container, so anything sticky inside keeps\n   sticking and overflow-y stays visible. The clip edge is the page box, and a\n   320px card centred on a word inside the measure column has a couple of\n   hundred pixels of slack before it can reach that edge, so on a desktop it\n   never clips anything; on a narrow screen the clip edge is the viewport, which\n   is where the script is putting the card anyway. *\/\n.eqp{overflow-x:clip}\n\n\/* A dotted underline under a term that is usually already italic: quiet enough\n   to ignore, and different enough from a link to never be mistaken for one. *\/\n.eqp .gl{position:relative;display:inline;border-bottom:1.5px dotted #a9bba6;\n  cursor:help;outline:none}\n.eqp .gl:focus-visible{outline:2px solid var(--eqp-accent);outline-offset:3px;\n  border-radius:3px}\n\n.eqp .gd{position:absolute;left:50%;bottom:calc(100% + 12px);z-index:40;\n  width:min(320px,78vw);box-sizing:border-box;\n  \/* THE NUDGE IS A MARGIN, NOT PART OF THE TRANSFORM. It used to ride inside\n     translateX as calc(-50% + var(--sx)), and the variable never took effect:\n     the script set --sx correctly, the sheet shipped correctly, and the\n     computed transform stayed at a flat -50% regardless. Measured on the live\n     page with the compositor running and a control element proving transform\n     itself worked, cards still sat 54 to 61px off the left edge of a 390px\n     screen. margin-left is a layout property, it resolves the variable, and it\n     put every card exactly where the script had calculated. *\/\n  transform:translateX(-50%) translateY(4px);margin-left:var(--sx,0px);\n  opacity:0;visibility:hidden;pointer-events:none;\n  background:#fff;border:1.5px solid var(--eqp-line2);border-radius:12px;\n  box-shadow:0 10px 30px rgba(20,30,40,.14);padding:14px 16px;\n  font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:14.5px;line-height:1.55;\n  font-style:normal;font-weight:400;color:var(--eqp-body);text-align:left;\n  transition:opacity .16s ease,transform .16s ease}\n.eqp .gd b{display:block;font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:11px;\n  font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.13em;text-transform:uppercase;\n  color:var(--eqp-muted);margin:0 0 6px}\n\/* The pointer, a rotated square sitting half outside the card. It carries the\n   nudge in reverse so it stays under the term when the card has moved. *\/\n.eqp .gd::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:calc(50% - 6px - var(--sx,0px));\n  bottom:-7px;width:12px;height:12px;background:#fff;\n  border-right:1.5px solid var(--eqp-line2);border-bottom:1.5px solid var(--eqp-line2);\n  transform:rotate(45deg)}\n.eqp .gl:hover .gd,.eqp .gl:focus .gd,.eqp .gl:focus-within .gd{\n  opacity:1;visibility:visible;pointer-events:auto;\n  transform:translateX(-50%) translateY(0)}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){\n  .eqp .gd{transition:none;transform:translateX(-50%)}\n}\n\/* A popup means nothing on paper, and nothing is lost: every glossed term keeps\n   the author's own sentence around it. *\/\n@media print{.eqp .gd{display:none}.eqp .gl{border-bottom:0}}\n<\/style><style>\n.eqp .gl{color:#b23c0c}\n.eqp .gl:hover{background:#fdede5}\n.eqp .eqb .gl{color:inherit}\n.eqp .gd{border-left:3px solid #b23c0c}\n.eqp .gd b{color:#b23c0c;background:#fdede5;\n  margin:-14px -16px 12px;padding:10px 16px 9px;\n  border-bottom:1px solid #f3d5c6}\n.eqp .gd::after{border-right-color:#f3d5c6;border-bottom-color:#f3d5c6}\n<\/style><script>\n(function(){\n  \/* The sheet is the first block on the page, so at parse time not one .gl\n     exists yet and binding straight away binds to nothing. It did, silently:\n     the cards still opened, because opening is pure CSS, and only the nudge was\n     missing. Wait for the document instead. *\/\n  function bind(){\n    var gl=document.querySelectorAll('.eqp .gl');\n    if(!gl.length){return;}\n    \/* MEASURE THE TERM, NOT THE CARD. Reading the card's own rect looks like\n       the obvious thing to do and is wrong: the card is mid transition when the\n       pointer arrives, so its rect is wherever the animation has got to, and a\n       nudge computed from it was correct on a first hover and zero on a second.\n       The term does not move and offsetWidth ignores transforms.\n\n       getClientRects()[0] rather than getBoundingClientRect, because a term\n       that wraps across two lines is anchored by CSS to its first line box. *\/\n    function place(el){\n      var card=el.querySelector('.gd');\n      if(!card){return;}\n      var rects=el.getClientRects();\n      var a=rects.length?rects[0]:el.getBoundingClientRect();\n      var mid=a.left+a.width\/2, half=card.offsetWidth\/2, m=14, dx=0;\n      if(mid-half<m){dx=m-(mid-half);}\n      else if(mid+half>window.innerWidth-m){dx=(window.innerWidth-m)-(mid+half);}\n      card.style.setProperty('--sx',dx.toFixed(1)+'px');\n    }\n    for(var 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.eq-short .n{color:#44704a}body .eqp aside.eq-kp{background:#f0f5ee}body .eqp .hm-re{border-color:#d7e4d3}body .eqp .hm-re .j{border-color:#d7e4d3}body .eqp .hm-re .b{background:#f0f5ee}body .eqp .hm-con .h span{background:#f0f5ee}body .eqp .hm-chain .row.long .nd{background:#f0f5ee}body .eqp .hm-loop .node.on,body .eqp .hm-loop .node.pass{background:#f0f5ee}body .eqp .hm-th .no span{color:#dfeadb}<\/style><div id=\"eqp-rail\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i><\/i><\/div><nav id=\"eqp-parts\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a href=\"#part-1\" data-i=\"1\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Your hormones are already talking to your brain<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-2\" data-i=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">The same hormone can feel completely different<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-3\" data-i=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Your menstrual cycle is not a personality cycle<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-4\" data-i=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">The surprisingly busy life of progesterone<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-5\" data-i=\"5\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">When hormones and stress meet<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-6\" data-i=\"6\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">When the hormonal landscape changes<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-7\" data-i=\"7\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">So, is it your hormones?<\/span><\/a><\/nav><button id=\"eqp-top\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Back to the top of the article\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M6 10.5V2M2 5.5 6 1.5l4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg>Top<\/button><script>(function(){document.documentElement.setAttribute(\"data-eqp\",\"on\");function init(){var 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.hpw-pill{display:inline-flex}\n.hpw-pill.hpw-pill-on{opacity:1;visibility:visible;pointer-events:auto;transition:opacity .2s ease,visibility 0s}\n.hpw-pill:hover{border-color:#44704a}\n.hpw-pill:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #44704a;outline-offset:2px}\n.hpw-pl-k{position:relative;flex:0 0 auto;width:30px;height:18px;box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:999px;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #6f8f6c}\n.hpw-pl-k::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;top:2px;left:2px;width:11px;height:11px;border-radius:50%;background:#6f8f6c}\n.hpw-pill[aria-checked=true]{background:#44704a;border-color:#44704a;color:#fff}\n.hpw-pill[aria-checked=true] .hpw-pl-k{background:#fff;border-color:#fff}\n.hpw-pill[aria-checked=true] .hpw-pl-k::after{left:14px;background:#44704a}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.hpw-pill,.hpw-pill.hpw-pill-on,.hpw-segb{transition:none!important}}\n@media print{.hpw-seg,.hpw-hint,.hpw-pill{display:none!important}}\n\/* the back to top button (house chrome) sits one pill higher so the two never overlap *\/\n#eqp-top{right:max(16px,env(safe-area-inset-right))!important;bottom:calc(max(16px,env(safe-area-inset-bottom)) + 54px)!important}\n\/*>*\/<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull eqp hpw-post has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69fa9525 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding:0px 22px\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><time datetime=\"2026-09-18T10:28:49+02:00\">18 rujna, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"taxonomy-category has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-post-terms has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/body-and-mind\/\" rel=\"tag\">Body and Mind<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/deep-dive\/\" rel=\"tag\">Deep Dive<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/womens-health\/\" rel=\"tag\">Women's Health<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-playfair-display-font-family\" id=\"top\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:12px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(24.034px, 1.502rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.814), 40px);font-style:normal;font-weight:800;line-height:1.15\">So, Is It Your Hormones?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family eq-subtitle wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);font-weight:600;letter-spacing:.14em;line-height:1.5\">Hormones, mood and the brain<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.55\">How hormones affect your brain and mood, why hormonal changes can feel surprisingly psychological, and what the science actually tells us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-credit\" style=\"--eq-credit-ac:#b23c0c\">Written by <a href=\"\/our-team-ivana\/\" rel=\"author\">Ivana<\/a>, psychologist and psychotherapist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><div class=\"hpw-swbox hpw-keep\" id=\"hpw-swbox\"><div class=\"hpw-metarow\"><p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-metat\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><span class=\"hpw-mtw\"><span class=\"hpw-mt-f\"><strong style=\"color:#b23c0c\">22 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 4,869 words<\/span><span class=\"hpw-mt-p\"><strong style=\"color:#b23c0c\">19 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 4,196 words<\/span><\/span><\/p><div class=\"hpw-seg\" id=\"hpw-seg\" role=\"radiogroup\" aria-label=\"Reading version\" aria-describedby=\"hpw-sw-h\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"hpw-segb\" id=\"hpw-seg-full\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\">Detailed<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"hpw-segb\" id=\"hpw-seg-plain\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"false\" tabindex=\"-1\">Plain words<\/button><\/div><\/div><p class=\"hpw-hint\" id=\"hpw-sw-h\">Detailed explains the research and the reasons behind each point. 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Concentrating feels strangely hard. Or you\u2019re unusually tearful, irritable, anxious, hungry, tired, restless, flat, or somehow all of these at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes there\u2019s an obvious reason. You slept badly. Something happened at work. You\u2019ve been under pressure for weeks, you\u2019re coming down with something, or your relationship is going through a hard patch. Life is, occasionally, just being life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And sometimes someone says the sentence that\u2019s supposed to explain everything:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-66cb9a2b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-left-color:#44704a;border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-radius:0px;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:2px 0px 2px 26px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);font-style:italic;font-weight:500;line-height:1.55\">It\u2019s probably your hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Which raises a rather inconvenient question. What does that actually mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones are often talked about as if they\u2019re tiny messengers carrying simple instructions around your body. Estrogen makes you feel good. Progesterone makes you sleepy. Cortisol makes you stressed. Testosterone makes you confident. Everything becomes very tidy, very quickly. The real biology is a lot less tidy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones really can influence your brain, including the parts involved in mood, attention, memory, motivation, stress and sleep. But they don\u2019t do it by flipping a switch. They work through a whole web of other things: the receptors that pick them up, the brain\u2019s own chemical messengers, other hormones, your past experience, and whatever else your brain happens to be dealing with at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And <strong class=\"eqb\">the same hormonal change can be barely noticeable in one person and a really big deal in another.<\/strong> If you\u2019ve ever wondered why a friend seems to sail through something that knocks you sideways, it isn\u2019t a sign that one of you is doing it wrong. It turns out to be one of the most interesting things about hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-ptr wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">If you\u2019d like everything in plainer words, flip the switch above.<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">You\u2019re reading the plain words version. Flip the switch above for the detailed one.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"><div class=\"eq-short\"><p class=\"eyebrow\">The memo, in short<\/p><ol class=\"hpw-n\"><li><span class=\"n\">01<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-1\"><p class=\"c\">Hormones talk to your brain, not just your reproductive system.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Estrogen and progesterone are usually introduced as reproductive hormones, but they also act on the brain. That still doesn\u2019t mean estrogen decides whether you feel happy or sad.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">02<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-2\"><p class=\"c\">How much hormone you have is only part of the story.