Why do I cry over commercials in the luteal phase?

If you find yourself tearing up at a phone commercial or a slightly sad song in the week before your period, you are in good company, and there is a real reason for it. The luteal phase, the stretch after ovulation, comes with meaningful hormonal shifts that affect emotion directly.

After ovulation, estrogen drops from its mid-cycle peak. Estrogen has a supportive relationship with serotonin, one of the brain chemicals tied to mood stability, so as estrogen falls, that support softens and emotions can feel closer to the surface. At the same time, the way your body processes progesterone creates fluctuations that add to the sensitivity. The result is a brain that simply feels things more intensely for a stretch.

This is physiology, not a character flaw, and it absolutely does not mean you are too sensitive or overreacting. It is a normal, temporary part of the cycle, and it lifts within a few days of your period starting. Knowing the pattern can make it feel a lot less confusing when it arrives.