Why the time of the month can make you TWICE as likely to CHEAT
. . . and other fascinating new findings which show a woman’s cycle is about MUCH more than just mood swings
MOOD swings linked to a woman’s hormones may be a source of cheap jokes, but the fact is hormones do have a very powerful effect on how a woman behaves throughout the month.
‘Hormones and behaviour are clearly tied into defined phases of the menstrual cycle,’ says Dr Nick Neave, an associate professor of psychology and behavioural endocrinologist at Northumbria University.
As levels fluctuate at different stages of the cycle, mental tasks can become more or less challenging, for instance. Scientists recently revealed women even become smarter just before their period, due to part of the brain expanding.
‘Many women are more rational and controlled after ovulation,’ says Karen Pine, a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. ‘But they then experience a rise in impulsive behaviour, anxiety and irritability during the next phase, when they are pre-menstrual.’ Here, leading experts reveal the latest thinking about how different times in a woman’s cycle can affect her body and behaviour . . .
HAPPIER, HOTTER AND HIGH-PITCHED
DAY one of a woman’s period is the first day of the cycle.
This is the start of the follicular phase, during which time follicles mature in the ovary, one of which will turn into an egg, and lasts for about ten to 14 days until ovulation (when an egg is released, ready for conception).
During the follicular phase, the hormone oestradiol (a type of oestrogen) begins to rise, says Dr Neave. Oestrogen is important for preparing the egg for ovulation.
But it’s also linked to positive moods, motivation, memory, reduced anxiety and may also help contain stress levels, helping to keep moods stable. rising levels of oestrogen also help to increase libido, which peaks around ovulation.
As a result, this first part of the cycle is the time of the month when most women are at their happiest, says Dr Virginia Beckett, a spokeswoman for the royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Several studies have shown that women feel more attractive as they approach ovulation — perhaps because it’s nature’s way of encouraging them to have sex during their most fertile time.
Meanwhile, their voices rise in pitch (to make them sound more feminine, research suggests), their body odour becomes more sexually attractive (to tempt a mate) and they may wear less clothing. ‘ Body temperature goes up slightly — because metabolic rate increases — so women may not need to wear as many clothes,’ says Dr Beckett.
In fact, many ovulation tests use body temperature as a gauge of where a woman is in her cycle.
In an infamous study in 2007, professional exotic dancers were asked to keep a record of their nightly tip earnings for two months. The women also reported when their periods began and ended, so researchers could calculate when they were most fertile.
Dancers received about £42 an hour when they were near ovulation, but only £33 at less fertile times of the month and £23 while menstruating.
SMARTER, SEXIER . . . AND MORE LIKELY TO STRAY
AfTer the follicular phase comes ovulation — the moment when the egg is released from the ovary.
After this, it lives for only 24 hours — however, sperm can live for three days, so if there’s sperm around and an egg floats by, it’s still possible to conceive even if the woman hasn’t had sex on the day of ovulation.
Women are at peak fertility around ovulation and this is the time they are more likely to adapt their dress style to impress men, says Professor Pine. ‘It’s known as the ornamentation effect.’
This is because females are biologically programmed at this time to prove they are ‘more desirable than the rest of the pack’.
Indeed, a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2010 found that during ovulation women are more likely to buy items including clothes and make-up to boost their attractiveness.
‘ Buying a status item is a clear indicator we are at our peak of fertility,’ says Professor Pine, explaining why women are more likely to splash out on an expensive bag or pair of shoes at this time.
However, women are also twice as likely to engage in extra- marital behaviour around the time of ovulation when progesterone is low.
But according to scientists at the University of Aberdeen and the University of St Andrews, when progesterone levels are raised during the second half of the menstrual cycle ( when the body is preparing for pregnancy), women become more committed to their partners.
Meanwhile, they may have better brain function when they are at their most fertile.
Last month, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany revealed that the hippocampus — the brain area where memories are formed and which has a key role in emotions — ‘grows’ as oestrogen levels rise.
But as oestrogen levels drop following ovulation as her body prepares for menstruation, this area of a woman’s brain shrinks, MrI scans revealed.
This growth and shrinkage happens ‘ with astonishing regularity’, the researchers wrote in the journal Nature Scientific reports, but more research is needed to establish why.
The stage of a woman’s menstrual cycle can even affect how likely she is to become addicted to prescription medication such as opioid painkillers.
Scientists at Davidson College, North Carolina found that levels of addictive cravings fluctuated throughout a woman’s cycle. The study found that rats were less likely to take addictive substances around ovulation, when oestrogen levels were high and progesterone levels were about to soar.
researchers hope that studying the menstrual cycle could increase a woman’s chances of beating addiction.
FORGETFUL, STRESSED AND CRAVING CARBS
AfTer ovulation, a woman enters the second stage of her cycle, which is called the luteal phase.
This lasts, on average, between 11 and 13 days, until her period starts, and is widely considered a more emotionally difficult time.
The main reason is the empty follicle that once contained the egg triggers the release of another hormone, progesterone, says Dr Neave.
This helps to thicken the lining of the uterus and prepare it in case an embryo is implanted.