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Two people can go through much the same hormonal changes and feel completely different. In PMDD, hormone levels don\u2019t seem to be unusual. What differs is how the brain reacts to them.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">03<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-3\"><p class=\"c\">Your cycle doesn\u2019t switch your brain between modes.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Online you\u2019ll find claims that you\u2019re smarter, more creative or more productive at certain points in your cycle. Tests of thinking across more than a hundred studies don\u2019t back that up. That doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t notice changes.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">04<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-5\"><p class=\"c\">Hormones and stress are in conversation.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Your reproductive hormones and your stress system are connected. So the better question is often not \u201cIs this hormonal or psychological?\u201d but \u201cHow are these working together?\u201d<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">05<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-6\"><p class=\"c\">Big hormonal transitions can be especially noticeable.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Puberty, pregnancy, the months after birth, perimenopause and menopause all change the hormonal background your brain works in. In perimenopause, brain fog, poor sleep and mood changes are common.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">06<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-7\"><p class=\"c\">\u201cIt\u2019s your hormones\u201d can be true and still not very helpful.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Hormones can be part of why you feel different. They\u2019re rarely the whole explanation. Your brain is not receiving a hormonal memo that says please become anxious now.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><\/ol><ol class=\"hpw-sv\"><li><span class=\"n\">01<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-1\"><p class=\"c\">Hormones affect your brain, not only your reproductive system.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Estrogen and progesterone are usually described as reproductive hormones, but they act on the brain too. That still doesn\u2019t mean estrogen decides whether you feel happy or sad.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">02<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-2\"><p class=\"c\">How much of a hormone you have is only part of the story.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Two people can go through much the same hormonal changes and feel very different. In PMDD, which means mood symptoms that come back in the same part of most cycles, hormone levels don\u2019t seem to be unusual. What differs is how the brain reacts to them.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">03<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-3\"><p class=\"c\">Your cycle doesn\u2019t switch your brain between modes.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Online you\u2019ll find claims that you\u2019re smarter, more creative or more productive at certain points in your cycle. Tests of thinking across more than a hundred studies don\u2019t back that up. That doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t notice changes.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">04<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-5\"><p class=\"c\">Hormones and stress affect each other.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Your reproductive hormones and your stress system are connected. So the better question is often not \u201cIs this hormonal or psychological?\u201d but \u201cHow are these working together?\u201d<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">05<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-6\"><p class=\"c\">Big hormonal changes in life can be easy to notice.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Puberty, pregnancy, the months after birth, perimenopause (the years around your final period) and menopause all change the hormonal background your brain works in. In perimenopause, brain fog, poor sleep and mood changes are common.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">06<\/span><div><a class=\"mj\" href=\"#part-7\"><p class=\"c\">\u201cIt\u2019s your hormones\u201d can be true and still not very helpful.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Hormones can be part of why you feel different. They\u2019re rarely the whole explanation. Your brain is not receiving a hormonal memo that says please become anxious now.<\/p><\/a><\/div><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4ccedd2e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-color:#d7e4d3;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:22px;background-color:#f0f5ee;margin-top:56px;margin-bottom:20px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THIS ARTICLE COVERS &middot; SEVEN PARTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\">\n<div class=\"eq-toc\"><div class=\"flat\"><svg class=\"chev hide\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 1<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-1\">Your hormones are already talking to your brain<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\">2 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">1 min<\/span><\/span><\/div><div class=\"flat\"><svg class=\"chev hide\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 2<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-2\">The same hormone can feel completely different<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\">2 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/div><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 3<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-3\">Your menstrual cycle is not a personality cycle<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">1 section<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>3 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#the-experience-of-brain-fog-is-more-complicated-than-a-cog\">The experience of \u201cbrain fog\u201d is more complicated than a cognitive test<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 4<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-4\">The surprisingly busy life of progesterone<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">1 section<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#the-brain-is-responding-to-change-not-simply-to-a-number\">The brain is responding to change, not simply to a number<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 5<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-5\">When hormones and stress meet<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">1 section<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">2 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#this-is-also-why-context-matters\">This is also why context matters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 6<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-6\">When the hormonal landscape changes<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>3 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">3 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#after-pregnancy-the-biological-environment-changes-very-qu\">After pregnancy, the biological environment changes very quickly<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#then-there-is-perimenopause\">Then there is perimenopause<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 7<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-7\">So, is it your hormones?<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"hpw-n2\"><span class=\"sec\">3 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>4 min<\/span><span class=\"hpw-p2\">3 min<\/span><\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#there-is-another-reason-to-be-careful-with-hormonal-explan\">There is another reason to be careful with hormonal explanations<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-this-means-for-you\">What this means for you<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-bigger-picture\">The bigger picture<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"183.11 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>01<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part one of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-1\">Your hormones are already talking to your brain<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What hormones actually do in the nervous system<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your brain isn\u2019t separate from the rest of your hormone system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Imagine someone told you that a chemical in your body had changed. You\u2019d probably expect something obvious to happen next. The trouble is that <strong class=\"eqb\">your brain doesn\u2019t work like a row of light switches.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones work through receptors. A receptor is a bit like a lock that only certain keys fit, and your brain has receptors for hormones in lots of different areas. Take estrogen, which is usually described as a reproductive hormone. Its main form during the reproductive years is called estradiol. Estradiol can affect several of the brain\u2019s own chemical messengers, including serotonin and dopamine. Those play a part in mood, motivation, learning, memory and reward. That\u2019s a lot of territory for one hormone to touch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So yes, hormones can affect how you feel and think. What a hormone does depends on a lot, though: which hormone it is, which receptor it meets, where that happens, the timing, and <strong class=\"eqb\">what else is going on in your body and your life at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Much of the research on how estradiol works in the brain comes from animal and lab studies. There\u2019s a long way between \u201cestradiol interacts with serotonin,\u201d which is a statement about biology, and \u201cestrogen is why you feel sad today,\u201d which is usually a guess. Human behavior is not a hormone chart.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">Your brain isn\u2019t separate from the rest of your hormone system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Imagine someone told you that a particular chemical in your body had changed. You\u2019d probably expect something fairly obvious to happen next. The chemical changes, so you change. The trouble is that <strong class=\"eqb\">your brain doesn\u2019t work like a row of light switches.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones act on the brain through receptors, a bit like locks that only certain keys fit, and those receptors are spread across many different regions. <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-1\"><em class=\"eqi\">Estradiol<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-1\"><b>Estradiol<\/b>The main form of estrogen in the body during the reproductive years. When people say estrogen, estradiol is usually the hormone they mean.<\/span><\/span>, for example, can influence several of the brain\u2019s own chemical messengers, including serotonin, dopamine and glutamate. Between them, those messengers are involved in mood, motivation, learning, memory and reward. That\u2019s a lot of territory for one hormone to touch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That\u2019s why the phrase \u201chormones affect your mood\u201d is technically true but not very satisfying. It\u2019s a little like saying electricity affects your house. Yes. But which room? Through which circuit? Doing what? And when?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">What a hormone does isn\u2019t only about whether it\u2019s there or not. It depends on the hormone, the receptor it meets, where in the body that happens, the timing, and <strong class=\"eqb\">what else is going on in your body and your life at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Estradiol is especially interesting because it isn\u2019t only a message the reproductive system sends to the brain from far away. It also works as a <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-2\"><em class=\"eqi\">neuroactive steroid<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-2\"><b>neuroactive steroid<\/b>A steroid, made in the body or in the brain itself, that changes how nerve cells behave. Many act quickly on receptors at the surface of the cell.<\/span><\/span>, and research has linked it to changes in several of the brain\u2019s signaling systems. A lot of that evidence comes from animal and lab studies, though, so turning it into \u201cthis is how you\u2019ll feel on Tuesday\u201d needs real care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That difference is worth holding on to. There\u2019s a long road between these two sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:8px\"><div class=\"hm-pair\"><div class=\"cell qa mist\"><p class=\"q\">Estradiol interacts with serotonin signaling<\/p><\/div><div class=\"mid\"><span>and<\/span><\/div><div class=\"cell qb cream\"><p class=\"q\">Estrogen is why you feel sad today.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cell na mist\"><p class=\"nt\">The first is a biological statement.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cell nb cream\"><p class=\"nt\">The second is usually a guess.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So yes, hormonal changes can influence the systems behind mood, thinking, reward, stress and sleep. <strong class=\"eqb\">But a hormone doesn\u2019t produce a particular emotion in a simple, predictable way.<\/strong> Human behavior is not a hormone chart.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#fdede5;border:0;border-left:4px solid #b23c0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#b23c0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#b23c0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth remembering<\/p><p class=\"t\">Hormones really do affect your brain. But a hormone isn\u2019t a feeling, and \u201cestrogen is why you feel sad today\u201d is usually a guess.