Menstrual cycle changes the brain

Hormone fluctuations over the course of a woman’s menstrual cycle change the abundance of a particular type of receptor on the surface of nerve cells, say scientists. The finding may explain why some women with neurological disorders experience flare-ups of their conditions at the same time most months.

Previous research showed that nearly 80 percent of epileptic women have more seizures than usual during the phase of the menstrual cycle when their blood concentration of progesterone declines and that of estrogen increases.