@jennablake.np's premenstrual feelings claim, fact-checked

What did @jennablake.np actually say?

The core claim is this: premenstrual emotions are "actually the most valid of your entire cycle" because hormones are dropping and are no longer "swaying" your feelings one way or another. She also argues that "intuition is at its deepest" during the luteal phase, and urges women to track recurring emotional patterns across cycles rather than dismissing them as PMS noise. She frames the follicular and ovulatory phases, by implication, as hormonally distorted. That framing is where things get complicated.

To her credit, she is pushing back on something genuinely harmful: the cultural reflex of telling women their distress is irrational because they're "hormonal." That dismissal has real consequences in clinical settings. But the mechanism she uses to make that argument does not quite hold up to scrutiny.

Does the science back this up?

Partially, but not the way she frames it. The idea that dropping progesterone and estrogen produce emotional clarity is not how researchers describe the luteal phase. It is more complicated than that.

Research consistently shows that the late luteal phase is associated with increased negative affect, heightened threat sensitivity, and, in a subset of women, clinically significant mood disruption classified as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Hantsoo and Epperson (2015, Current Psychiatry Reports) describe PMDD as driven in part by abnormal neurological sensitivity to the normal hormonal fluctuations of the luteal phase, not by hormonal absence. The drop in progesterone metabolites like allopregnanolone, which modulate GABA-A receptors, actively contributes to anxiety and irritability in some women. That is not hormonal neutrality. That is a different hormonal state with its own emotional signature.

On the other hand, there is real support for the idea that emotional signals during this phase can reflect genuine, unresolved stressors. Researchers studying the menstrual cycle and cognitive processing, including Baller et al. (2013, Hormones and Behavior), have found that premenstrual emotional amplification may increase sensitivity to interpersonal and environmental stressors that exist regardless of cycle phase. The feelings may be real. The mechanism she cites is not accurate.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

The wrong part: "your hormones are dropping so you're no longer being swayed by hormones one way or the other" is a significant oversimplification that borders on misleading. The luteal phase is not a hormonal vacuum. Progesterone peaks and then drops, estrogen dips, and cortisol reactivity can increase. Allopregnanolone withdrawal, in particular, has documented mood effects. Framing this phase as hormonally neutral, and therefore emotionally unbiased, is not what the endocrinology shows.

The right part: there is genuine clinical value in tracking emotional patterns across menstrual cycles. Schmidt et al. (1998, Nature Medicine) demonstrated that the timing and predictability of mood symptoms across cycles, rather than the symptoms themselves, is what distinguishes cycle-linked mood disruption from other mood disorders. Clinicians are increasingly encouraged to use prospective symptom tracking tools like daily rating forms across at least two cycles before diagnosing PMDD. So her practical advice, track what comes up and take it seriously, is actually well-supported. The reasoning she gives for why those feelings are valid is where she goes off-script from the evidence.

What should you actually know?

Premenstrual emotions are real and worth examining. But they are not more chemically unbiased than emotions at other cycle phases. Every phase of the menstrual cycle carries a distinct hormonal profile that influences mood, cognition, and perception. The follicular phase is not more rational, and the luteal phase is not more truthful. Both are hormonally shaped states.

What is true: if you feel dread about your relationship every single luteal phase, that pattern is worth exploring with a clinician. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends prospective tracking of symptoms across two cycles to distinguish PMDD from other mood conditions (ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 150, 2015). A nurse practitioner who encourages patients to track emotional patterns across cycles is offering advice consistent with clinical guidelines.

What is also true: if you are experiencing significant premenstrual mood symptoms, there are evidence-based treatments including SSRIs, hormonal contraception, and, in some cases, hormonal therapies. These are conversations to have with a licensed provider, not conclusions to draw from a social media video. Do not use this content to self-diagnose or self-treat.