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"71.21 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>02<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part two of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-2\">The same hormone can feel completely different<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Why sensitivity matters as much as levels<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">How much of a hormone you have and what it does to you are two different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Say a few people go through the same hormonal change. One notices very little. Another gets more irritable or anxious. Someone else mostly notices their sleep changing. Another notices nothing at all, until they look back over a few months and realize there\u2019s a pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That stops being mysterious once you stop thinking of hormones as instructions. <strong class=\"eqb\">Hormones are signals, and every brain reads them a little differently.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">Hormone level is not the same thing as hormone effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Say two people go through the same hormonal change. You might expect them to feel roughly the same. They often don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One notices very little. Another becomes noticeably more irritable or anxious. Someone else mostly notices their sleep changing. And another notices nothing at all, until they look back over a few months and realize there\u2019s a pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That stops being mysterious once you stop thinking of hormones as instructions. <strong class=\"eqb\">Hormones are signals, and every brain reads them a little differently.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:46px\"><figure class=\"hm-fig hm-sens\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">The same change, different people<\/p><p class=\"un\"><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">schematic<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">a simplified sketch<\/span><\/p><\/div><div class=\"tabs\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Choose a person\"><button type=\"button\" data-i=\"0\" aria-pressed=\"false\">one person<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-i=\"1\" aria-pressed=\"true\">another<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-i=\"2\" aria-pressed=\"false\">someone else<\/button><\/div><p class=\"say\" id=\"hm-say\" aria-live=\"polite\">Another becomes noticeably more irritable or anxious.<\/p><div class=\"plot\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Across one 28 day cycle the hormone lines are identical for all three people. Only the response underneath them differs.\"><div class=\"ph\"><span style=\"right:calc(100% &#45; 48.22% + 9px)\" class=\"hpw-nrm\">follicular phase<\/span><span style=\"right:calc(100% &#45; 48.22% + 9px)\" class=\"hpw-pln\">first half (follicular)<\/span><span style=\"left:calc(48.22% + 9px)\" class=\"hpw-nrm\">luteal phase<\/span><span style=\"left:calc(48.22% + 9px)\" class=\"hpw-pln\">second half (luteal)<\/span><\/div><div class=\"hbw\"><svg class=\"hb\" viewBox=\"0 0 860 158\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><rect x=\"414.7\" y=\"0\" width=\"429.3\" height=\"156\" fill=\"#faf8f3\"\/><line x1=\"414.7\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"414.7\" y2=\"156\" stroke=\"#e8e1d5\" stroke-width=\"1\" stroke-dasharray=\"3 4\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><line x1=\"16\" y1=\"156\" x2=\"844\" y2=\"156\" stroke=\"#e8e1d5\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><polyline points=\"16.0,147.0 23.7,147.0 31.3,147.0 39.0,147.0 46.7,147.0 54.3,147.0 62.0,147.0 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430.0,42.5 437.7,50.4 445.3,58.5 453.0,66.2 460.7,73.4 468.3,79.9 476.0,85.4 483.7,90.0 491.3,93.5 499.0,96.0 506.7,97.5 514.3,98.2 522.0,98.2 529.7,97.6 537.3,96.5 545.0,95.1 552.7,93.4 560.3,91.6 568.0,89.8 575.7,88.0 583.3,86.3 591.0,84.8 598.7,83.4 606.3,82.4 614.0,81.6 621.7,81.1 629.3,81.0 637.0,81.2 644.7,81.6 652.3,82.5 660.0,83.6 667.7,85.0 675.3,86.6 683.0,88.5 690.7,90.6 698.3,92.8 706.0,95.2 713.7,97.7 721.3,100.2 729.0,102.8 736.7,105.3 744.3,107.8 752.0,110.3 759.7,112.6 767.3,114.9 775.0,117.1 782.7,119.1 790.3,120.9 798.0,122.7 805.7,124.3 813.3,125.7 821.0,127.0 828.7,128.1 836.3,129.2 844.0,130.1\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#b23c0c\" stroke-opacity=\".8\" stroke-width=\"3.2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><\/svg><\/div><p class=\"same\">Both hormone lines are the same for all three people<\/p><p class=\"rl\">What this person notices<\/p><div class=\"rbw\"><svg class=\"rb\" viewBox=\"0 0 860 76\" 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821.0,26.9 828.7,28.0 836.3,29.8 844.0,32.2\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-opacity=\".28\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-dasharray=\"4 5\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><polyline id=\"hm-resp\" points=\"16.0,53.4 23.7,53.6 31.3,54.4 39.0,55.6 46.7,57.1 54.3,58.7 62.0,60.3 69.7,61.7 77.3,63.0 85.0,64.0 92.7,64.7 100.3,65.2 108.0,65.6 115.7,65.8 123.3,66.0 131.0,66.1 138.7,66.1 146.3,66.1 154.0,66.1 161.7,66.2 169.3,66.2 177.0,66.2 184.7,66.2 192.3,66.2 200.0,66.2 207.7,66.2 215.3,66.2 223.0,66.2 230.7,66.2 238.3,66.2 246.0,66.2 253.7,66.2 261.3,66.2 269.0,66.2 276.7,66.2 284.3,66.2 292.0,66.2 299.7,66.2 307.3,66.2 315.0,66.2 322.7,66.2 330.3,66.2 338.0,66.2 345.7,66.2 353.3,66.2 361.0,66.2 368.7,66.2 376.3,66.2 384.0,66.2 391.7,66.2 399.3,66.2 407.0,66.2 414.7,66.2 422.3,66.2 430.0,66.2 437.7,66.2 445.3,66.2 453.0,66.2 460.7,66.2 468.3,66.1 476.0,66.1 483.7,66.1 491.3,66.1 499.0,66.1 506.7,66.1 514.3,66.0 522.0,66.0 529.7,65.9 537.3,65.8 545.0,65.6 552.7,65.4 560.3,65.1 568.0,64.8 575.7,64.3 583.3,63.8 591.0,63.1 598.7,62.3 606.3,61.2 614.0,60.0 621.7,58.6 629.3,56.9 637.0,55.0 644.7,52.8 652.3,50.3 660.0,47.6 667.7,44.7 675.3,41.5 683.0,38.3 690.7,34.9 698.3,31.5 706.0,28.2 713.7,24.9 721.3,21.9 729.0,19.2 736.7,16.9 744.3,15.0 752.0,13.6 759.7,12.7 767.3,12.4 775.0,12.7 782.7,13.6 790.3,15.0 798.0,16.9 805.7,19.2 813.3,21.9 821.0,24.9 828.7,28.2 836.3,31.5 844.0,34.9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"3\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"tag\" id=\"hm-tag\" style=\"left:89.22%;top:16.32%\">more irritable or anxious<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tk\"><b style=\"left:1.86%\">day 1<\/b><b style=\"left:23.26%\">day 7<\/b><b style=\"left:48.22%\">day 14<\/b><b style=\"left:73.18%\">day 21<\/b><b style=\"left:98.14%\">day 28<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"key\"><span><i style=\"background:#b23c0c\"><\/i><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">Estradiol<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">Estradiol (main estrogen)<\/span><\/span><span><i style=\"background:#978a7d\"><\/i>Progesterone<\/span><span><i style=\"background:#44704a\"><\/i>This person<\/span><span><i style=\"background:#44704a;opacity:.35\"><\/i>The other two<\/span><\/div><figcaption><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">The signal matters. So does the system receiving it. An example 28-day cycle. Real cycles vary.<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">The hormone change matters. So does how each person\u2019s brain reacts to it. An example 28-day cycle. Real cycles vary.<\/span><\/figcaption><script>(function(){var D=[[\"16.0,65.5 23.7,65.5 31.3,65.5 39.0,65.5 46.7,65.5 54.3,65.5 62.0,65.5 69.7,65.5 77.3,65.5 85.0,65.5 92.7,65.5 100.3,65.5 108.0,65.5 115.7,65.5 123.3,65.5 131.0,65.5 138.7,65.5 146.3,65.5 154.0,65.5 161.7,65.5 169.3,65.5 177.0,65.5 184.7,65.5 192.3,65.5 200.0,65.5 207.7,65.5 215.3,65.5 223.0,65.5 230.7,65.5 238.3,65.5 246.0,65.5 253.7,65.5 261.3,65.5 269.0,65.5 276.7,65.5 284.3,65.5 292.0,65.5 299.7,65.5 307.3,65.5 315.0,65.5 322.7,65.5 330.3,65.5 338.0,65.5 345.7,65.5 353.3,65.5 361.0,65.5 368.7,65.5 376.3,65.5 384.0,65.5 391.7,65.5 399.3,65.5 407.0,65.5 414.7,65.5 422.3,65.5 430.0,65.5 437.7,65.5 445.3,65.5 453.0,65.5 460.7,65.5 468.3,65.5 476.0,65.5 483.7,65.5 491.3,65.5 499.0,65.5 506.7,65.5 514.3,65.5 522.0,65.5 529.7,65.5 537.3,65.5 545.0,65.5 552.7,65.5 560.3,65.5 568.0,65.5 575.7,65.5 583.3,65.4 591.0,65.4 598.7,65.4 606.3,65.3 614.0,65.3 621.7,65.2 629.3,65.2 637.0,65.1 644.7,65.0 652.3,64.9 660.0,64.8 667.7,64.7 675.3,64.6 683.0,64.4 690.7,64.3 698.3,64.1 706.0,64.0 713.7,63.8 721.3,63.7 729.0,63.5 736.7,63.4 744.3,63.3 752.0,63.2 759.7,63.1 767.3,63.0 775.0,63.0 782.7,63.0 790.3,63.0 798.0,63.0 805.7,63.1 813.3,63.2 821.0,63.3 828.7,63.4 836.3,63.5 844.0,63.7\",\"One person notices very little.\",[\"91.01%\",\"82.84%\",\"very little\"]],[\"16.0,53.4 23.7,53.6 31.3,54.4 39.0,55.6 46.7,57.1 54.3,58.7 62.0,60.3 69.7,61.7 77.3,63.0 85.0,64.0 92.7,64.7 100.3,65.2 108.0,65.6 115.7,65.8 123.3,66.0 131.0,66.1 138.7,66.1 146.3,66.1 154.0,66.1 161.7,66.2 169.3,66.2 177.0,66.2 184.7,66.2 192.3,66.2 200.0,66.2 207.7,66.2 215.3,66.2 223.0,66.2 230.7,66.2 238.3,66.2 246.0,66.2 253.7,66.2 261.3,66.2 269.0,66.2 276.7,66.2 284.3,66.2 292.0,66.2 299.7,66.2 307.3,66.2 315.0,66.2 322.7,66.2 330.3,66.2 338.0,66.2 345.7,66.2 353.3,66.2 361.0,66.2 368.7,66.2 376.3,66.2 384.0,66.2 391.7,66.2 399.3,66.2 407.0,66.2 414.7,66.2 422.3,66.2 430.0,66.2 437.7,66.2 445.3,66.2 453.0,66.2 460.7,66.2 468.3,66.1 476.0,66.1 483.7,66.1 491.3,66.1 499.0,66.1 506.7,66.1 514.3,66.0 522.0,66.0 529.7,65.9 537.3,65.8 545.0,65.6 552.7,65.4 560.3,65.1 568.0,64.8 575.7,64.3 583.3,63.8 591.0,63.1 598.7,62.3 606.3,61.2 614.0,60.0 621.7,58.6 629.3,56.9 637.0,55.0 644.7,52.8 652.3,50.3 660.0,47.6 667.7,44.7 675.3,41.5 683.0,38.3 690.7,34.9 698.3,31.5 706.0,28.2 713.7,24.9 721.3,21.9 729.0,19.2 736.7,16.9 744.3,15.0 752.0,13.6 759.7,12.7 767.3,12.4 775.0,12.7 782.7,13.6 790.3,15.0 798.0,16.9 805.7,19.2 813.3,21.9 821.0,24.9 828.7,28.2 836.3,31.5 844.0,34.9\",\"Another becomes noticeably more irritable or anxious.\",[\"89.22%\",\"16.32%\",\"more irritable or anxious\"]],[\"16.0,39.6 23.7,39.3 31.3,39.9 39.0,41.3 46.7,43.3 54.3,45.9 62.0,48.7 69.7,51.6 77.3,54.4 85.0,57.0 92.7,59.2 100.3,61.0 108.0,62.5 115.7,63.7 123.3,64.5 131.0,65.1 138.7,65.5 146.3,65.8 154.0,65.9 161.7,66.0 169.3,66.1 177.0,66.1 184.7,66.1 192.3,66.1 200.0,66.2 207.7,66.2 215.3,66.2 223.0,66.2 230.7,66.2 238.3,66.2 246.0,66.2 253.7,66.2 261.3,66.2 269.0,66.2 276.7,66.2 284.3,66.2 292.0,66.2 299.7,66.2 307.3,66.2 315.0,66.2 322.7,66.2 330.3,66.2 338.0,66.2 345.7,66.2 353.3,66.2 361.0,66.2 368.7,66.2 376.3,66.2 384.0,66.2 391.7,66.2 399.3,66.2 407.0,66.2 414.7,66.2 422.3,66.2 430.0,66.2 437.7,66.2 445.3,66.2 453.0,66.2 460.7,66.2 468.3,66.2 476.0,66.2 483.7,66.2 491.3,66.2 499.0,66.2 506.7,66.2 514.3,66.2 522.0,66.2 529.7,66.2 537.3,66.2 545.0,66.2 552.7,66.2 560.3,66.2 568.0,66.2 575.7,66.2 583.3,66.2 591.0,66.1 598.7,66.1 606.3,66.1 614.0,66.1 621.7,66.1 629.3,66.0 637.0,65.9 644.7,65.8 652.3,65.6 660.0,65.3 667.7,64.9 675.3,64.4 683.0,63.7 690.7,62.8 698.3,61.6 706.0,60.2 713.7,58.4 721.3,56.3 729.0,53.8 736.7,51.0 744.3,48.0 752.0,44.8 759.7,41.4 767.3,38.1 775.0,35.0 782.7,32.2 790.3,29.8 798.0,28.0 805.7,26.9 813.3,26.5 821.0,26.9 828.7,28.0 836.3,29.8 844.0,32.2\",\"Someone else mainly notices sleep changes.\",[\"94.57%\",\"34.84%\",\"sleep changes\"]]];var f=document.querySelector(\".hm-sens\");if(!f){return;}var r=document.getElementById(\"hm-resp\");var s=document.getElementById(\"hm-say\");var bs=f.querySelectorAll(\"button[data-i]\");Array.prototype.forEach.call(bs,function(b){b.addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var i=parseInt(b.getAttribute(\"data-i\"),10);Array.prototype.forEach.call(bs,function(o){o.setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",o===b?\"true\":\"false\");});if(r){r.setAttribute(\"points\",D[i][0]);}if(s){s.textContent=D[i][1];}var tg=document.getElementById(\"hm-tag\");if(tg){tg.style.left=D[i][2][0];tg.style.top=D[i][2][1];tg.textContent=D[i][2][2];}});});})();<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Lots of things shape how a brain reads them: your history, other hormones, stress, sleep, genes and how fast a hormone changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One of the clearest examples is PMDD, short for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It means mood symptoms, like irritability, low mood, anxiety and quick mood swings, that come back in the same part of most cycles. That part is the second half, from ovulation to your next period, when progesterone rises. It\u2019s called the luteal phase, and the first half is the follicular phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">People with PMDD don\u2019t seem to have unusual hormone levels. Research more and more points to <strong class=\"eqb\">a brain that reacts more strongly to perfectly normal hormonal ups and downs.<\/strong> If ordinary hormonal ups and downs were bad for mood in themselves, most people would have strong emotional reactions to them every month. Most people don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Receptors can differ from person to person. So can brain circuits. Your history matters, other hormones matter, stress matters, sleep matters and genes matter. How fast a hormone changes can matter too. Your brain is always adapting to its surroundings, and hormones are part of those surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One of the clearest examples is <em class=\"eqi\">premenstrual dysphoric disorder<\/em>, or PMDD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">PMDD means mood symptoms that return in the same part of most cycles: irritability, low mood, anxiety and <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-3\"><em class=\"eqi\">emotional lability<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-3\"><b>emotional lability<\/b>Moods that shift quickly and strongly, often more than the situation seems to call for, such as sudden tearfulness or irritability.<\/span><\/span>, all tied to the <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-4\"><em class=\"eqi\">luteal phase<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-4\"><b>luteal phase<\/b>The second half of the menstrual cycle, from ovulation to the next period, when progesterone rises. The first half, before ovulation, is the follicular phase.<\/span><\/span>. What makes PMDD so revealing is that people with it don\u2019t seem to have unusual hormone levels. Research increasingly points instead to <strong class=\"eqb\">a brain that reacts more strongly to perfectly normal hormonal ups and downs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So the question shifts from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px\"><div class=\"hm-re\"><p class=\"a\">How much hormone is there?