Girl To Girl: Vol. 2

7 Causes of Mood Swings That Aren't PMS

Many of us experience emotional ups and downs sometimes as part of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). You probably know the drill when it comes to those familiar physical and emotional symptoms that kick in as early as two weeks before your period.

Our emotions at this time can be a real roller-coaster, from anger and irritability to feeling upset and teary to full-on guilt and anxiety. This is all pretty normal. But there are also other conditions that can mimic, or even overlap, with PMS. It's worth figuring out if something else is going on as it could be something that could get a lot better with some medical attention. So let's take a look at some of the main causes.

So what else could it be?

#1: Depression or Anxiety: Depression and anxiety are the most common conditions that overlap with PMS. Around 50 percent of women looking for treatment for PMS also have one of these disorders. The symptoms of all three are pretty similar, but with depression, symptoms can last all month and get worse before or during periods.

#2: Endometriosis: This is a disorder where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places, such as the uterine tubes and ovaries. Because endometriosis is a long-term condition and can cause chronic pain, it can lead to feelings of depression.

#3: Underactive thyroid: Also known as hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones. Along with tiredness and weight gain, the most common sign of an underactive thyroid is feeling depressed.

#4: Overactive thyroid: With hyperthyroidism, the opposite is happening - the thyroid gland produces too many thyroid hormones. Mood swings, nervousness, anxiety, and irritability are all common for people with an overactive thyroid.

#5: Perimenopause: When the ovaries stop consistently producing as much estrogen and no longer release an egg each month, periods eventually stop, and menopause begins. But symptoms can start a few months or even years before periods stop. This hormonal roller-coaster can go on for many years. Mood swings are a common feature of perimenopause.

#6: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Signs of this condition include irregular periods, excess facial and body hair caused by high levels of "male" hormones, and many fluid-filled sacs surrounding the eggs in the ovaries. The ovaries do not release eggs regularly and hormonal levels are out of balance. Because people with POS may be overweight, and suffer from acne and abnormal hair growth which can have a major effect on confidence and self-esteem, people who have it are at higher risk of developing depression and mood swings.

#7: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): A small number of people get a more severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Signs of PMDD include feeling very anxious, angry, depressed, or, in some cases, suicidal in the two weeks before a period. People with PMDD have a very hard time functioning during this time. If you feel you may be about to harm yourself, contact emergency services.

Endometriosis in Focus

Around one in 10 women of reproductive age are diagnosed with endometriosis. These are the most common signs to watch out for:

- Long-term pelvic pain, especially before or during your period

- Pain during sex

- Pain when you go to the bathroom

- Heavy periods

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms alongside feelings of depression, see your health care provider.

When is it PMS??

Okay, so we've looked at other potential causes of mood swings, but how can you tell for sure if your feelings are just a healthy and normal part of your menstrual cycle? It's likely to be PMS if you're experiencing the same kind of mood pattern month after month and if your mood swings appear - along with other PMS symptoms like breast and nipple tenderness - around two weeks before your period. They should ease up once your periods begin. To find out more, read the chapter about mood swings and your cycle.

Keep a note

Some women find that keeping tabs of their monthly struggles seems to help ease any anxiety they may be having due to not knowing what their issue is.
You can do it the old fashioned way with a journal or diary and pen, or take it down in the Notes app in your phone.
You can jot down your entire cycle or just your period, but either way here are some important bullet points to consider:
- any foods that didn't agree with you
-bloating
-cramping
-bleeding/spotting & how light or heavy the flow
- headaches, backaches, fatigue
- sexual drive, masturbation, sex (un)protected ?
- mood (ex. sad, happy, calm, energetic, frisky, mood swings, irritated, depressed, anxious, etc.)
- most importantly, track your symptoms! (cramps, tender breasts, acne, headache, backache, bloating, cravings, fatigue, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea)
- second most important, track your discharge. whether it be no discharge, spotting, watery, egg whites, unusual, chunky, creamy, or sticky, you should keep track of it. if you're keeping a journal of your cycle, you can look back at each cycle and see the days (ex. days 15-19 of my cycle i ALWAYS have creamy discharge) and symptoms and compare, that way if one time you don't have same or similar symptoms, maybe you should keep an eye on things.
- i personally think it's important to keep track of what you eat and drink (not how much!) only for the simple fact of, if your tummy disagrees with specific foods at certain times of your cycle, you'll then learn not to eat those foods at that time. or you could just keep a bottle of Pepto in your purse and swallow a bunch of it before each meal 🤷‍♀️ (i do not condone this!)

Here's a tip! So, if you're going to keep a cycle journal or a period diary, I've found that the easiest way is to make a little chart or to just make little notes, depending on your own personal preference.
if you're planning on keeping a journal of your entire cycle, a chart might be easiest.
Example: at the very top you write each column title (discharge, bloating, cramps, headache, acne) or whatever your most common symptoms are.
then down the margin of the paper, you can number it. depending on how many days your usual cycles are. mine are abnormal and irregular, so i would number each leaf of paper 1-39. most of you will number it 1-28. that way you can always look back and see that every cycle on day 13, you have headaches and cramps, so you'll know to carry Midol or Tylenol or Alieve in your bag for that day.
I hope this is making sense ?

If you choose to just keep a little period diary, it'll probably be easier to just write down what you're feeling that day.
Example: "Day 1: im feeling miserable! I'm cramping at a level 10, im emotional and my breasts are sore. My blood flow is heavy."
"Day 4: im feeling great! I'm energetic, i have a high sex drive, I had protected sex and masturbated. My blood flow is medium."
"Day 7: i have acne and a headache. I had unprotected sex. My blood flow is light."

it all depends on what you personally like. If you're someone that enjoys making cute notes in class with pens and highlighters, you may enjoy this more and you'll probably love making a graph and keeping up with it all cycle, all year long, every single day.
if you're someone that doesn't even remember to take her birth control at times, then maybe just a little period diary with little cliff notes would suit you best. Again, it's all up to you, you get to make it any way you want it. I'll share mine for this cycle in a later chapter just to give a better idea of each one, the graph chart and the period diary.

I wish you all well and i hope everybody has a good period this cycle! I hope your cramps are mild, your flow is light and your energy and sex device is high!:)