Study Shows ‘Love Hormone’ Oxytocin May Ease Mood Swings During Menopause and Postpartum

San Francisco: A new study presented at ENDO 2025, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, suggests that oxytocin, commonly known as the “love hormone,” may help protect against mood disturbances caused by sleep loss and hormonal changes during important reproductive phases like postpartum and menopause.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied how sleep disruption combined with reduced estrogen levels affects mood and oxytocin levels in healthy premenopausal women. Their results show that oxytocin may act as a natural emotional buffer during times when women are most vulnerable to mood swings and emotional stress.

“We found that oxytocin levels rise in response to stress-related sleep disruption,” said Dr. Irene Gonsalvez, associate psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School. “Women with higher oxytocin levels before the sleep disruption experienced less mood disturbance the next day.”

The study involved 38 women, each participating in two five-night sleep studies—one during their natural hormone cycle and one after their estrogen levels were medically suppressed. After two nights of uninterrupted sleep, participants experienced three nights of fragmented sleep to replicate the kind of sleep interruptions often seen during postpartum or menopause.

Throughout the study, researchers monitored mood symptoms and measured oxytocin levels. They found that fragmented sleep significantly increased both mood disturbances and oxytocin levels. Interestingly, those who had higher oxytocin levels before sleep disruption were more emotionally resilient, experiencing fewer negative mood effects. Conversely, those with greater mood disturbance often showed a spike in oxytocin the following day, possibly indicating the hormone’s attempt to restore balance.

This research highlights the emotional toll of sleep disruption during reproductive transitions, which is often underestimated or ignored in clinical settings.

“Millions of women suffer from mood issues during these life stages, but current treatments usually focus only on antidepressants or hormone therapy,” said Gonsalvez. “These findings suggest that oxytocin could offer a more natural and supportive way to manage mental health during these transitions.”