But this burst of progesterone is associated with negative mood, which is why, coupled with a decline in oestrogen, so many women feel low in the second part of their cycle, particularly by the end of it when pre-menstrual tension often strikes.
When progesterone is high, in the second half of the cycle, the two sides of the brain become ‘decoupled’, says Dr Neave. This results in confusion, mood swings, problems finding words and a lack of sharpness.
‘Women also seem to be affected by a lack of oestrogen at this stage, too,’ he says. ‘Part of the brain involved with higher cognitive ability, the prefrontal cortex — responsible for organisation, planning and memory processing — suffers.’
As a result, a woman may walk into a room and forget what she went there for.
research by Professor Pine also found that women are significantly less controlled and more impulsive with money in the ten days before their periods begin.
‘ The later women were in their menstrual cycle, the more likely they were to have over-spent,’ she says.
This could be because a shopping spree helps deal with the intense emotions of pre-menstrual tension.
‘ Women feeling very stressed or depressed are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up — maybe because it’s more socially acceptable than turning to drink or drugs.’
Others, however, turn to carbs. A paper published in Annales d’endocrinologie found that young women significantly increased their calorie intake — of carbohydrates particularly — during ovulation and the luteal phase, eating 500 more calories a day on average.
Sugar, chocolate or carb cravings may also occur ‘because the body is preparing for the fact the woman could be pregnant and wants to lay down some fat’, says Dr Beckett.
One theory is that eating carbs stimulates production of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.
But try to resist the biscuit tin. It won’t help. ‘Sugary snacks and drinks raise your levels of insulin, disrupting your blood sugar,’ says Dr Beckett. ‘You want to keep your blood sugar stable to help your mood.’
SWOLLEN FINGERS, PUFFY FACED AND IN NEED OF SLEEP
NeArLY all women of childbearing age have some premenstrual symptoms in the run-up to their period, but women in their late 20s to early 40s are most likely to experience PMT (or at least report it).
Women on the Pill are far less likely to suffer because the drug supplies a constant dose of hormones, which helps to balance out fluctuations.
‘Interestingly, the degree of PMT a woman suffers from isn’t linked to the level of progesterone in her system,’ says Dr Neave.
‘It seems to be about how some women’s brains react to the hormone. Some appear to be hyper-responsive to progesterone.’ But how PMT affects women can vary widely, says Dr Beckett. ‘Some women may have a busy job,
for example, and not notice their symptoms so much.
‘Others may be more sensitive to hormonal changes, especially just before their period.’ The symptoms vary widely, too. ‘Some women suffer constipation,’ says Dr Beckett.
‘This is because progesterone (which is released in this second half of the cycle after ovulation) is a muscle relaxant that can stop waste moving along as it should.’
Along with feeling down, another potential symptom is water retention.
‘Progesterone can affect the kidneys in a subtle way and the process of clearing fluid from the body slows down,’ she says.
‘You might feel more “puffy”, perhaps around the face, and rings often feel tighter.’
Eating a poor diet, drinking lots of alcohol and skimping on sleep can all disrupt the hormone levels, making premenstrual symptoms much harder to deal with.
By the end of the cycle, just before a woman is due to begin her period, all hormones are at a very low level, again potentially lowering her mood.
PAIN, MIGRAINE AND CHANGES TO THE BRAIN
If A fertilised egg is not implanted in the uterus, levels of oestrogen, testosterone and progesterone drop, causing the womb lining to break down, leading to a period.
Around three out of four women experience period pain.
During a period, the muscular wall of the womb starts to contract more to make the lining shed away. The contraction compresses the blood vessels lining the womb, cutting off the blood supply temporarily and causing tissues in the womb to release chemicals that trigger pain.
The body simultaneously produces prostaglandins, hormone- like compounds that encourage the womb muscles to contract even more — increasing the pain.
When it comes to treating period pain, ibuprofen is more effective than paracetamol, according to a Cochrane Gynaecology and fertility Group report compiled by a gold standard body of independent scientists.
Ibuprofen is a type of drug known as a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) which work against prostaglandins — the hormones responsible for pain.
Peter Bowen-Simpkins, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, suggests the best time to take ibuprofen is the day before your period is due, to stop the prostaglandins taking hold. Other published research suggests NSAIDs can also help reduce menstrual flow.
And some women don’t just have period pain — they also develop debilitating migraines.
Scientists have long suspected that fluctuating oestrogen levels may be linked to migraines. Research published earlier this year found women who suffer from regular migraines were more likely to have painful periods.
Experts at Montefiore Medical Centre in New York believe women with a history of migraine experience a rapid oestrogen drop in the days before menstruation.
This ‘ two- hit’ system then increases the chance of them suffering more migraines during their periods, along with the lack of sleep, nausea and dizziness that often come during an attack.
But it’s not just pain — menstrual pain and cramps may be associated with brain changes.
Scientists from Taiwan who studied a group of women affected by pain and cramps found evidence of dramatic reshaping, with some brain areas shrinking and others increasing in size — potentially permanently, they reported in the journal Neurology.
The ‘substantial reorganisation’ may also have emotional effects, contributing to anxiety and stress at the time and possibly in the longer term.