# How oestrogen has caffeine-like qualities I tend to think of oestrogen as having a caffeine-like quality (at least, that’s how it makes *me* feel). As it rises during the first half of the cycle, there is a point where I can feel ‘buzzy’ and a little anxious (just as having too much caffeine can make us feel). But as the days progress, I get used to it (just as you would if you keep drinking coffee), and it just makes me feel full of energy and motivation. Immediately after ovulation, as we move into the second half of our cycle, oestrogen levels come down but do not drop fully (although for some of us who are sensitive to oestrogen levels...it can certainly feel this way). Back to the caffeine analogy – we have got used to having 10 cups of coffee before ovulation (when oestrogen peaked), and now it’s gone down to 2 a day. No wonder we can feel so rubbish mid-way through our cycle! Then it lifts again mid-luteal phase, and I feel a boost in energy and motivation again. However, when oestrogen starts to plummet as I approach menstruation, I get those withdrawal feelings again. And if you have ever had withdrawal symptoms from something (mine was sugar), it’s amazing how similar it feels to PMS! But remember that everyone is different, so if you find that you are sensitive to caffeine, you may well be sensitive to fluctuating hormone levels. There is no research that I can find on this, by the way. I’m talking from experience on this one. But this is how I imagine it in my head. And this makes me feel a whole lot better when I know that there is nothing wrong with me.