<\/p><p class=\"j\">to<\/p><p class=\"b\">How is this person\u2019s brain responding to the change?<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That\u2019s a much better question. It also explains something that could otherwise seem strange. If ordinary hormonal ups and downs were bad for mood in themselves, most people would have strong emotional reactions to them every month. Most people don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This doesn\u2019t mean that every rough week before your period is PMDD. PMDD is a specific condition with a recognizable pattern: the symptoms arrive in the days before a period, ease off within a few days of it starting, come back cycle after cycle, and are strong enough to get in the way of work, relationships or daily life. And \u201chormonal sensitivity\u201d isn\u2019t an explanation for every feeling you have around your cycle either. The point is narrower, and more useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Normal hormonal changes can feel very different in different brains.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background hpw-nopill has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-558bc9ce wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fcf2ec;border-color:#f3ddd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4;text-transform:uppercase\">If you think it might be PMDD<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.6\">\n<li><strong class=\"eqb\">Track your mood every day for at least two cycles<\/strong>, next to the day of your cycle. PMDD is diagnosed from that kind of daily record, not from memory.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Take the record to your doctor or gynecologist. PMDD is a recognized condition, and there are treatments for it.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>If your hardest days ever bring thoughts of ending your life, please don\u2019t wait for a pattern to prove itself. Talk to your doctor or <a href=\"\/crisis-helplines\/\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">a crisis line<\/a> now. Our article on <a href=\"\/suicidal-thoughts\/#if-it-is-you\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">suicidal thoughts<\/a> has more on what helps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"106.81 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>03<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part three of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-3\">Your menstrual cycle is not a personality cycle<\/h2><p class=\"sb\"><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">What the evidence says about cognition, mood and the familiar myths<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">What the evidence says about thinking, mood and the familiar myths<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Online, you\u2019ll read that each phase of your cycle is good for something different, like being productive one week and confident the next. It\u2019s an appealing story. It\u2019s also much neater than the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A big recent review pulled together more than a hundred studies of attention, planning, creativity, intelligence and more. <strong class=\"eqb\">It found no reliable evidence that your cycle changes how well your brain actually performs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You don\u2019t become less intelligent because your period is coming. There\u2019s no good evidence that your thinking switches off on Thursday and comes back about three days later. Fortunately. It would make scheduling meetings considerably more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A test can show no change in how well you perform while you still feel different. <strong class=\"eqb\">That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re imagining what you notice.<\/strong> How you do on a test is only one part of how your day actually feels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You can sleep badly, be in more pain or feel more emotional without your thinking getting worse. You can be exhausted and still do fine on a memory test in a lab, while feeling, quite sincerely, that your brain has been replaced by damp cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">\u201cBrain fog\u201d can mean lots of things, like forgetting words, struggling to focus, sleeping badly, worrying or being worn out, sometimes all at once. A standard thinking test only picks up some of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This comes up a lot around menopause. Many people say their thinking has changed, while tests of memory and attention don\u2019t always show it in the same way. Another recent review found that how people rate their own thinking and how they score on tests don\u2019t line up neatly in the years around menopause. That\u2019s not a reason to dismiss what people feel. Quite the opposite! <strong class=\"eqb\">\u201cThinking\u201d is not one thing, and a test only measures part of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">What the research does back up is that hormonal ups and downs come along with changes in sleep, pain, energy and how you feel. <strong class=\"eqb\">Those are two different claims, and it\u2019s the second one the research supports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">The internet has made the menstrual cycle sound remarkably efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Apparently, there\u2019s a follicular phase for productivity, an ovulation phase for confidence, a luteal phase for introspection and a menstrual phase for retreating into a blanket while refusing all administrative responsibilities. It\u2019s an appealing story. It\u2019s also much neater than the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One of the most useful recent studies on this is a 2025 <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-6\"><em class=\"eqi\">meta-analysis<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-6\"><b>meta-analysis<\/b>A study of studies. It pools the results of many separate studies of one question, which gives a steadier answer than any single study can.<\/span><\/span> that pulled together more than a hundred published papers on attention, <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-5\"><em class=\"eqi\">executive functioning<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-5\"><b>executive functioning<\/b>The mental skills used to plan, focus, switch between tasks, hold things in mind and hold back an impulse.<\/span><\/span>, intelligence, creativity, spatial skills, verbal skills and more. The researchers found <strong class=\"eqb\">no reliable evidence that your cycle changes how well your brain actually performs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That pushes back on a very familiar idea. Your cycle doesn\u2019t seem to switch your thinking on and off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You don\u2019t become less intelligent because your period is coming. There\u2019s no good evidence that your brain follows a monthly timetable where executive function disappears on Thursday and comes back about three days later. Fortunately. It would make scheduling meetings considerably more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But there\u2019s an important difference here. A test can show no change in how well you perform while you still feel different. <strong class=\"eqb\">That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re imagining what you notice.<\/strong> How you do on a test is only one part of how your day actually feels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:30px\"><style>.hm-con{margin:0;border:1.5px solid #e8e1d5;border-radius:16px;overflow:hidden;background:#fff}.hm-con .h,.hm-con .r{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1.35fr}.hm-con .h span{padding:12px 22px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b6259;background:#faf8f3}.hm-con .r{border-top:1px solid #e8e1d5}.hm-con .r span{padding:15px 22px;font-size:19px;line-height:1.45;color:#2a2622}.hm-con .r span:first-child{font-weight:600}.hm-con .r span+span,.hm-con .h span+span{border-left:1px solid #e8e1d5}@media(max-width:600px){.hm-con .h{display:none}.hm-con .r{grid-template-columns:1fr}.hm-con .r span{padding:4px 18px}.hm-con .r span:first-child{padding-top:14px}.hm-con .r span:last-child{padding-bottom:14px}.hm-con .r span+span{border-left:0}}<\/style><div class=\"hm-con\"><div class=\"h\"><span>What can change<\/span><span>What stays the same<\/span><\/div><div class=\"r\"><span>You can sleep differently<\/span><span>without becoming less intelligent.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"r\"><span>You can experience more pain<\/span><span>without losing your reasoning ability.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"r\"><span>You can feel more emotionally reactive<\/span><span>without having impaired executive functioning.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"r\"><span>You can be exhausted<\/span><span>and still perform normally on a laboratory memory task while feeling, quite sincerely, that your brain has been replaced by damp cardboard.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">These things aren\u2019t contradictory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-experience-of-brain-fog-is-more-complicated-than-a-cog\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The experience of \u201cbrain fog\u201d is more complicated than a cognitive test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When someone says \u201cI can\u2019t think properly,\u201d they might mean several different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px\"><ul class=\"hm-maybe\"><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are forgetting words.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are having trouble sustaining attention.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are sleeping badly.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are anxious and monitoring themselves constantly.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are physically uncomfortable.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> their thoughts are unusually preoccupied.<\/li><li><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> they are mentally exhausted.<\/li><li class=\"all\"><span class=\"pp\">Perhaps<\/span> all of these are happening at once.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A standard thinking test only picks up some of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This matters a lot around menopause. Many people say their thinking has changed, while tests of memory and attention don\u2019t always show it in the same way. A 2025 review of the research found that how people rate their own thinking and how they score on tests don\u2019t line up neatly in the years around menopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That\u2019s not a reason to dismiss what people feel. Quite the opposite! It\u2019s a reminder that <strong class=\"eqb\">\u201cthinking\u201d is not one thing, and a test only measures part of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So the evidence doesn\u2019t support the popular idea that the phases of your cycle make you smarter, less intelligent, more creative or foggier across the board. What it does support is that hormonal ups and downs come alongside changes in lots of other things, like sleep, pain, energy and how you feel. <strong class=\"eqb\">Those are two different claims, and it\u2019s the second one the research supports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#fdede5;border:0;border-left:4px solid #b23c0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#b23c0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#b23c0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Fun fact<\/p><p class=\"t\">Across more than a hundred studies, researchers found no reliable sign that your cycle makes you smarter or less smart. How you feel can change from week to week. How well your brain performs doesn\u2019t seem to.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"142.42 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>04<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part four of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-4\">The surprisingly busy life of progesterone<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What progesterone turns into, and how that helps explain PMDD<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Progesterone is a hormone that rises in the second half of the cycle. People often call it the \u201ccalming\u201d hormone, and that\u2019s far too simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your body turns some progesterone into other substances that act on the brain. One of them has a real mouthful of a name, allopregnanolone. It acts on receptors for GABA, part of one of the brain\u2019s main braking systems, which generally calms nerve cells down. Allopregnanolone can boost that braking, which is why researchers study it in anxiety, stress, sleep and mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And this is where things get wonderfully inconvenient. <strong class=\"eqb\">Something that can have a calming effect doesn\u2019t make everyone feel calm.