To my ladies: Have you ever found yourself sobbing over a laundry commercial, only to snap at your partner five minutes later? Take a deep breath. You aren’t losing your mind. You’re just in the first trimester, your body is going through massive changes and these mood swings are a completely normal response.

Up to 80% of expectant mothers experience this emotional whiplash. But you have nothing to worry about because everything happening to you is biological. Let’s unpack the science behind these shifts and explore some helpful strategies to stabilize your mood and protect your peace.

The Science Behind Early Pregnancy Mood Swings

Before we look at ways to deal with pregnancy mood swings, let’s explore what causes them.

The Endocrine Surge: Estrogen and Progesterone

Estrogen and progesterone levels increase during the first trimester. The high levels of these hormones often alter the brain neurotransmitters hence affecting mood regulation.

Neurochemical Plasticity and Brain Changes

Change in serotonin levels is common during pregnancy.This shift lowers stress tolerance leading to rapid mood changes.

Physical Stressors: The Morning Sickness Connection

Extreme fatigue,disrupted sleep and change in hormonal balance cause physical stress to your body. In severe cases,these changes lead to morning sickness.

When Do Pregnancy Mood Swings Start? And Will They End?

Pregnancy mood swings can start as early as two weeks after conception. The period between 6-10 weeks during the first trimester marks the peak as the placenta takes over hormonal production. During the second trimester, hormone production starts to stabilize leading to decline in mood swings. 

6 Ways to Manage Early Pregnancy Mood Swings

Now you know what causes mood swings during pregnancy. How do you deal with them? Here are six ways doctors recommend to help you manage mood swings and enjoy your pregnancy journey.

• Optimize Your Prenatal Nutrition Blood Sugar Baseline. Your body needs energy to counter fatigue common in the early stages of pregnancy. Focus on complex carbohydrates and protein pairings to prevent glucose crashes, which can worsen irritability.
• Implement Low-Impact Somatic Exercise. Moderate exercise like prenatal yoga and swimming help release endorphins from your body. They also lower cortisol which helps in minimizing mood changes.
• Prioritize Rest to Counteract Circadian Disruption. You need enough rest to help your body cope with hormonal shifts such as increased orogesterone.Rest also supports rapid development of fetal organs while minimizing maternal stress.
•  The “10-Minute Reset” Mindfulness Technique. You need to support your mental well being. Fatigue and anxiety can accelerate hormonal imbalance, but you can counter that through mindful meditation, deep breathing and yoga. Also, grab that Sudoku puzzle and keep your mind alert.
• Radical Transparency with Your Support Network. Consider pregnancy a journey you can travel with your partner and loved ones. Communicating your changing emotional needs without guilt fosters understanding and love making the journey more manageable.
• Eliminating Sensory Overload. Surging levels of estrogen causes sensory overload in early pregnancy. This increases irritability. You can manage this by removing offending triggers such as noise and bright light and use of soft scented soaps and detergents.

The Line Between “Normal” Shifts and Perinatal Mood Disorders

While most of the mood swings during early pregnancy are manageable and harmless, some symptoms need immediate evaluation. Seek medical guidance if you experience the following. 

• Extreme sleep disturbance 
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Intrusive thoughts such as loss of pleasure 
• Unrelated physical discomfort such as muscle pain

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can early pregnancy mood swings cause harm to the baby? 

While normal emotional shifts are safe, chronic, severe distress can affect your baby’s development.

• Do mood swings indicate the gender of the baby? 

No. Mood swings are common during early pregnancy regardless of the gender of the baby.

• When should I call my OB-GYN about my mood?

If you experience extreme sleep disturbance and thoughts of worthlessness, seek medical help.