My partner (M23) and I (F22) have both noticed a reoccurring pattern every month: usually we have very healthy communication, and are in a pretty great mood, but when my period comes around, it seems like it all goes down hill for a few days. We bounce back pretty quickly, but it's an exhausting cycle, and with my period coming up this next week I'm hoping we can jump ahead of the problem before it catches us again.

I definitely feel more combative around that time, and little changes in his tone (and otherwise normal behavior) just absolutely sets something off in me: I almost feel like I just have to stand up for myself — against something that isn't unusual or a big deal in normal circumstances. I'm in absolute defense mode, and I'm typically am not like that.

It's taken a while for us to realize this pattern coincides with my period (we've been together 7 years, and for 5 of those I was on hormonal BC which definitely didn't help (hence why I'm off it now).

Just looking for advice on how to mitigate this problem! Ty!