A woman's mood is so unstable and changeable. Representatives of the fair sex can smile and enjoy life, and a minute later cry crocodile tears. What is this, character costs or characteristics of the female body? The fact is that the menstrual cycle consists of several phases, each of which has its own characteristics. Women suffer the most during menstruation, which can cause sudden mood swings. Critical days are often accompanied by weakness and poor health. The body loses its strength, the woman becomes drowsy to work and rest, she constantly wants to sleep. It is important to understand why this happens and whether it is normal.
During menstruation, a woman may even lose consciousness
Steps
Nutrition
- Eat small, frequent meals.
By eating small meals more often than three times a day, you can maintain high energy levels throughout the day. If you don't eat for a long time, you will feel tired. Eat healthy snacks between meals.
- If you eat a heavy meal, your body will have to spend a lot of energy digesting food, which will lead to fatigue.
- Eat more protein.
Protein promotes the production of enzymes and hormones that help a person feel energetic. Lean protein also helps you keep your blood sugar levels stable and avoid spikes and crashes that can make you feel more tired. Healthy protein is found in the following foods:
- Poultry (chicken, duck, turkey)
- Seafood (red fish, tuna, trout, cod)
- Peas, legumes, processed soy products
- Nuts, seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds)
Lean beef, ham, pork
Try to avoid fast carbohydrates and sugar as often as possible - these foods cause spikes in blood glucose levels. There is a link between the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which has been proven by research. It may seem like you need to eat more sugar and carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar, but this will have the opposite effect. After two hours, your sugar levels will drop sharply as insulin processes all the glucose in your blood.
Avoid anemia.
Sometimes blood loss and poor nutrition lead to iron deficiency anemia, which causes severe weakness. Anemia is possible with fibroids in the uterus, which provoke severe blood loss, and with poor nutrition.
Lifestyle changes
- Play sports.
Sport helps fight fatigue. You may think that physical activity will drain your energy, but that's not true - exercise can help reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, including fatigue. Regular aerobic exercise for 30 minutes 4-6 times a week will help normalize hormonal levels, have a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and be beneficial for overall health.
Lose weight.
Obesity increases the risk of increased symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, including fatigue. A study of 870 women with a body mass index of over 30 (obese) found that being overweight was three times more likely to cause symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
- Excess weight is a factor that can be influenced, although it is not easy. Reduce your risk of developing unwanted symptoms by losing weight.
To feel less tired during your period, try to eat more healthy fats and fewer carbohydrates, and exercise regularly for at least half an hour.
Dehydration can increase weakness, so it is important to keep your body hydrated. Drink at least two liters of water per day and eat foods high in water content (especially vegetables).
Drink less alcohol.
Try not to drink alcohol, especially if you are about to menstruate. Alcohol acts as a natural depressant, which increases weakness.
Get enough sleep.
Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Scientists have found that this is exactly how many hours are needed to reduce fatigue, improve health and increase productivity.
Vitamins and other drugs
- Take a multivitamin.
To maintain all functions, the body needs a balanced diet. Unfortunately, many of us don't get all the important vitamins and minerals we eat. To compensate, take a quality multivitamin daily. This will reduce health risks and support the body.
- Ask your doctor, nutritionist, or pharmacy pharmacist which brand of vitamins you can trust. Vitamins come in different varieties, so you should choose a reliable manufacturer.
Multivitamins can help combat period fatigue, but they may not be enough depending on what you eat. Getting all your vitamins every day can be difficult.
Try taking oral contraceptives.
These remedies help relieve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and relieve increased fatigue by normalizing hormonal levels. Take the pills for 3-4 months to see if they give the effect you expect.
Fatigue during menstruation
- Understand what happens during your period.
Menstruation is caused by hormones produced by the pituitary gland and ovaries. Hormones prepare the uterus to receive a fertilized egg, from which a child will grow within 9 months. Some women experience more fatigue and other symptoms the day before and during the first days of their period.
