When Mood Shifts Strain Relationships: It’s Not Always ‘Just the Marriage’
It can feel devastating when a marriage or long-term relationship starts to change. Arguments may come more quickly, one partner seems short-fused, or intimacy feels distant. It’s natural to wonder if the relationship itself is failing — but sometimes the root cause isn’t about love at all. It may be about health.
Why Relationships Feel the Strain
When one partner changes in mood, energy, or interest, the relationship absorbs the impact. Common drivers include:
Stress and burnout from work, family, or caregiving
Hormonal shifts such as low testosterone, perimenopause, or thyroid changes
Mental health struggles like depression or anxiety that go unnoticed
Withdrawal when one partner feels too tired, irritable, or disconnected
From the outside, it can look like love is fading. But often it’s biology creating emotional distance.
Signs It May Be More Than Just Conflict
A partner who used to be patient now snaps easily
Intimacy or desire has dropped off with no clear explanation
Fatigue or brain fog make it harder to connect
One partner pulls away, the other feels rejected
These patterns hurt — but they don’t always mean the relationship is broken.
Hormones, Mood, and Connection
Hormones influence how we show up in relationships.
Low testosterone in men and women can cause irritability, fatigue, and loss of interest in intimacy.
Perimenopause and menopause can bring mood swings, anxiety, and disrupted sleep.
Thyroid imbalance can lead to depression, withdrawal, or short temper.
Cortisol imbalance from chronic stress can leave someone “wired but tired,” too exhausted to engage.
When hormones are off, even small relationship stressors feel amplified. Supporting hormone health often restores energy, patience, and connection — making space for the relationship to heal.
Why Getting Checked Matters
Blaming the relationship without considering health overlooks a huge piece of the puzzle. By checking hormones and mood together, couples often discover that what felt like “falling out of love” was really a body out of balance.
My Role
As both a hormone specialist and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, I’m trained to see both sides. I don’t separate mental health from hormone health — I connect them. This approach often means:
Less trial-and-error with counseling or medication alone
Faster identification of what’s truly driving mood and connection changes
Plans that address both the person and the relationship they care about
If you’ve noticed your relationship changing in ways that don’t feel like “you,” it may be time to look deeper.
At The Listening NP, I take time to hear your story and help uncover what’s really going on. Schedule a Consultation and let’s start finding answers together.
Key Takeaways
- Relationship strain isn’t always about love fading — hormones and mood shifts often play a role.
- Low energy, irritability, or loss of intimacy may point to health changes, not just conflict.
- Evaluating hormones and mental health together can restore connection and clarity.
