How to Hack Your Brain Chemicals During Perimenopause and Menopause
Hormones and brain chemistry are inseparable. As women enter perimenopause and menopause, fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone levels don’t just change the body, they recalibrate the brain. Understanding Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin and Endorphins for emotional balance becomes very important.
These hormonal shifts alter the balance of key neuro chemicals that regulate mood, motivation, focus and connection. That’s why you might feel less like yourself, not just physically, but emotionally and cognitively too.
Let us break down what happens to the brain’s “happy chemicals” during this stage and how women across cultures can rebuild emotional balance from the inside out.
1. Dopamine, The Drive and Reward Chemical
Dopamine fuels motivation, pleasure and focus, but oestrogen directly amplifies dopamine transmission. As oestrogen declines, so too does dopamine, leading to symptoms like brain fog, procrastination and reduced pleasure in everyday activities.
A study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (2021) found that postmenopausal women have 20–25% lower dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex compared to premenopausal women. This impacts concentration, creativity and even self-confidence.
How to rebalance it:
Regular exercise and early morning sunlight increase dopamine naturally.
A diet rich in tyrosine (found in eggs, fish, lentils) fuels dopamine production.
Prioritising sleep restores dopamine receptor sensitivity, a crucial factor for mental clarity.
In many African and Caribbean households, rest is often undervalued in favour of resilience, yet dopamine recovery depends on it. Reframing rest as discipline, not indulgence, is an act of healing.
2. Serotonin, The Mood Stabiliser
Serotonin regulates happiness, sleep and appetite, but it is also deeply tied to oestrogen.
When oestrogen dips, serotonin synthesis declines, increasing the risk of anxiety and depression.
Research from the Harvard Women’s Health Watch shows that up to 40% of women experience mood changes during perimenopause due to serotonin disruption.
How to boost it:
Exposure to sunlight for 20–30 minutes daily increases serotonin levels via Vitamin D activation.
Mindfulness, journaling and gratitude practices increase serotonin production in the prefrontal cortex.
Foods like bananas, salmon and leafy greens supply tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin.
Many Black and South Asian women are often constrained by expectations of strength. This emotional suppression lowers serotonin resilience. Safe spaces for expression, like sister circles or faith-based dialogue, can act as serotonin stabilisers in themselves.
3. Oxytocin, The Connection Hormone
Oxytocin is the neuro chemical of bonding, belonging and trust. During perimenopause, declining oestrogen levels can make it harder to feel connected or comforted, even in close relationships. Loneliness and irritability often mask oxytocin depletion.
Many women of colour shoulder caregiving roles while experiencing hormonal transition. Reclaiming nurturing, receiving, not just giving, helps restore oxytocin balance. Social isolation is reported to suppress oxytocin release by up to 50%, intensifying symptoms like anxiety and emotional fatigue.
Ways to enhance oxytocin naturally:
Physical touch (hugs, massages) and acts of kindness increase oxytocin circulation.
Engaging in community, faith, or mentorship releases oxytocin through shared empathy.
Listening and storytelling across generations reinforce belonging and cultural identity, especially in Black, Asian and Latinx families, where intergenerational wisdom is a source of strength.
4. Endorphins, The Natural Pain Relievers
Endorphins are the body’s built-in antidepressants, helping to reduce pain and elevate mood. However, as oestrogen levels fall, endorphin sensitivity declines, making women more prone to physical pain and mood swings.
Regular moderate exercise is proven to increase endorphin production by 30%, easing both joint discomfort and emotional volatility.
Sadly, older generations often coped through silence. Younger women are breaking that pattern by embracing therapy, humour and open conversation, all of which release endorphins and reduce inherited emotional stress.
Ways to raise endorphins:
Laughter, dancing, or group exercise releases endorphins while fostering social joy.
Aromatherapy (especially lavender and ylang-ylang) reduces cortisol and enhances endorphin response.
Dark chocolate (70%+) triggers endorphin release via phenylethylamine, the same compound linked to feelings of love.
5. The Neuro chemical Reset
Menopause is not the end of vitality, it is the beginning of neuroplastic renewal.Studies from the North American Menopause Society (2023) show that lifestyle interventions, sunlight, movement, laughter, emotional connection and nutrition, can rebalance brain chemistry as effectively as some antidepressants in mild cases.
When women understand their neurochemistry, they reclaim power over their emotions, energy and self-worth. Across cultures and generations, the common thread is this: healing starts when we listen to what the brain is trying to say through the body.
Final Thought
You are not “losing yourself”, your brain is simply rewiring for a new chapter.
By nourishing your dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins through connection, joy and care, you are not just managing menopause, you are mastering your next evolution.
If this post resonated, share it with another woman navigating the same changes. Let us break the silence, rebuild balance and honour the science of our wellbeing, together.
