Why Do Many Women Cry Before Their Period?

In the days leading up to menstruation, many women report feeling more emotionally sensitive – tears may come more easily, and reactions to everyday stressors can feel amplified. While often dismissed as ‘just PMS,’ this shift in mood has clear neurobiological underpinnings that are only now being fully understood.

Let’s unpack what’s actually going on in the brain during this time.

A Monthly Hormone Dance

Across the menstrual cycle, oestrogen and progesterone levels rise and fall in a carefully choreographed dance. During the luteal phase (the days between ovulation and menstruation), progesterone surges, while oestrogen declines.

This matters because oestrogen helps regulate serotonin, a neurotransmitter that stabilises mood, sleep, and emotion. As oestrogen drops, serotonin production and receptor sensitivity may also dip, leading to lower mood and emotional reactivity.

This can leave some women more vulnerable to anxiety, sadness, and irritability in the days before their period.

In parallel, the sharp rise in progesterone has been shown to affect GABA-A receptors, which usually have calming, anti-anxiety effects. But paradoxically, for some women, this change can heighten anxiety and emotional lability instead.

In short? The brain’s emotional landscape is being re-sculpted by shifting hormone levels.

The Amygdala

Enter the limbic system – the brain’s emotional command centre. One key player here is the amygdala, the region responsible for processing fear, threat, and emotional salience.

Studies using functional MRI (fMRI) have shown that the amygdala becomes hyper-responsive during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

This means your brain might be perceiving emotional cues (like a sad movie or a mild argument) as more intense than usual.

In women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), this reactivity is even more pronounced. But even in women without PMDD, amygdala activation increases as progesterone rises.

The Prefrontal Cortex

Another key region is the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s ‘rational CEO,’ which helps regulate emotions and override impulses. During the luteal phase, its activity can decrease slightly, potentially making it harder to control or contextualise intense feelings.

So, that crying episode? It’s not a failure of willpower. It’s your brain’s normal, adaptive response to a hormone-driven storm – one where emotion-processing areas are on high alert, and regulation systems are dialling down.

Why Does This Happen

Evolutionarily, this heightened sensitivity before menstruation may have served adaptive purposes: increasing social vigilance, encouraging withdrawal to conserve energy, or enhancing emotional communication.

For many women, though, it’s simply an unwanted emotional side effect of a neurochemical shift they didn’t choose.

What Can You Do?

While understanding the science helps normalise the experience, there are practical ways to support emotional balance during the luteal phase:

• Track your cycle: Noting patterns helps you anticipate and prepare for emotional dips.

• Exercise: Physical activity boosts serotonin and dopamine, buffering against mood swings.

• Nutrition: Magnesium, omega-3s, and complex carbs can support neurotransmitter production.

• Mindfulness: Studies show that mindfulness-based approaches can reduce premenstrual symptoms – although this is something that works for some but not for others.

• Talk to your GP: If premenstrual symptoms are severe, hormonal or SSRI-based treatments can help.

The neuroscience of tearfulness isn’t about weakness – it’s about the intricate, powerful shifts happening in the female brain each month. From limbic system reactivity to serotonin sensitivity and progesterone’s double-edged sword, we’re learning more about how biology shapes our emotions.

So next time you cry before your period, remember it’s not just hormones. It’s the living architecture of your brain responding to a deeply embedded, cyclical rhythm. And you’re not alone in feeling it.

References

Albert, P. R., & Newhouse, P. (2015). Estrogen, serotonin, and mood disturbance: Where is the therapeutic bridge? Biological Psychiatry, 74(6), 442–450.

Goldstein, J. M., Jerram, M., Poldrack, R., Ahern, T., Kennedy, D., Seidman, L., & Makris, N. (2010). Hormonal cycle modulates arousal circuitry in women using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(30), 9546–9552.

Lustyk, M. K. B., Gerrish, W. G., Douglas, H., & Bowen, S. (2011). Relationships among premenstrual symptom reports, menstrual attitudes, and mindfulness. Mindfulness, 2(1), 37–48.

Ossewaarde, L., Hermans, E. J., van Wingen, G. A., Kooijman, S. C., Johansson, I. M., Backström, T., & Fernández, G. (2010). Neural mechanisms underlying changes in stress-sensitivity across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35(1), 47–55.

Roney, J. R., & Simmons, Z. L. (2013). Hormonal predictors of women's sociosexual attitudes and desires. Evolution and Human Behavior, 34(6), 450–458.

Sundström-Poromaa, I. (2018). The menstrual cycle influences emotion but has limited effect on cognitive function. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 96(6), 1190–1198.