Raven-Symoné explains why she believes 'guys have periods' – and there's science to back it up
Raven-Symoné has ignited a viral debate over human biology after claiming that men experience their own equivalent of a monthly menstrual period.
Discussing biological cycles alongside her wife and co-host, Miranda Pearman-Maday, on their Tea Time with Raven and Miranda podcast, the That's So Raven alum argued that the men in her life go through noticeable, recurring emotional downturns.
"I think guys have periods," Raven asserted during the episode, drawing immediate resistance from her wife.
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"Don’t give them that," Miranda countered, referencing biological charts comparing cyclical hormone patterns. "I saw this chart that was showing the peaks and valleys, ups and downs of a woman and her hormonal cycle over a month, and a man’s. Men just do not have the same level of fluctuation as a woman, and when we feel like different people, like, I know this experience. I wake up and think 'what the hell?' I look like a different human. And yeah, you actually do. You’re retaining water in a different way, your face is bloating, your eyes are sinking into the back of your head, your chin is protruding this way. It’s all hormones."
Miranda continued by describing the sharp contrast across her own monthly cycle: "In a month, I have two weeks where I’m unstoppable. The skin is glowing, the hair is hydrated. I’m super iconic in those two weeks. I look good, my body feels lighter. And then every other day of that month I’m like 'kill me softly.'"
Raven stood by her core observation, clarifying that while men obviously do not undergo physical menstruation, they endure cyclical chemical shifts.
"I’m not giving men having a period as in the egg dropping, lining shedding experience," Raven explained. "But guys have hormonal shifts. And maybe it’s not throughout the day, but maybe it’s through the whole entire month. I feel like, just for the men I know, they’re like —"
"You just know some really weird men," Miranda joked.
The science behind Raven-Symone's suggestion
While the exchange drew laughs, medical experts note that Raven's underlying theory is supported by endocrinology.
While cisgender men do not experience uterine shedding or ovulation, they do live with hormonal fluctuations that significantly influence emotional stability, energy, and temperament.
Unlike women, whose reproductive hormones follow an infradian, roughly 28-day cycle, men primarily operate on a diurnal, 24-hour hormonal rhythm.
Testosterone levels typically peak in the early morning hours—often driving higher energy, confidence, and focus—before steadily declining over the course of the day and bottoming out by late evening.
However, men can also experience a phenomenon widely recognized by medical professionals as Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS).
First coined by researcher Gerald Lincoln, IMS refers to a state of heightened emotional sensitivity, sudden irritability, lethargy, and depressive moods triggered by abrupt drops in testosterone.
These hormonal drops are not strictly tied to the calendar, but can be brought on by elevated cortisol from chronic stress, poor sleep, sudden dietary shifts, or illness.
When testosterone plummets, men frequently report feeling uncharacteristically moody, anxious, mentally foggy, or prone to sudden emotional withdrawal—mimicking symptoms commonly associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
So while men may not be bleeding or buying tampons, Raven's observation holds water: when the men in your life suddenly seem irritable or overwhelmed, fluctuating chemistry may well be pulling the strings.
Phoebe Tonks