During menstruation, many of us feel unwell, and our mood is very uneven. This is the premenstrual cycle, and something needs to be done about it... How to help yourself with menstruation and premenstrual syndrome? Have you started to notice that everything is annoying during the day, and insomnia and depressive thoughts come at night? During the week, do you crave chocolate and everything “harmful”? Do you remember what date it is today? Maybe your period is due to start soon?
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Photo gallery: Help yourself with periods and premenstrual syndrome
From month to month
Your condition is quite understandable: physical and emotional stress are associated with natural fluctuations in the level of hormones in the blood and the body’s individual reaction to this. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs in most women between the time of ovulation and the first days of menstruation. When your period starts, you will become balanced and cheerful again. The main thing is 7-10 days before the start of menstruation, learn to control your actions and not succumb to hormonal “provocation”. Premenstrual syndrome occurs differently for everyone: in some women it is “weakly expressed,” while others, due to poor health, cannot even get out of bed and are forced to take a ballot.
Feeling unwell during menstruation General signs of illness
with premenstrual syndrome the following: increased sensitivity or breast enlargement; fluid retention in the body, swelling of the face or hands; headache; pain in muscles, joints and specific back pain; craving for salty and sweet foods; lethargy, fatigue or, conversely, nervous excitability; strong heartbeat and “flushes” of blood to the face; skin rashes. Poor physical well-being is complemented by frequent mood swings. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness appear, irritability is replaced by a feeling of depression, tearfulness and depression.
Keep a PMS diary
A menstrual diary will help you avoid falling into the trap of premenstrual syndrome. By marking on a calendar all the symptoms and the start and end dates of your periods for at least three months in a row, you will be able to determine the cause of your ill health and take action. If PMS symptoms persist throughout your cycle, then you should seek help from a psychotherapist. Diet or herbal remedies alone cannot get rid of hidden phobias and personality conflicts. When writing down your whims and most acute desires or, conversely, a strong dislike for certain smells, previously favorite foods, do not forget to note the body’s reaction to hormonal changes.
Risk factors
As studies have shown, the risk of developing premenstrual syndrome is aggravated by women themselves and only 1% depends on heredity, that is, the presence of PMS in the mother and grandmother. But there are risk factors for developing PMS that you can control: long-term lack of physical activity; stress; deficiency of vitamin B6, calcium or magnesium; excessive consumption of coffee and alcohol; smoking; poor nutrition. Mood changes, fluid retention, breast tenderness and general fatigue are usually associated with vitamin B6 deficiency. While migraines, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, lethargy and cravings for sweets a few days before menstruation are caused by magnesium deficiency. Help yourself with periods and premenstrual syndrome - take control of the situation. If premenstrual symptoms are painful and persist despite all the measures taken, you should contact a gynecologist who can help. Unfortunately, there is no medicine yet that would 100% relieve PMS. Today it is important to be able to control PMS, and not block its symptoms.
Taboo on coffee
The most important thing in the “anti-PMS” diet is to strictly adhere to it, sharply reducing the consumption of animal fats and everything “unnatural”.
Give preference to vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds. Sound boring? But it works flawlessly! The hardest thing for many women is to give up coffee and chocolate these days. But this is exactly what needs to be done first. Believe me, being cheered up for half an hour will provoke a headache and a bad mood for the rest of the day. Products containing caffeine destroy vitamin B6, which is involved in the synthesis of serotonin, a hormone responsible for a good mood.
Dried apricots, figs, prunes, red and orange fruits (persimmon is a fruit of “critical days”!), food supplements of vitamin B6, magnesium and calcium will help improve your mood “Dangerous” these days include all canned and pickled foods and alcohol. They can cause headaches and swelling. In this state, you simply need a little physical activity. Physical exercise increases the production of endorphins in the blood, and this, in turn, reduces pain and reduces symptoms of depression. But after any load, you need to learn how to relax and rest properly, otherwise you will turn into a “stress bank.” The technique of meditation or deep relaxation is just right for “critical days.” It is better to take the first classes in a group under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Once you master the method, you can use it always. For pain in the lower abdomen, you can drink a ginger decoction, and for breast swelling, a week before your period, take evening primrose oil (2 capsules per day with meals).
