Uncontrollable Crying During Your Period
By Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Wokingham
Feeling intensely emotional, tearful, or prone to crying in the days before or during menstruation is more common than most women realise — and more treatable than many expect. In traditional Chinese medicine, the emotional volatility of the premenstrual and menstrual phase is not an unfortunate side effect of being female; it is a meaningful signal about the state of the liver, heart, and the blood they govern. Addressing the root pattern produces lasting emotional stability across the cycle.
Why Does Crying Occur Before and During Periods?
The late luteal phase is characterised by a rapid decline of oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen drives serotonin production — as it falls, serotonin drops, reducing emotional resilience and raising sensitivity to perceived slights and stressors. Progesterone's calming, GABA-enhancing effect also disappears. The result is a window of neurochemical vulnerability in the days before the period when emotional reactions are more intense and more difficult to regulate. During the period itself, prostaglandins produce a whole-body inflammatory response that includes the nervous system, further amplifying emotional sensitivity.
TCM Understanding
In TCM, the liver stores blood and governs emotional regulation. In the premenstrual phase, blood is drawn from the liver down towards the uterus in preparation for menstruation. When liver blood is deficient — insufficient to maintain the liver's regulating function after this draw-down — the liver loses its ability to ensure smooth emotional flow, and feelings become volatile, overwhelming, and difficult to control. Liver qi stagnation compounds this: when stagnation has built throughout the cycle, the release of the period creates a surge that can manifest as weeping, emotional flooding, or a paradoxical sense of release and relief once the flow begins.
Where the crying is specifically grief-like — a deep, inconsolable sadness without specific trigger — lung qi deficiency or heart blood deficiency may be the dominant pattern. The lungs govern grief in TCM, and the heart governs joy and emotional warmth.
Treatment
Acupuncture regulates the liver, nourishes blood, and calms the spirit. Treatment across the full cycle — with particular attention to the mid-luteal phase — progressively reduces the emotional intensity of the premenstrual window. Chinese herbal medicine addresses the root deficiency: for liver blood deficiency, Ba Zhen Tang or modified Xiao Yao San nourish blood and regulate the liver simultaneously. For heart blood deficiency, Gui Pi Tang nourishes the heart and spleen together. I prescribe pharmaceutical-grade granules from Sun Ten in Taiwan.
Supplemental Support
Magnesium glycinate (300–400mg daily) is the most effective single supplement for premenstrual emotional symptoms. Vitamin B6 (50mg daily) supports serotonin synthesis. Suan Zao Ren (jujube seed) nourishes heart blood and liver blood, directly addressing the deficiency pattern. These work best alongside professional treatment rather than as a standalone approach.
To discuss premenstrual emotional symptoms, contact me or book a consultation in Wokingham.
