Note: through this article I talk about people with female reproductive organs or hormones. This includes cis women, trans men, non-binary people and anyone else who experiences or has experienced that cycle of hormones.
I aim to be inclusive and use inclusive language so please let me know if there are better words or phrases I could be using.
We all have hormones and we know that many people with female reproductive organs have hormones that usually work on a monthly cycle.
If you’re someone who is blessed by barely noticing your hormonal fluctuations, I’m really pleased for you (and slightly jealous), although I’m not one of those people. I’ve struggled with painful periods and big mood swings since I started my periods around the age of 13.
I can remember being at school on my lunch breaks in real pain, feeling extremely lethargic and getting absolutely no sympathy from teachers, just getting moved along and told to go outside where there was nowhere to sit and feel sorry for myself.
As I’ve got older (and realised embarrassingly late to the party), I have found out so much more about how my body works during that monthly cycle. It allows me to see things coming and notice more about what’s going on.
It also enables me to have more compassion for myself at times when I need rest, quiet and space to take care of my body and mind.
There are times where things come more easily to me. The times when I need less sleep and can make connections or problem-solve with much more ease than at others. There are times when networking and connections with people are easier.
Tying in neurodivergent conditions to cycles is really important too. If executive function is difficult normally, the week leading up to your period is probably going to be the time where it gets even harder.
If you have ADHD and are taking medications, it can feel like they aren’t working during this time. Some psychiatrists will take that into consideration when working out prescriptions and help you sort out a schedule for this. It’s always worth asking.
So why is it so hard?
In the case of ADHD, the current prevailing theory is that a lack of dopamine causes a lot of the symptoms and that’s how people are treated. The medication works by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain to increase attention and concentration.
In bodies that include female reproductive organs, oestrogen is one of the hormones that’s integral to not only the production of dopamine but also making sure it is used and not lost.
During our cycles, oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate wildly and it shows in our performance not only at work, but everywhere else. Why would we want to be sociable when we’re knackered with no motivation?
The thing is that our society doesn’t really work on a monthly cycle. We mostly work on a daily or weekly cycle, which is well suited for male bodies and their testosterone production. Testosterone cycles in bodies with male reproductive organs tend to work over 24 hours, rather than a month.
This means that things like working hours are based on traditional male productivity and it can feel really difficult for people with female reproductive hormones to be productive in the same kind of timescales.
The monthly cycle of female hormones can be really difficult to deal with, particularly for neurodivergent people who are craving rules and predictability. Being able to predict these things is really helpful, so tracking your cycles is a great idea.
Below is a diagram which shows is a basic overview of an average menstrual cycle, taken from the Tuune website.
The lines show the rise and fall of different hormones – oestrogen (estrogen), testosterone and progesterone. It also shows how you are likely to be feeling in each section. This of course varies depending on what else is going on in your life but is a good basis to think about what you might expect.
There can also be sensory issues that affect how people deal with having a period or feeling pain. A lot of people report feeling uncomfortable dealing with the mess of having a period, particularly when they have forgotten or aren’t expecting it. Alongside fatigue, lack of sleep and irritability, this can heighten sensitivities and lead to a higher risk of meltdowns.
Neurodivergent people are much more likely to experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which causes more severe physical and emotional symptoms that are associated with periods – anger, irritability, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, difficulty concentrating, low energy, changes in appetite, headaches and pain.
I think the most important thing is that you work out how your cycles affect you personally.
I know for years I was aware that sometimes my mood swings were awful, and I’d feel snappy or moany for no apparent reason. A few days later, it would become apparent.
That didn’t change how it felt or how I behaved though. It didn’t change how other people were affected by my behaviour. And it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad person because I felt that way or said it out loud.
I’ve had several (many severals!) times where I’ve thought the world was crumbling around me and life couldn’t go on (figuratively and literally), only to find the next day or day after that everything suddenly seemed a lot better.
Things that I didn’t know that may help you out:
The first day of your period is day 1 of your cycle.
There are two main phases:
the follicular phase where the egg is released (so called because the follicles on the surface of an ovary are stimulated to do so).
the luteal phase where the uterus lining is thickened and support for a potential pregnancy is put in place.
Most of the stuff we find annoying or that affects our physical and mental health is more likely to happen in the luteal phase.
Timings and experiences can change from month to month in our own bodies.
Everyone experiences menstrual cycles differently.
It’s also useful to remember to be kinder to yourself, particularly in the times when you’re more likely to be tired, feeling vulnerable, irritable or sad.
I still have months where things feel harder to deal with than others, and since experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms, that got a lot worse.
There has been some research which suggests a link between oestrogen deficiency and Alzheimer’s. It’s not widely researched, and it particularly interested me due to a family link with Alzheimer’s. The research suggests that starting HRT earlier can help to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s.
I’ve also seen some research that suggests a link between people with ADHD and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. I’m not a medical expert or a scientific researcher, and know that these are not well-researched areas.
I do think it’s interesting though and the reason I mention it is because it prompted me to talk to a menopause expert about starting HRT earlier than would usually be prescribed. I haven’t finished my periods yet, which is the standard starting point for prescribing, but I have definitely noticed the difference since starting.
I mention this is that I really notice the difference in having low-dose top-ups to my hormones. Being aware of what’s going on in our bodies is essential to our emotional and mental health – it’s all linked with each other and far more intrinsically than we’ve thought in the past.
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