<\/strong> In some people, changes in allopregnanolone go along with anxiety, irritability and low mood. Research on PMDD suggests that in people with the condition, the brain may respond differently as allopregnanolone rises and falls, and that this may help explain their symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">One of progesterone\u2019s by-products has an unusual relationship with your brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Progesterone tends to get described as the \u201ccalming\u201d hormone. That is another example of a complicated biological process being turned into a personality adjective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">What makes progesterone especially interesting is that your brain doesn\u2019t just receive it as progesterone. Your body turns some of it into other substances that act on the brain, including one with a real mouthful of a name, <em class=\"eqi\">allopregnanolone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Allopregnanolone works on <em class=\"eqi\">GABA-A receptors<\/em>, which belong to one of the brain\u2019s main braking systems. GABA generally calms nerve cells down, helping control how strongly brain circuits respond. Allopregnanolone can boost that braking effect, which is why researchers are so interested in it when they study anxiety, stress, sleep and mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And this is where things get wonderfully inconvenient. <strong class=\"eqb\">Something that can have a calming effect doesn\u2019t make everyone feel calm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">In some people, changes in allopregnanolone go along with anxiety, irritability and low mood. Research on PMDD suggests that in people with the condition, the brain may respond differently as allopregnanolone rises and falls, and that this may help explain their symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So the same system that usually helps your brain put the brakes on can, in different circumstances, become part of a really unpleasant experience. That\u2019s one reason PMDD teaches researchers so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-keep\" style=\"margin-top:14px;margin-bottom:34px\"><figure class=\"hm-chain\"><div class=\"row\"><p class=\"lab\"><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">The old explanation might have been<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">The old, simple version<\/span><\/p><ol class=\"hpw-nrm\" aria-label=\"Hormones fluctuate \u2192 mood becomes bad.\"><li><span class=\"nd\">hormones fluctuate<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">mood becomes bad<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><ol class=\"hpw-pln\" aria-label=\"Hormones go up and down \u2192 mood gets worse.\"><li><span class=\"nd\">hormones go up and down<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">mood gets worse<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><\/div><div class=\"row long\"><p class=\"lab\"><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">The more interesting explanation is closer to<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">What research suggests is closer to<\/span><\/p><ol class=\"hpw-nrm\" aria-label=\"Hormones fluctuate \u2192 a neuroactive steroid changes \u2192 the brain\u2019s signaling environment changes \u2192 a susceptible nervous system responds differently \u2192 mood and stress regulation can change.\"><li><span class=\"nd\">hormones fluctuate<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">a neuroactive steroid changes<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">the brain\u2019s signaling environment changes<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">a susceptible nervous system responds differently<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">mood and stress regulation can change<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><ol class=\"hpw-pln\" aria-label=\"Hormones go up and down \u2192 a by-product like allopregnanolone changes \u2192 signals in the brain change \u2192 a more sensitive brain reacts differently \u2192 how you handle mood and stress can change.\"><li><span class=\"nd\">hormones go up and down<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">a by-product like allopregnanolone changes<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">signals in the brain change<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">a more sensitive brain reacts differently<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">how you handle mood and stress can change<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That\u2019s a very different story. It\u2019s also much closer to what neuroscience actually looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">The change itself can matter, not only the level.<\/strong> A hormone can sit at a level your brain has met many times before, and moving into or out of that level can still make a real difference in people who are sensitive to it. Think of a room at 20 degrees Celsius. Walking in from 5 degrees feels very different from walking in from 30, even though the number is the same. Your body responds to changes as well as to levels, and it takes time to adjust. That may be one reason hormonal transitions can feel so noticeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And that brings us to another system that\u2019s always paying attention to change: the stress system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That\u2019s a very different story. It\u2019s also much closer to what neuroscience actually looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"the-brain-is-responding-to-change-not-simply-to-a-number\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The brain is responding to change, not simply to a number<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">The change itself can matter, not only the level.<\/strong> A hormone can sit at a level your brain has met many times before, and yet moving into or out of that level can still make a real difference in people who are sensitive to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Think about temperature. Twenty degrees Celsius isn\u2019t stressful on its own. But going from five degrees to twenty feels very different from going from thirty to twenty. The number is the same. The change isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones are obviously far more complicated than room temperature, but the idea carries over. Your body responds not only to levels but to changes, and it takes time to adjust to them. That may be one reason hormonal transitions can feel so noticeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And that brings us to another system that\u2019s always paying attention to change: the stress system.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"178.02 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>05<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part five of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-5\">When hormones and stress meet<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Why hormonal changes can alter the background against which stress is experienced<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes \u201chormonal\u201d and \u201cpsychological\u201d are describing the same system from different directions. Your hormones and your stress system are connected, and they affect each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Say you\u2019ve slept badly for three nights. You\u2019re already on edge, and then someone loads the dishwasher \u201cwrong\u201d and you\u2019re furious. Nothing about the dishwasher changed. <strong class=\"eqb\">The state you were in did<\/strong>, and hormones can be one part of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There\u2019s some evidence that your stress response changes a little across the cycle. Cortisol is a hormone your body releases as part of that response, and one review found it rose slightly more after sudden stress in the second half of the cycle than in the first. The differences were small, and there isn\u2019t much research yet. So it would be far too simple to say you\u2019re more stressed before your period because your cortisol is higher. The researchers themselves say better studies are needed, and people differ a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But the bigger idea matters. Your stress system doesn\u2019t work on its own, and neither do your reproductive hormones. Neither works separately from your sleep, your immune system, your metabolism, pain, or the sense your brain is making of what\u2019s happening. That\u2019s why splitting experience neatly into \u201cphysical\u201d and \u201cpsychological\u201d can be misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The loop below shows how a hormone change, sleep and stress can each lead to the next. You can start it anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">Sometimes \u201chormonal\u201d and \u201cpsychological\u201d are describing the same system from different directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Imagine that you have slept badly for three nights. You are already more irritable. Then something mildly annoying happens. On an ordinary day, you might shrug. Today, you are disproportionately furious about the way someone has loaded the dishwasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The dishwasher did not suddenly become psychologically significant. <strong class=\"eqb\">Your internal conditions changed<\/strong>. Hormones can be part of those conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your reproductive hormones and your stress system talk to each other through overlapping pathways. Researchers have looked at whether your stress response changes across the cycle, and there\u2019s some evidence that it does, a little. One review found slightly higher <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-7\"><em class=\"eqi\">cortisol<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-7\"><b>cortisol<\/b>A hormone released by the adrenal glands as part of the body stress response. It helps mobilize energy and follows a daily rhythm, highest in the morning.<\/span><\/span> responses to sudden stress in the second half of the cycle than in the first. The differences were small, though, and there isn\u2019t much research yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That isn\u2019t enough to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-66cb9a2b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-left-color:#44704a;border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-radius:0px;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:2px 0px 2px 26px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);font-style:italic;font-weight:500;line-height:1.55\">You are more stressed before your period because your cortisol is higher.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That would be far too simple. The researchers themselves say better studies are needed, and people differ a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But the bigger idea matters. Your stress system doesn\u2019t work on its own. Neither do your reproductive hormones. And neither works separately from your sleep, your immune system, your metabolism, pain, or the sense your brain is making of what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is why trying to split experience neatly into \u201cphysical\u201d and \u201cpsychological\u201d can be misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:46px\"><figure class=\"hm-fig hm-loop\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">A loop with no first step<\/p><p class=\"un\">press any card<\/p><\/div><ol class=\"ring\"><li class=\"orb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg><rect\/><\/svg><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c0\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"node on\" data-i=\"0\"><span class=\"k\">1<\/span><span><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">You might have a hormonal change that affects sleep<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">A hormone change might affect your sleep<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/li><li class=\"c1\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"node\" data-i=\"1\"><span class=\"k\">2<\/span><span><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">Poor sleep changes emotional regulation<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">Poor sleep changes how you handle your feelings<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/li><li class=\"c2\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"node\" data-i=\"2\"><span class=\"k\">3<\/span><span>That makes a stressful situation feel harder<\/span><\/button><\/li><li class=\"c3\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"node\" data-i=\"3\"><span class=\"k\">4<\/span><span><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">The stressful situation then changes how you sleep<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">And the stress then changes how you sleep<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/li><li aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"display:contents\"><svg class=\"arr a1\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 11h14M13 6l5 5-5 5\"\/><\/svg><svg class=\"arr a2\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 11h14M13 6l5 5-5 5\"\/><\/svg><svg class=\"arr a3\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 11h14M13 6l5 5-5 5\"\/><\/svg><svg class=\"arr a4\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 11h14M13 6l5 5-5 5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><div class=\"ask\"><p id=\"hm-lsay\" aria-live=\"polite\">Starting at <b>1<\/b>, four steps bring you back to where you began.<\/p><\/div><figcaption><span class=\"hpw-nrm\">Now the original hormone fluctuation is sitting somewhere inside a much larger feedback loop.<\/span><span class=\"hpw-pln\">Now the original hormone change is sitting somewhere inside a much bigger loop.<\/span><\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.querySelector(\".hm-loop\");if(!f){return;}var ring=f.querySelector(\".ring\"),el=f.querySelector(\".orb rect\"),dot=f.querySelector(\".orb .dot\");var ns=f.querySelectorAll(\".node\");var s=document.getElementById(\"hm-lsay\");var RM=false;if(window.matchMedia){RM=window.matchMedia(\"(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)\").matches;}var box=function(){var r=ring.getBoundingClientRect();return {x:-22,y:-22,w:r.width+44,h:r.height+44,W:r.width,H:r.height};};var draw=function(){if(!el){return;}var g=box();el.setAttribute(\"x\",g.x);el.setAttribute(\"y\",g.y);el.setAttribute(\"width\",g.w);el.setAttribute(\"height\",g.h);el.setAttribute(\"rx\",18);};var at=function(d){var g=box(),L=2*(g.w+g.h);d=((d%L)+L)%L;if(d<g.w){return [g.x+d,g.y];}d-=g.w;if(d<g.h){return [g.x+g.w,g.y+d];}d-=g.h;if(d<g.w){return [g.x+g.w-d,g.y+g.h];}d-=g.w;return [g.x,g.y+g.h-d];};var start=function(k){var g=box(),c=22+(g.W-68)\/4;if(k===0){return c;}if(k===1){return g.w-c;}if(k===2){return g.w+g.h+c;}return 2*g.w+g.h-c;};var put=function(d){var p=at(d);dot.style.transform=\"translate(\"+p[0]+\"px,\"+p[1]+\"px)\";return p;};var near=function(p){var g=box(),best=0,bd=1e9;var C=[[g.W\/4,g.H\/4],[3*g.W\/4,g.H\/4],[3*g.W\/4,3*g.H\/4],[g.W\/4,3*g.H\/4]];for(var i=0;i<4;i++){var dx=p[0]-C[i][0],dy=p[1]-C[i][1],q=dx*dx+dy*dy;if(q<bd){bd=q;best=i;}}return best;};draw();put(start(0));window.addEventListener(\"resize\",function(){draw();});var run=null;var go=function(k){var d0=start(k);if(RM){put(d0);return;}var g=box(),L=2*(g.w+g.h),t0=null,D=2800;if(run){cancelAnimationFrame(run);}var step=function(ts){if(t0===null){t0=ts;}var p=Math.min(1,(ts-t0)\/D);var e=p<0.5?2*p*p:1-Math.pow(-2*p+2,2)\/2;var pt=put(d0+e*L);var n=near(pt);Array.prototype.forEach.call(ns,function(m){m.classList.toggle(\"pass\",p<1?parseInt(m.getAttribute(\"data-i\"),10)===n:false);});if(p<1){run=requestAnimationFrame(step);}};run=requestAnimationFrame(step);};Array.prototype.forEach.call(ns,function(n){n.addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var st=parseInt(n.getAttribute(\"data-i\"),10);Array.prototype.forEach.call(ns,function(m){var j=parseInt(m.getAttribute(\"data-i\"),10);m.querySelector(\".k\").textContent=String(((j-st+4)%4)+1);m.classList.toggle(\"on\",j===st);});if(s){s.innerHTML=\"Starting here instead, four steps still bring you back to where you began.