Hormones are tiny chemical messengers. Their job is to send messages around the body. There are lots of different hormones sending lots of different messages, like telling your heart how fast to beat or your brain that it's time to eat. Hormones also tell your reproductive system when to start your period.
How do hormones change during the menstrual cycle?
Your cycle is controlled by two main hormones called estrogen and progesterone. Your body makes different amounts of them throughout the cycle. Estrogen and progesterone work together to send the messages of the cycle: start the period, release the egg, build the lining of the uterus.
Do hormones make you act emotional or feel differently?
Some people feel differently during different parts of their cycle. A lot of people think that periods and hormones make you feel a certain way. The reality is a bit more complex. Hormones allow us to have certain feelings and emotions. Higher amounts of hormones at different parts of the menstrual cycle may allow you to feel more intense emotions, like happiness, sadness, or anxiety.
What do I do if I'm feeling hormonal?
Remember that you can still shape your own feelings. Do something that helps you relax, like talking to a friend, exercising, or journaling.
I got mad at someone and they told me I was just PMSing.
That person was wrong and trying to put you down. PMS means premenstrual syndrome, and some people use it as a way to wrongly label females as irrational. Some people do feel differently before their period, but often those are physical symptoms from the hormone messages, not always emotional ones. It is never okay to insult someone just because they have a period.
Will it always feel this way?
Things can feel really overwhelming, especially at the start of periods and puberty. It takes the body time to learn how to make hormones correctly. Things do get more settled eventually. Always remember that you can talk to a trusted adult like a parent, school social worker, or doctor if you need help.
Source: TeenHealth
