Why You Crave Chocolate Before Your Period (And What to Do About It)

If you've ever found yourself demolishing a sleeve of cookies or craving ice cream like your life depends on it right before your period, you're not imagining things. Those pre-menstrual food cravings are real, they're intense, and they're happening for legitimate biological reasons.

While there's been plenty of talk lately about how menopause affects appetite and weight, the monthly hormonal rollercoaster that menstruating women experience deserves attention too. Your cycle doesn't just affect your mood and energy—it has a direct impact on what and how much you want to eat.

The hormone show running your appetite

Here's what's happening behind the scenes: during the first half of your cycle (called the follicular phase), estrogen levels rise before dropping at ovulation (the mid-point of your cycle).¹ Then, in the second half (the luteal phase), estrogen rises a bit while progesterone really takes off, reaching much higher levels than estrogen.¹

These hormones don't just manage your reproductive system—they're also major players in your appetite control and energy use.¹ Estrogen acts like a natural appetite suppressant, working in your brain to make you feel less hungry and even boosting your metabolism.² Progesterone, on the other hand, does the opposite. It ramps up your appetite and actually counteracts estrogen's appetite-suppressing effects.¹

The result? You feel less hungry around ovulation when estrogen is doing its thing, but then appetite kicks into high gear during the luteal phase when progesterone dominates.^1,3

Figure 1: The dotted line represents your food cravings during different phases of your menstrual cycle.¹

But wait, there's more! As your hormones shift after ovulation, a couple of other changes happen that make cravings even stronger. Serotonin (your brain's "feel good" chemical) drops, and cortisol (stress hormone) rises. Both of these changes signal your brain that it's time to eat—specifically, time to eat carbs and fats. Low serotonin particularly drives carb cravings, while high cortisol makes you want both carbs and fats.⁴ Your insulin sensitivity also changes with fluctuating estrogen levels, which can add another layer to these appetite shifts.

The numbers don't lie

This isn't just a minor inconvenience—the appetite changes are substantial. Research analyzing 19 different studies found that women eat an average of 239 extra calories per day during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase.³ Some women consumed up to 597 additional calories daily during their peak craving period!³ That's like adding an extra meal to your day! A more recent analysis of 15 studies found similar results, with women consuming an average of 168 extra calories daily during the luteal phase.⁵

What's particularly interesting is what women actually crave. Despite often being described as "carb cravings," most of the increased intake comes from foods that are high in both fat and carbs—think chocolate, cake, pastry, and ice cream.³ In one survey of college-aged women, 29% reported chocolate cravings specifically related to their menstrual cycle.⁶

These cravings typically start just before your period begins and can continue into the first few days of menstruation. Research shows women experience 57% more cravings during the luteal phase compared to early in their cycle, with 74% of women reporting food cravings in the week before their period versus only 27% after.¹

The good news? Any weight gain during this time is usually temporary and mostly due to water retention rather than actual fat gain.⁷

When PMS makes everything worse

Premenstrual syndrome affects up to 85% of women to some degree, and for 2-10% of women, the symptoms are severe enough to significantly impact daily life.⁸ PMS includes psychological symptoms like irritability and mood swings, physical symptoms, and behavioral changes—including those intense food cravings and overeating.⁸

The psychological symptoms can actually fuel the desire for comfort foods. When you're feeling irritable or down, reaching for carb-rich foods makes sense because they help increase tryptophan, which your brain uses to make serotonin.

Women with severe PMS show even more dramatic changes in eating patterns, consuming an average of 500 extra calories per day during the late luteal phase.⁹ Carbohydrate intake from meals increased by 24% and from snacks by 43%.⁹

The weight connection

Here's where things get a bit complicated. While normal menstrual cycle appetite changes don't seem to cause long-term weight gain, there's a clear relationship between weight and PMS severity. The heavier you are, the more likely you are to experience PMS symptoms.

Data from the large-scale Nurses' Health Study showed a linear relationship between BMI and PMS risk—for every 1-point increase in BMI, PMS risk increased by 3%.¹⁰ Women with a BMI of 27.5 or higher had significantly higher PMS rates than those with a BMI of 20 or lower. Higher BMI was also linked to specific PMS symptoms (see box).¹⁰

Specific PMS symptoms that were significantly more likely with each 1 kg/m² increase in BMI. Listed in order from highest increased risk to lowest increased risk.¹⁰

• Swelling of extremities
• Backache
• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea/constipation
• Food cravings
• Tendency to cry easily
• Acne
• Mood swings
• Appetite changes
• Desire for aloneness
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Breast tenderness
• Anger

This creates a bit of a cycle: higher weight increases PMS risk, and PMS increases cravings and calorie intake, which can contribute to weight gain.

Reducing your craving rollercoaster—A targeted approach

Given that overweight and obesity rates are climbing globally, PMS prevalence is likely increasing too. The ideal solution would be something you could use specifically during the challenging part of your cycle rather than having to commit to a daily regimen year-round.

This is where products like Calocurb® come in. It's a plant-based supplement made from bitter hops extract that works by stimulating bitter taste receptors in your gut. These receptors then release GLP-1, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar.

In studies, taking Calocurb an hour before eating increased GLP-1 levels by six times baseline levels, leading to an 18% reduction in calorie intake at the subsequent meal.¹¹ In a 24-hour fasting study with women, it reduced overall cravings by 40% and hunger by 30%, with participants eating 14% fewer calories when they finally had a meal.¹²

The supplement starts working about an hour after you take it and continues to have effects for about 4 hours as it moves through your digestive system. This timing makes it practical for targeted use—you could take it just during the week before and during your period if that's when you struggle most with cravings, or use it daily if you're trying to lose weight to reduce PMS risk.

About 5-10% of users experience some digestive upset when starting, so it's recommended to gradually increase the dose over 5 days, starting with one capsule before one meal and working up to two capsules before two meals.

The bottom line

The increase in appetite and cravings before menstruation isn't a character flaw or lack of willpower—it's a well-documented biological response to hormonal changes. These changes are more pronounced in women with PMS, and both PMS risk and severity increase with higher body weight.

Understanding what's happening in your body can help you plan better strategies for managing these challenges. Whether that's through targeted supplementation, meal planning, or other approaches, recognizing that your cravings have a biological basis is the first step toward dealing with them effectively.

Remember, temporary weight fluctuations during your cycle are normal and largely due to water retention. The key is preventing the cycle from becoming a long-term pattern that impacts your overall health and wellbeing.

Key Summary Points

• Hormonal changes drive pre-menstrual cravings: Progesterone dominance during the second half of your cycle naturally increases appetite and cravings
• The appetite increase is substantial: Women eat an average of 168–240 extra calories per day before their period.
• Cravings target specific foods: Pre-menstrual cravings typically target high-fat, high-carb foods like chocolate, cakes, pastries, and ice cream.
• PMS makes cravings worse: Women with severe PMS consume up to 500 extra calories daily during this phase
• Weight and PMS create a cycle: Higher body weight increases PMS symptoms, which then increases cravings in a cyclical pattern.
• Targeted appetite management is possible: The plant-based supplement, Calocurb®, can help manage cravings during challenging cycle phases to reduce food intake.

References

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12. Walker E, Lo K, Gopal P. Gastrointestinal delivery of bitter hop extract reduces appetite and food cravings in healthy adult women undergoing acute fasting. Obes Pillars. 2024;11:100117.