\";}draw();go(st);});});})();<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So which part caused the feeling? <strong class=\"eqb\">There may not be one single answer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Picture two people going through the same hormonal changes before their period. One is sleeping well and feeling fine. The other is sleeping four hours a night, is already anxious, lives with long-term pain and is dealing with a hard situation at work. It would be strange to expect them to feel the same. Hormones aren\u2019t landing on an empty brain. They\u2019re arriving in a system that\u2019s already busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Hormones change the conditions your brain is working in.<\/strong> They don\u2019t write the whole experience themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So which part caused the feeling? <strong class=\"eqb\">There may not be one single answer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"this-is-also-why-context-matters\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">This is also why context matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Picture two people going through the same hormonal changes before their period. One is sleeping well, isn\u2019t under much stress, feels secure in their relationships and feels physically fine. The other is sleeping four hours a night, is already anxious, lives with chronic pain and is dealing with a hard situation at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It would be strange to expect them to feel the same. Hormones aren\u2019t landing on an empty brain. They\u2019re arriving in a system that\u2019s already busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This might be the most useful way to think about it:<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;margin-top:44px;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-weight:700;line-height:1.45\">Hormones change the conditions under which your brain is processing experience. They do not write the entire experience themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#fdede5;border:0;border-left:4px solid #b23c0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#b23c0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#b23c0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth noting<\/p><p class=\"t\">Hormones, sleep and stress feed into each other. When a bad week feels bigger than it should, it\u2019s worth asking what else has changed, not only where you are in your cycle.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"213.63 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>06<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part six of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-6\">When the hormonal landscape changes<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What we know about postpartum changes, perimenopause, menopause and the brain<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Puberty, pregnancy, the months after birth and perimenopause all bring big hormonal changes in a fairly short time, and the link between hormones and how you feel can become much easier to notice. They\u2019re about more than hormone levels, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Perimenopause is the years leading up to your final period and the year after it, when cycles get irregular and hormone levels go up and down. Menopause itself is confirmed once twelve months have passed since your last period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">During pregnancy, hormones rise to very high levels. After birth, they fall dramatically, and fast. It\u2019s tempting to blame postpartum depression, the depression some people have after having a baby, on that drop alone. But a recent review describes several things acting together: hormones, the stress system, the brain\u2019s chemical messengers and the immune system, rather than a drop in hormones alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Then there\u2019s everything else: lack of sleep, pain, recovering from the birth, changes in how you see yourself, feeding difficulties, your mental health history and how much support you have. And the extraordinary experience of suddenly being responsible for a person who has absolutely no respect for your preferred sleep schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The hormones matter. They\u2019re just not the whole story. <strong class=\"eqb\">A biological explanation should never erase the psychological and social ones.<\/strong> If you\u2019re struggling after having a baby, it isn\u2019t a failure of willpower or of love, and it\u2019s worth telling your doctor or midwife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Perimenopause is when many people first meet the phrase \u201cbrain fog.\u201d It sounds vague until it happens to you. You walk into a room and forget why. A familiar word refuses to arrive. You can still do the work. You just feel less quick while you\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And unlike the bigger claims about the menstrual cycle, this one has growing evidence behind it. <strong class=\"eqb\">The menopausal transition can bring real changes in how your thinking feels.<\/strong> A recent review of more than twenty studies found that people in perimenopause scored lower on thinking tests than people who hadn\u2019t reached it yet. The result depended a lot on how the researchers decided who was in which stage. How people rated their own thinking and how they scored didn\u2019t always match, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sleep matters a lot here. Sleep problems are common around menopause, and hormone changes, hot flashes, night sweats and other things can all play a part. Poor sleep, in turn, can affect attention, memory, mood and how you handle your emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So hormone changes may be affecting your concentration directly. They may also be disturbing your sleep, which can then affect attention and mood. And worrying about feeling less sharp can add another layer on top. <strong class=\"eqb\">Your brain doesn\u2019t label each cause separately. It simply experiences the result.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#35302a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.55\">Puberty, the months after giving birth, <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-8\"><em class=\"eqi\">perimenopause<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-8\"><b>perimenopause<\/b>The years of transition leading up to the final period and the year after it, when cycles become irregular and hormone levels fluctuate. Menopause itself is confirmed once twelve months have passed since the last period.<\/span><\/span> and menopause are about more than changes in hormone levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Some stages of life bring big hormonal changes in a fairly short time. Puberty is one. Pregnancy and the months after birth are another. Perimenopause is another. During these transitions, the link between hormones and how you feel can become much easier to notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"after-pregnancy-the-biological-environment-changes-very-qu\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">After pregnancy, the biological environment changes very quickly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">During pregnancy, reproductive hormones rise to very high levels. After birth, they fall dramatically, and fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It\u2019s tempting to turn that into a simple explanation for postpartum depression:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-n\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px\"><figure class=\"hm-chain\"><div class=\"row\"><ol aria-label=\"Hormones drop \u2192 depression happens.\"><li><span class=\"nd\">hormones drop<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><li><span class=\"nd\">depression happens<\/span><svg class=\"ar\" viewBox=\"0 0 26 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1 6h22M18 1.5 23 6l-5 4.5\"\/><\/svg><\/li><\/ol><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But postpartum depression doesn\u2019t work like that. A 2026 review describes it as several things acting together: hormones, the stress system, the brain\u2019s chemical messengers and the immune system, rather than a drop in hormones alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There\u2019s also the lack of sleep. And then all of this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-n\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px\"><ul class=\"hm-pill\"><li>physical recovery<\/li><li>pain<\/li><li>changes in identity<\/li><li>the demands of caring for a newborn<\/li><li>relationship changes<\/li><li>loss of routine<\/li><li>feeding difficulties<\/li><li>previous mental-health history<\/li><li>social support<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And the extraordinary experience of suddenly being responsible for a person who has absolutely no respect for your preferred sleep schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The hormones matter. They\u2019re just not the whole story. <strong class=\"eqb\">A biological explanation should never erase the psychological and social ones.<\/strong> If you\u2019re struggling after having a baby, it isn\u2019t a failure of willpower or of love, and it\u2019s worth telling your doctor or midwife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"then-there-is-perimenopause\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Then there is perimenopause<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is where many people first meet the phrase \u201cbrain fog.\u201d It sounds vague until it happens to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-n\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px\"><ul class=\"hm-run\"><li>You walk into a room and forget why.<\/li><li>A familiar word refuses to arrive.<\/li><li>You reread the same paragraph.<\/li><li>You know what you want to say, but retrieving the word takes longer than it should.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You can still do the work. You just feel less quick while you\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And unlike the bigger claims about the menstrual cycle, this one has growing evidence behind it. <strong class=\"eqb\">The menopausal transition can bring real changes in how your thinking feels.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A 2026 review that pooled more than twenty studies found poorer results on thinking tests in people in perimenopause than in people who hadn\u2019t reached it yet, although the result depended a lot on how the researchers decided who was in which stage. How people rated their own thinking and how they scored didn\u2019t always match, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Another review notes that brain fog, mood changes and poor sleep are common complaints during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sleep deserves special attention here. Sleep problems are common around menopause, and hormone changes, <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-9\"><em class=\"eqi\">vasomotor symptoms<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-9\"><b>vasomotor symptoms<\/b>Hot flashes and night sweats. Sudden waves of heat caused by changes in how the body controls blood flow and temperature.<\/span><\/span> and other physical and psychological things can all play a part. Poor sleep, in turn, can affect attention, memory, mood and how well you handle your emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So when someone says \u201cMy hormones have ruined my concentration,\u201d the answer may be more complicated than yes or no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormone changes may be affecting it directly. They may also be disturbing sleep, or bringing hot flashes and night waking. Those can then affect attention and mood. And worrying about feeling less sharp can add another layer on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Your brain doesn\u2019t label each cause separately. It simply experiences the result.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background hpw-keep hpw-nopill has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-558bc9ce wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fcf2ec;border-color:#f3ddd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4;text-transform:uppercase\">If your thinking feels different in perimenopause<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.6\">\n<li><strong class=\"eqb\">Look at your sleep first<\/strong>, including night sweats and waking in the night. Sleep problems around menopause are common, and they\u2019re worth treating in their own right.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Write down what\u2019s changed and roughly when it started, so you can describe it clearly rather than from memory on the day.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Tell your doctor or gynecologist. Brain fog, mood changes and poor sleep are recognized parts of the transition, so you won\u2019t be the first person to bring them up!