Why does the menstrual cycle affect sugar cravings?

For women who feel worse around their menstrual cycle, or whose problems increased when they entered perimenopause in their forties, estrogen and progesterone deficiency may be driving sugar cravings.
In a woman’s earlier years, these cravings are more likely to manifest as premenstrual syndrome (PMS, with associated progesterone deficiency) with severe irritability around their periods. In your mid-forties, as estrogen levels drop, estrogen or progesterone deficiency often produces increased sugar cravings, fatigue, moodiness and insomnia around your periods, as well as decreased vaginal lubrication.