I have always rather enjoyed my hormonal changes. While the downs aren’t so much fun, they have never been that severe, and the ups are just so great.
My experience is that “down” happens right before I menstruate, and my “up”, which is always my very best, happiest, lightest and most productive time of the month, happens dirght after I finish.
So, my question is this: among those of you who also used to experience hormonal ups and downs, what part of your former cycle your current emotional life most resemble?
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. It sounds like your question is directed to post-menopausal women who experienced hormonally-induced mood swings before menopause if they are now either “up” or “down,” - is that it?
If that’s the question, I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer! LOL I never noticed mood shifts during my cycles until I went into what is called “peri-menopause,” when the body starts getting ready for menopause. And even then, it’s almost like asking women to compare pregnancies, which vary from woman to woman and even pregnancy to pregnancy. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get much information from your doctor with regard to menopause and “symptoms” - there are many different things and different women experience different symptoms. For instance, I’ve never really had hot flashes or their opposite, feeling too cold, but I have felt like my skin has been crawling, which I had no idea was one of the things some women feel during peri-menopause! I have most definitely experienced mood swings, though, and thankfully they are starting to calm down now that I’m -almost- through the cycle (ftr, you have to go one full year without menstruating to be considered in menopause, I believe). I didn’t really appreciate being able to cry at the drop of a hat (or because some sappy character on a TV show or movie was crying!), I’ll tell you that much. I also don’t think I would compare my current emotional state with any emotional state I experienced before, while menstruating. Does that make any sense? It’s just different.
I am not menopausal, but I do have a good reference for you. Check out the women’s health forum at OBGYN.net. There are a lot of women there who enjoy sharing experiences…