The author begins with a concise historical review of the fears tabus and superstitions that always have surrounded menstruation visualizing the different expressions of these fears in different cultural levels she ventures an interesting hypothesis on a possible connection between the psychic effect of menstruation and the medieval belief in witches. Another interpretation of womens psychological reaction to menstruation is that losing blood in the menstrual cycle is equivalent to losing a child deutsch believes that all women desire to be mothers therefore each menstruation is a continual reminder that a woman has failed to become pregnant delaney et a 1976 this theory is surprisingly restated by various analysts among them erik erikson who writes in his famous essay womanhood and the inner space that a woman is most . Hormonal fluctuations are normal and are not a sign of a hormone imbalance some people report not feeling very different or experiencing increased energy and creativity among the more negative changes are mood swings fatigue depression bloating breast tenderness and headaches. Emotional disturbances associated with menstruation irritability sadness depression emotional sensitivity tiredness weepiness tears of emotional closeness psychotic episodes rare menstruation may be a trigger menstrual psychosis nausea and or vomiting changes in sex drive binge eating occurs in a minority of menstruating women