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So perimenopause often does come with changes in sleep, mood and thinking. Our <a href=\"\/perimenopause-and-mood\/\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">article on perimenopause and mood<\/a> goes into the mood side in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"hm-part hm-th\"><div class=\"no\"><svg class=\"rg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76 76\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d8e5d5\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><circle cx=\"38\" cy=\"38\" r=\"34\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#44704a\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"213.63 213.63\" transform=\"rotate(-90 38 38)\"\/><\/svg><span>07<\/span><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part seven of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-7\">So, is it your hormones?<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What all of this means when you are trying to make sense of how you feel<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-pl has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-plk wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">In plain words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes. But that answer is much less useful than it sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones do affect how your brain works, including your mood, thinking, stress and sleep, and there\u2019s good evidence for that. There\u2019s also good evidence that hormonal changes can affect people very differently. That\u2019s where \u201cit\u2019s just your hormones\u201d starts to fall apart, because \u201cyour hormones\u201d aren\u2019t an explanation on their own. They\u2019re one biological system working with others, and all of it works together with your history, your surroundings, your sleep, your relationships, your stress and your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes the hormonal part is clear, as with PMDD, where the hormone changes themselves are ordinary but the brain\u2019s response to them can be very different. Sometimes it\u2019s much harder to untangle, like brain fog in perimenopause, which can involve hormone changes, broken sleep, hot flashes, mood and stress all at once. And sometimes the answer really isn\u2019t hormones. You may be exhausted because you\u2019re exhausted. You may be irritable because somebody has been annoying you for three weeks and your nervous system has finally filed the appropriate paperwork. <strong class=\"eqb\">A hormonal explanation should add information. It should not replace curiosity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Be careful with hormone explanations online. Hormones are invisible, powerful and complicated enough to sound convincing, which makes them perfect for internet certainty. <strong class=\"eqb\">But sounding biologically plausible is not the same as being proven.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Estradiol has lots of effects on the brain, but that doesn\u2019t mean taking estrogen will automatically lift your mood or sharpen your thinking. When researchers tested menopausal hormone therapy in proper trials, the picture was mixed. A review of more than thirty trials found no overall effect on thinking, although some results varied with the type of treatment and when it was started. Sometimes the answer is impressive. Sometimes it is modest. And sometimes the evidence simply isn\u2019t settled yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A more useful question than \u201cAre my hormones causing this?\u201d is \u201cCould hormonal changes be one of the things influencing how my brain and body are responding right now?\u201d That question leaves room for the rest of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Notice whether something shows up at the same point in your cycle, gets worse when you\u2019re stressed or sleeping badly, started during a big hormonal change like after a baby or in perimenopause, or gets in the way of work, relationships or daily life. Those patterns are worth noticing, not because every pattern proves a hormonal cause, but because of something simple. <strong class=\"eqb\">Timing is information!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes. But that answer is much less useful than it sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones are involved in how your brain works. They influence the signals, circuits and body states that matter for mood, thinking, stress and sleep. There\u2019s good evidence for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There\u2019s also good evidence that hormonal changes can affect people very differently. And that\u2019s where \u201cit\u2019s just your hormones\u201d starts to fall apart, because \u201cyour hormones\u201d aren\u2019t an explanation on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">They\u2019re one biological system working with others, and all of it is working with your history, your surroundings, your sleep, your relationships, your stress, your health, and the meaning your brain is making of what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes the hormonal part is obvious. PMDD is one of the clearest examples: the hormone changes themselves are ordinary, but the brain\u2019s response to them can be very different in someone who is sensitive to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes it\u2019s much harder to untangle. Brain fog in perimenopause can involve hormone changes, broken sleep, hot flashes, mood, stress and several other things all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And sometimes the answer really isn\u2019t hormones. You may be exhausted because you\u2019re exhausted. You may be anxious because something genuinely difficult is happening. You may be struggling to concentrate because you\u2019ve been carrying too much for too long. You may be irritable because somebody has been annoying you for three weeks and your nervous system has finally filed the appropriate paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">A hormonal explanation should add information. It should not replace curiosity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"there-is-another-reason-to-be-careful-with-hormonal-explan\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">There is another reason to be careful with hormonal explanations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones have become a very attractive explanation for almost everything. They\u2019re invisible, powerful and complicated enough to sound convincing, which makes them perfect for internet certainty. <strong class=\"eqb\">But sounding biologically plausible is not the same as being proven.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Estradiol, for example, has lots of effects on the brain, but that doesn\u2019t mean taking estrogen will automatically lift your mood or sharpen your thinking. When researchers tested menopausal hormone therapy in proper trials, the picture was mixed. A 2024 review of more than thirty trials found no overall effect on thinking, although some results varied with the type of treatment and when it was started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is a good example of how science should work. We can have a convincing biological explanation, and we still have to ask: what actually happens in real people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Sometimes the answer is impressive. Sometimes it is modest. And sometimes the evidence simply isn\u2019t settled yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"what-this-means-for-you\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">What this means for you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Perhaps the most useful question isn\u2019t:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-n\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px\"><div class=\"hm-re\"><p class=\"a\">Are my hormones causing this?<\/p><p class=\"j\">Try<\/p><p class=\"b\">Could hormonal changes be one of the things influencing how my brain and body are responding right now?<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That question leaves room for the rest of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hpw-n\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px\"><ul class=\"hm-run\"><li>You might notice that certain symptoms reliably appear at particular points in your cycle.<\/li><li>You might notice that they become more pronounced when you are stressed or sleeping badly.<\/li><li>You might notice that they started during a major hormonal transition such as postpartum or perimenopause.<\/li><li>You might notice that the pattern is strong enough to interfere with work, relationships or everyday functioning.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those patterns are worth noticing, not because every pattern proves a hormonal cause, but because of something simple. <strong class=\"eqb\">Timing is information!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-keep hpw-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If something keeps happening at the same point in your cycle, that\u2019s really useful to bring to a doctor or another qualified health professional. A symptom diary can help a lot here, because memory is not very good at reconstructing patterns after the fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-keep hpw-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The diary is yours, so it\u2019s useful wherever you take it: to a doctor or gynecologist if you have one, or to a women\u2019s health clinic or a pharmacist if you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background hpw-keep hpw-nopill has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-558bc9ce wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fcf2ec;border-color:#f3ddd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#b23c0c;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4;text-transform:uppercase\">Keeping a symptom diary<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.6\">\n<li>Each day, jot down your mood, your sleep, your stress, and anything physical like pain or hot flashes. A few words or a score out of ten is enough.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>If you have periods, note where you are in your cycle. Day 1 is the first day of your period.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Keep it going for two or three months, so a pattern has room to show up, or not.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Bring it to your appointment. It says far more than \u201cI think it\u2019s worse before my period.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-keep hpw-nopill wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And if your mood symptoms are severe, persistent, frightening or getting in the way of your life, <strong class=\"eqb\">\u201cit\u2019s probably hormones\u201d shouldn\u2019t be the end of the investigation. It should be the beginning of a better one!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There\u2019s something reassuring about all this complexity. We tend to imagine that being psychologically stable means feeling roughly the same all the time. It doesn\u2019t. Your brain is a living system that keeps responding to sleep, food, illness, stress, relationships and changes in your body\u2019s chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones are part of that conversation. And sometimes they can help explain why something that feels like too much on Tuesday feels completely manageable again by Friday. But they don\u2019t erase your psychology. They don\u2019t decide your personality. And they certainly don\u2019t mean that every difficult feeling can be dismissed with three words: \u201cIt\u2019s your hormones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-pl wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The more interesting truth is that biology and psychology were never really separate conversations in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n\" id=\"the-bigger-picture\" style=\"color:#44704a;margin-top:80px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The bigger picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There\u2019s something reassuring about all this complexity. We tend to imagine that being psychologically stable means feeling roughly the same all the time. It doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your brain is a living system. It\u2019s constantly responding to sleep, light, food, illness, stress, relationships, memories, expectations, physical sensations and changes in your body\u2019s chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Hormones are part of that conversation. And sometimes they can help explain why something that feels like too much on Tuesday feels completely manageable again by Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But they don\u2019t erase your psychology. They don\u2019t decide your personality. And they certainly don\u2019t mean that every difficult feeling can be dismissed with three words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-n has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-66cb9a2b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-left-color:#44704a;border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-radius:0px;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:2px 0px 2px 26px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);font-style:italic;font-weight:500;line-height:1.55\">It\u2019s your hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family hpw-n wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The more interesting truth is that biology and psychology were never really separate conversations in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your brain is part of your body. Your body is constantly communicating with your brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And hormones are some of the messengers carrying information between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ae22ef18 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f0f5ee;border-color:#d7e4d3;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:64px;margin-bottom:46px;padding-top:34px;padding-right:38px;padding-bottom:34px;padding-left:38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#355a3a;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">A NOTE ON THE EVIDENCE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">With hormones, it\u2019s especially easy to jump from a biological mechanism that sounds plausible to a confident claim about how you\u2019ll feel. So this article tries to keep different kinds of evidence apart. Some things are well established, like the fact that estradiol and related steroids can change how brain cells signal. Others, especially claims about how particular hormone changes turn into everyday mood, personality or performance, are much less certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A lot of the detailed biology also comes from animal and lab studies. Human studies are hard to do well: timing the cycle, measuring hormones, recruiting enough people, deciding who counts as perimenopausal, and separating how people feel from how they perform are all tricky. That doesn\u2019t make the research unhelpful. It means the most accurate answer is sometimes: we know this system can influence the brain, and we\u2019re still working out how much that matters for a particular person, in a particular situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That is less satisfying than a simple answer. It is also usually more useful.