Regular bleeding (menstruation) is a common feature of a healthy female body. However, PMS is often their harbinger. Its signs are varied, and most women of reproductive age experience their effects. As a rule, it first makes itself felt after infections, severe stress, abortion or complicated childbirth. But sometimes PMS can haunt very young girls with recently started periods.
What does nausea before menstruation mean?
Nature has endowed the female sex with the most important privilege - the ability to continue the human race. The reproductive system in women depends on the lunar calendar, that is, on the phases of the moon. This explains the cyclical nature of all processes that are associated with preparation for the conception of a new life and the fertilization of female germ cells by male ones.
Every woman knows this. After all, every month women experience monthly bleeding (menstruation). Below we will look at the state of the body before menstruation and the sensations experienced by the fair half of humanity these days.
For some women, if you do not reduce physical activity before your period, nausea may worsen and lead to vomiting. A large number of women wonder: can nausea occur before menstruation? Why does this symptomatology occur during this particular period?
Causes
There are several theories that explain the phenomenon of PMS. Each has its supporters among doctors. The development of the syndrome is justified by:
- Hormonal changes
in the female body before menstruation. Experts talk about an excess or lack of estrogen, progesterone deficiency, and a decrease in serotonin levels after ovulation; - Fluid retention
associated with endocrine disorders, in particular, temporary failure of glucose metabolism; - Psychosomatic diseases
that the woman already has; - Heredity
. It is believed that mother and daughter experience the same problems before their period.
The symptoms of the syndrome should not be attributed to only one group of causes; many of them can coexist in a woman’s body at the same time and influence her well-being during this period.
Nausea after menstruation
After menstruation, all unpleasant signs of PMS disappear. Nausea after menstruation is a rare occurrence. It may indicate hormonal imbalances and increased physical activity of a woman during menstrual periods. Active sports activities increase the pressure of the uterus on the nerve trunks of the spinal cord. If a girl suffers from heavy bleeding, nausea and dizziness may be manifestations of anemia. In this case, the body suffers from a lack of oxygen, and nausea acts as a signal from the corresponding center in the brain.
PMS classification
Normally, before menstruation, women experience aching pain in the lower abdomen, nausea, dizziness, weakness, breast swelling, and sometimes skin rashes appear. Minor manifestations of these symptoms do not require drug therapy and do not interfere with life and work. PMS often requires medical attention. All its manifestations are characterized by diversity. Depending on the predominance of the group of symptoms, the following forms of the syndrome
:
- Neuropsychic
. It is characterized by weakness, increased irritability, tearfulness, and aggressiveness. Sensitivity to smells and sounds becomes more acute. Often a woman experiences pain in the mammary glands; - Edema.
She is characterized by flatulence, irritability, swelling of the face, legs and fingers. There is a sharp pain in the mammary glands, sweating and associated itching of the skin. With this form of PMS, one feels weakness and aversion to strong odors; - Cephalgic .
Before menstruation, a throbbing headache, nausea and even vomiting appear. A woman may experience increased irritability and at the same time depression. Heart pain, swelling, numbness of fingers, pain in the mammary glands are not avoided; - Krizovaya.
This form is manifested by increased pressure and unpleasant pressing sensations in the heart area. As a result, the hands and feet become numb and cold, and arrhythmia occurs. The woman is haunted by the fear of death.
Additional signs of the syndrome
In addition to those listed, there are symptoms of PMS that are characteristic of any of its forms. These include:
- Vaginal discharge
. When fully healthy, they are colorless, creamy, odorless, and do not bother the woman. Whitish mucous membranes may indicate inflammatory diseases of the cervix. Brown - become a sign of endometriosis or polyp. Scarlet blood may be a symptom of cervicitis; - Abdominal pain
. Many women consider it the norm before menstruation, most often they are right. But pain syndrome can also be the cause of inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs; - Temperature increase
. If it is minor, then there is nothing to worry about. A temperature above 37.5 degrees is a reason to be examined; - Swelling of the mammary glands
. Like the previous signs, this can only be a harbinger of menstruation. Or it may indicate tissue proliferation and a diagnosis of diffuse mastopathy.
