Stress, hormones and our periods

Why is stress so dreadful? Why does everyone say it’s bad for us?

We’re constantly told to avoid chronic stress, yet society’s standards often push us toward it, urging us to work harder, longer, and to keep hustling. Burnout is widely acknowledged—it's not only damaging to our mental health, but also leaves us feeling exhausted and unfocused.

Stress has serious biological effects, which shouldn’t be ignored if we want to improve our health and overall quality of life. Stress affects our hormones.

We live according to 2 states:

1. The “safe” state, where our body knows it can use energy to digest, rest, and reproduce.

2. The “fight-or-flight” state, an emergency mode where these functions are put on hold as adrenaline surges, readying us to fight or flee.

In our hyperconnected lives, with pressure to perform like machines, we can easily find ourselves in a near-constant fight-or-flight mode. This often happens in places we should feel safe, like at work or at home, leading to prolonged and repeated stress responses.

How Does Stress Affect Our Hormones?

Hormones are chemical messengers that guide essential bodily functions, including sleep, digestion, pleasure, and reproduction.

These hormones operate in a hierarchy with two “master” hormones—cortisol and insulin—at the top.

When cortisol or insulin levels are disrupted, the impact cascades down to other hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Cortisol, our main stress hormone, is incredibly powerful. It can shut down non-essential functions to protect us during times of threat. That’s why, during high-stress periods, we often experience trouble sleeping, digestion issues, and a drop in reproductive functions.

In stressful situations, cortisol levels rise, which raises blood sugar to fuel cells, and insulin increases to stabilize this blood sugar. Normally, this response is temporary. But if it’s activated day after day, it messes up our metabolism.

What Does Chronic Stress Do to Our Hormones?

Chronic stress can manifest in various ways on our periods:

• Ovulation may stop, causing missed periods.

• Heavy periods (over 80 ml of bleeding per cycle)

• Spotting outside of the menstruation phase

• Cramps and PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome)

• Migraines

• Anxiety, acne, or unexplained weight gain

• Insomnia

Prolonged high cortisol levels are linked to health issues like:

• Endometriosis

• Fibroids

• Depression

Using Awareness and Self-Care to Manage Stress

Often, we don’t realize the impact of stress, thinking it’s something we just have to “get through.” Sometimes, we may not even know we’re stressed. Fortunately, we can use our periods as a barometer for our stress levels.

For me, managing stress was the key to reducing PMS and period pain. Though I focused on diet, exercise, and time management, my stress levels remained high—something I wasn’t fully aware of. I would stay active as a way to escape stress, getting an endorphin boost rather than truly relaxing. Eventually, I learned to recognize and address this underlying stress.

Mindfulness tools like journaling and meditation, along with gentle activities like yoga, Qigong, walking, and light exercise, can help reduce stress.

Identifying stressors and, where possible, removing yourself from them is crucial. You might slow down by managing your calendar, delegating tasks, or talking to your partner about shared responsibilities.

For me, learning to let go of things I couldn’t control made a huge difference. Hiring supportive team members also helped me delegate. These steps eased my mental load, making space for rest and connection with my family—and most importantly, with myself.

Now, I consciously check in with myself daily and do what I need to relieve stress. It’s not always easy, and life brings new challenges, but I’ve learned to listen to my body and avoid treating stress as inevitable.

Find what works for you. Take time each day to reflect on your stress levels. Tracking how you feel can help you understand what your body might be signaling through your periods.

References:

Fix your period, Nicole Jardim

You Can Have a Better Period, Le’Nise Brothers

Seeing Red, Kirsten Karchmer

Stress and Hormones: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3079864/