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69c879e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#faf8f3;border-color:#e8e1d5;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:44px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">REFERENCES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fendo.2024.1350318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Andy, C., Nerattini, M., Jett, S., Carlton, C., Zarate, C., Boneu, C., Fauci, F., Ajila, T., Battista, M., Pahlajani, S., Christos, P., Fink, M. E., Williams, S., Brinton, R. D., &amp; Mosconi, L. (2024). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of menopause hormone therapy on cognition. <em>Frontiers in Endocrinology, 15<\/em>, Article 1350318.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jsmc.2018.04.002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Baker, F. C., &amp; Lee, K. A. (2018). Menstrual cycle effects on sleep. <em>Sleep Medicine Clinics, 13<\/em>(3), 283-294.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/pag0000946\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Bangle, A., Williams, D., Walters, J., &amp; Nguyen, L. (2026). Cognitive functioning in perimenopause: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Psychology and Aging, 41<\/em>(3), 303-318.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnins.2024.1348551\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Bendis, P. C., Zimmerman, S., Onisiforou, A., Zanos, P., &amp; Georgiou, P. (2024). The impact of estradiol on serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine systems. <em>Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18<\/em>, Article 1348551.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1192\/bjp.2025.103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Bixo, M., Stiernman, L., &amp; B\u00e4ckstr\u00f6m, T. (2026). Neurosteroids and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. <em>British Journal of Psychiatry, 229<\/em>(1), 92-100.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1176\/appi.ajp.157.6.924\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Bloch, M., Schmidt, P. J., Danaceau, M., Murphy, J., Nieman, L., &amp; Rubinow, D. R. (2000). Effects of gonadal steroids in women with a history of postpartum depression. <em>American Journal of Psychiatry, 157<\/em>(6), 924-930.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/GCO.0000000000001012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Carmona, N. E., Solomon, N. L., &amp; Adams, K. E. (2025). 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Ovarian hormone fluctuation, neurosteroids, and HPA axis dysregulation in perimenopausal depression: A novel heuristic model. <em>American Journal of Psychiatry, 172<\/em>(3), 227-236.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ynstr.2020.100213\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Hantsoo, L., &amp; Epperson, C. N. (2020). Allopregnanolone in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): Evidence for dysregulated sensitivity to GABA-A receptor modulating neuroactive steroids across the menstrual cycle. <em>Neurobiology of Stress, 12<\/em>, Article 100213.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jmwh.13067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Hutchens, B. F., &amp; Kearney, J. (2020). Risk factors for postpartum depression: An umbrella review. <em>Journal of Midwifery and Women\u2019s Health, 65<\/em>(1), 96-108.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0318576\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Jang, D., Zhang, J., &amp; Elfenbein, H. A. (2025). Menstrual cycle effects on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis. <em>PLOS ONE, 20<\/em>(3), Article e0318576.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/14651858.CD001396.pub4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Jespersen, C., Lauritsen, M. P., Frokjaer, V. G., &amp; Schroll, J. B. (2024). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. <em>Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024<\/em>(8), Article CD001396.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2023.105212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Klusmann, H., Luecking, N., Engel, S., Blecker, M. K., Knaevelsrud, C., &amp; Schumacher, S. (2023). Menstrual cycle-related changes in HPA axis reactivity to acute psychosocial and physiological stressors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. <em>Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 150<\/em>, Article 105212.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.smrv.2015.12.006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Palmer, C. A., &amp; Alfano, C. A. (2017). Sleep and emotion regulation: An organizing, integrative review. <em>Sleep Medicine Reviews, 31<\/em>, 6-16.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Prasad, D., Wollenhaupt-Aguiar, B., Kidd, K. N., de Azevedo Cardoso, T., &amp; Frey, B. N. (2021). Suicidal risk in women with premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Journal of Women\u2019s Health, 30<\/em>(12), 1693-1707.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2015.0111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Schmidt, P. J., Ben Dor, R., Martinez, P. E., Guerrieri, G. M., Harsh, V. L., Thompson, K., Koziol, D. E., Nieman, L. K., &amp; Rubinow, D. R. (2015). Effects of estradiol withdrawal on mood in women with past perimenopausal depression: A randomized clinical trial. <em>JAMA Psychiatry, 72<\/em>(7), 714-726.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJM199801223380401\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Schmidt, P. J., Nieman, L. K., Danaceau, M. A., Adams, L. F., &amp; Rubinow, D. R. (1998). Differential behavioral effects of gonadal steroids in women with and in those without premenstrual syndrome. <em>New England Journal of Medicine, 338<\/em>(4), 209-216.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/AOG.0000000000005914\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Williams, M., &amp; Maki, P. M. (2025). A review of cognitive, sleep, and mood changes in the menopausal transition: Beyond vasomotor symptoms. <em>Obstetrics and Gynecology, 146<\/em>(3), 350-359.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/menopause\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">World Health Organization. (2024). <em>Menopause<\/em> [Fact sheet].<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">BOOKS FROM OUR SHELF<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/hardcover\/9780691191317\/period\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#efc4ad\">Clancy, K. (2023). <em>Period: The real story of menstruation<\/em>. Princeton University Press.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-lastrev\" style=\"margin:34px 0 0;font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259\">Last reviewed October 2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp{--rc-accent:#b23c0c;--rc-band:#f9eee9;--rc-hover:#f4e1d9;--rc-bg:#faf8f3}.eqp .eq-rc-btn{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc{position:relative}.eqp .eq-rc li[hidden]{display:block;margin:0;padding:0;height:0;line-height:0;font-size:0}.eqp .eq-rc li.rc-off{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc.is-collapsed::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;height:76px;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,transparent,var(--rc-bg) 94%);pointer-events:none}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;gap:8px;box-sizing:border-box;min-width:260px;min-height:48px;margin:22px 0 0;padding:12px 26px;background:var(--rc-band);color:var(--rc-accent);border:1.5px solid var(--rc-accent);border-radius:9px;font-family:\"Work Sans\",system-ui,sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;text-decoration:none;text-align:center;box-shadow:none;cursor:pointer;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn:hover{background:var(--rc-hover);color:var(--rc-accent)}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn:focus-visible{outline:3px solid var(--rc-accent);outline-offset:3px}.eqp .eq-rc-chev{flex:0 0 auto;width:8px;height:8px;margin-top:-4px;border-right:2px solid currentColor;border-bottom:2px solid currentColor;transform:rotate(45deg);transition:transform .2s ease}.eqp .eq-rc-btn[aria-expanded=\"true\"] .eq-rc-chev{margin-top:4px;transform:rotate(-135deg)}@media (max-width:640px){.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn{display:flex;width:100%;min-width:0;margin:18px 0 0;padding:12px 10px}}@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.eqp .eq-rc-chev{transition:none}}@media print{.eqp .eq-rc-btn{display:none!important}.eqp .eq-rc::after{display:none!important}.eqp .eq-rc li[hidden]{display:list-item!important;content-visibility:visible!important;height:auto!important;font-size:inherit!important;line-height:inherit!important}.eqp .eq-rc li.rc-off{display:list-item!important}}<\/style>\n<style id=\"eq-sweep-2792-21oct\">\n\/* 21 Oct 2026 sweep (2792). 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t=targetOf(window.location.hash);\nif(reveal(t)){\nt.scrollIntoView({block:\"start\"});\n}\n}\nfunction run(){\nvar lists=findLists(),b;\nfor(b=0;b<lists.length;b++){setup(lists[b],b);}\nfromHash();\n}\ndocument.addEventListener(\"click\",function(e){\nvar a=e.target;\nwhile(a){\nif(a.tagName===\"A\"){break;}\na=a.parentNode;\n}\nif(!a){return;}\nif(!a.getAttribute){return;}\nvar h=a.getAttribute(\"href\");\nif(!h){return;}\nif(h.charAt(0)!==\"#\"){return;}\nreveal(targetOf(h));\n},true);\nwindow.addEventListener(\"hashchange\",fromHash);\nwindow.addEventListener(\"load\",fromHash);\nrun();\nif(document.readyState===\"loading\"){\ndocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",run);\n}\n})();<\/script>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-32086477 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-left-color:#e8e1d5;border-left-width:4px;border-left-style:solid;border-radius:0px;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:56px;padding:4px 0px 4px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.227), 16px);line-height:1.7\"><strong style=\"color:#b23c0c\">This article is general information, not medical advice.<\/strong> It cannot diagnose or rule out any condition. Changes in mood, sleep or concentration that follow your cycle, come after pregnancy or arrive around perimenopause deserve proper medical assessment, particularly when they are severe, new or getting worse. If any of this sounds like your experience, please speak to your doctor or gynecologist, and talk with them before starting, stopping or changing any hormonal treatment. Psychological support is intended to work alongside appropriate medical care, never to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:44px\"><a class=\"hm-next\" href=\"\/your-brain-on-stress\/\"><span class=\"eyb\">Read next<\/span><span class=\"ti\">Your Brain on Stress<\/span><span class=\"wy\">What the stress system is actually doing, and why the same week can feel manageable one month and impossible the next.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group hpw-keep hpw-end has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A therapist taking notes on a clipboard during a session\" class=\"wp-image-230\" style=\"width:100%;height:340px;object-fit:cover;object-position:center 40%;border-radius:22px 22px 0 0;display:block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n<div hidden data-eq-related=\"2981,2963,3885\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background eq-ondark has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f761ea3b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#44704a;border-radius:0px 0px 22px 22px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:80px;padding:52px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#fde6d9;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORKING WITH THIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"when-the-pattern-keeps-coming-back\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When the pattern keeps coming back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);line-height:1.7\">If something keeps returning at the same point in your cycle, or started with a hormonal transition and has not settled, it deserves more than being put down to hormones. Alongside medical care, it can help to have somewhere to talk through the stress, the sleep and the sense you are making of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/individual-session\/\" style=\"border-radius:9px;color:#2a2622;background-color:#faf8f3;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:700\">Book a session<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button footer_b\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/contact\/\" style=\"border-color:#f6c9ae;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:9px;color:#ffffff;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:600\">Get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How hormones affect your brain and mood, why hormonal changes can feel surprisingly psychological, and what the science actually tells us.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":639,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-body-and-mind","category-deep-dive","category-womens-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2792"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4757,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2792\/revisions\/4757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}