Nausea before menstruation in girls and teenagers
In practice, nausea before menstruation occurs during the formation of the menstrual cycle in adolescents; this phenomenon is not considered a pathology. There are signs that are characteristic only during puberty:
- profuse bleeding from the vagina;
- pronounced external changes in secondary sexual characteristics (breast growth, widening and rounding of the hips);
- the appearance of acne.
During the premenstrual period, a feeling of nausea, or its absence, can be explained by a sensitive reaction to unusual muscle contractions of the uterus.
Who's at risk
The syndrome in question can occur in a woman of any age and social status if she has menstruation. But there are categories that are most likely to experience all the “delights” of PMS in the most severe form:
- Smokers
. It has been proven that they suffer from the syndrome 2 times more often than women who are indifferent to tobacco; - BBWs
. Excess weight is always accompanied by fluid retention, which is one of the causes of the syndrome. Therefore, obese women experience its symptoms 3 times more often than slender ones.
If the symptoms literally prevent you from living and working normally, you should not wait them out. It is better to treat the syndrome by consulting a doctor and establishing a normal diet, taking vitamins and moderate exercise, as well as eliminating smoking from your life.
Unfortunately, the number of important functions assigned to a woman’s reproductive system does not make it perfect. Therefore, many representatives of the fairer sex suffer from dizziness and migraines, experience mood swings, apathy, loss of strength - in a word, they experience a certain kind of weakness during menstruation. This condition often manifests itself several days before the onset of menstrual bleeding and is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms - nausea, profuse vomiting. What caused such phenomena? Are men right when they skeptically attribute female weakness and irritability to a “terrible beast”? Are these symptoms harmless in nature, or, on the contrary, are they a signal for an urgent visit to the gynecologist?
Every woman who cares about her own health and the stable functioning of her reproductive system should be aware of these issues.
Feeling of nausea during menstruation
Menstrual bleeding may be heavy. Women with gynecological inflammations and abnormalities in the structure of the reproductive system are prone to such problems. Bleeding is accompanied by increased production of prostaglandins, which provoke intense pain. Due to pain and bleeding, a woman may experience weakness, nausea and apathy. Vomiting often occurs during menstruation. In such cases, they speak of severe algodismenorrhea.
It can be provoked by excessive physical activity, heavy lifting, regular lack of sleep and chronic fatigue. Sometimes algodismenorrhea appears already from the first menstruation.
How to deal with the symptom
According to gynecologists, such reactions are unnatural for the female body and indicate deviations from the physiological norm. During a gynecological examination of women with the described signs, inflammation in the uterus and appendages and endometriosis are detected. Excessive bleeding can be caused by polyps and neoplasms in the uterine cavity.
After treatment of the main problem, algodismenorrhea recedes. To relieve inflammation, antibiotics and NSAIDs are prescribed, and tumors are removed using minimally invasive interventions. The intensity of bleeding is reduced by tincture of water pepper, the drugs Tranexam and Hemotran. To speed up recovery, the doctor will prescribe drugs that stabilize the cycle. It is possible to use phytotherapeutic agents (Normotsikl) and homeopathy (Remens).
Causes of poor health and weakness
Phenomena such as loss of strength, lethargy, drowsiness, and reluctance to do anything during menstruation can be caused by a variety of factors. The main reasons are as follows:
- Actually, premenstrual syndrome (the same PMS), which naturally occurs against the background of all the physiological processes that occur in the body during hormonal imbalance and uterine contractions to remove detachments.
- A decrease in Hb levels, which accompanies menstrual periods and monthly blood loss in the female body.
- Frequent changes in blood pressure and vegetative-vascular dystonia, in which it becomes low.
- Accumulation of fluid in tissues, causing an increase in intracranial pressure and poor circulation.
- Depressive states.
- Vitamin deficiency, lack of micro- and macroelements in the body.
- Poor lifestyle – low mobility, lack of physical activity, abuse of junk food, alcohol, coffee, nicotine.
- Hypoxia caused by limited exposure to fresh air (or its complete absence), etc.
