Hormonal imbalance and the physical changes during nine months can cause you to feel like you're going crazy. However, there's a good explanation for all of your intense moods. Read on to find out what they are.
Why Mood Swings?
These are the top reasons for mood swings during pregnancy:
Tiredness
Pregnant women experience fatigue in the first trimester. Progesterone is the hormone that is primarily responsible for growing fetus during pregnancy. As a result, your body produces up to 10 times as much of it. Because of this increased production, pregnant women experience extreme fatigue in the first trimester and may need to take several naps throughout the day.
Sickness
Progesterone isn't the only hormone that slows you down during pregnancy. Estrogen still plays a large role in coordinating your bodily functions. Unfortunately, the amount of estrogen in your system may also slow your digestion, so that your body has time to grab more nutrients from the foods that you eat. This can make you nauseous and more irritable.
Irritability
Physiological changes can send you on some intense anger episodes.Along with the physical changes that take place during pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone also bring about physiological changes, including the amount of serotonin released by the brain. Since this chemical is known as a mood stabilizer, it's getting off track can send you on some intense anger episodes.
Your breasts are tender, you're hungry all the time, and it's hard to get through the day without needing to take a nap. With all of these things going on, no wonder everything else bothers you. It's totally normal to feel annoyed while you're pregnant.
Recommendation for Calming Your Mood Swings While Pregnant
Share your experiences with other women. There are many online communities to ask questions about your mood swings and anything else related to pregnancy.
Sources
- The Health Center.(n.d)."Adult Mood Swings".Retrieved from www.thehealthcenter.info.
- Dr. Love, Susan, and Karen Lindsey. Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.
- Amin, Zenab, Turhan Canli, and C. Neill Epperson. "Effects of Estrogen-Serotonin Interactions on Mood and Cognition". Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev 2005; 4; 43.
- Molecular Psychiatry.(n.d)."Estrogen Promotes Gender Difference in Brain's Response to Stress".Retrieved from www.psycheducation.org.