Regular nausea during menstruation, especially if it is accompanied by vomiting, can be caused by the action of oral contraceptives, which are not suitable for a woman.
Such symptoms require close medical analysis, collection of related medical history, and quite possibly, the appointment of additional studies. What to do if dizziness, nausea and general weakness after menstruation persist without losing their intensity? This is a good reason for a gynecological consultation, because it is necessary to identify the etiology of this process as quickly as possible. The most harmless reason is pregnancy, which blood levels will certainly help determine. Such conditions can also be provoked by much more serious factors - chronic diseases, intoxication of the body, pathologies of the cavity and cervix, ovarian tumors.
How to feel better
In cases where your health worsens significantly during menstruation, you should seek help from a doctor. Only after identifying the causes of the illness, the gynecologist will tell you what to do and how to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms. Often, medications are used to help suppress pain and normalize hormonal levels. The course of therapy depends on the cause of weakness and the presence of accompanying symptoms.
- Systematic sports activities. Moderate physical activity helps normalize the activity of the cardiovascular system, which significantly affects well-being.
- Saturation of the body with oxygen. Regardless of the phase of your cycle and your state of health, you need to rest as much as possible in the fresh air. With hypoxia (oxygen deficiency), weakness, increased fatigue and lethargy are noted.
- Proper organization of the diet. The daily menu should include the maximum amount of fruits and vegetables
. Harmful products should be excluded or minimized. - Taking vitamins and microelements. Scientists have discovered a relationship between malaise and a lack of magnesium in the body. Therefore, women are often prescribed medications that contain this microelement. In addition, before and during menstruation, the body needs vitamins A, E, C and B.
- Quitting bad habits and drinking coffee. Premenstrual syndrome is more pronounced in women who smoke. Alcohol and coffee can also aggravate the condition. It is recommended to exclude these drinks during the period of regulation.
- Increased hemoglobin levels. If the problem arose due to the development of anemia, a long course of iron supplementation is prescribed.
Malaise during menstrual periods, at least occasionally, is observed in all women. It usually does not indicate health problems and is caused by natural causes. If the condition worsens significantly, and other clinical manifestations are observed in addition to general weakness, you should seek help from a doctor. Such symptoms may signal pathological changes in the body.
Menstruation is a natural process in the body that is typical for women who have reached puberty. Menstruation stops only with the onset of menopause. Many women experience increased fatigue during menstruation. Fatigue can manifest itself in varying degrees. Most often, doctors attribute fatigue to hormones, but there is no data to prove this, so the reasons for increased fatigue during menstruation are unknown. However, your well-being can be improved through changes in diet, lifestyle and treatment of diseases that may lead to fatigue.
Premenstrual syndrome
This term denotes a whole complex of neuropsychic, vegetative-vascular and metabolic-endocrine processes in the female body that occur on the eve (from 7 to 2 days) of menstruation.
The most common manifestations of PMS:
- weakness, fatigue;
- emotional instability (outbursts of irritability, tears for no reason, unreasonable mood swings, etc.);
- pain in the lower abdomen;
- increased breast sensitivity;
- an increase in temperature of several tenths of a degree;
- swelling, increase in usual body weight by 2-3 kg;
- fluctuations in blood pressure (dizziness or headache, feeling of drowsiness, etc.);
- libido changes.
Decreased hemoglobin levels
Changes in blood composition are a serious factor that can cause weakness and fatigue during menstruation. Not every girl is aware that monthly bleeding, as a result of which the body loses only 50-80 (in the worst case, up to 150) ml of blood, can cause a significant decrease in Hb levels, even leading to the development of severe anemia. This is especially true for women with weak immune systems and those whose periods are burdened by gynecological pathologies (for example, hyperplasia, fibroids, cancer of the uterus and its cervix, etc.).
Severe weakness followed by drowsiness, nausea, nausea with vomiting (leading to dehydration) and even loss of consciousness can result from significant monthly blood loss, exhausting all the body's reserves of strength. The main symptoms of low hemoglobin are: pale skin, shortness of breath, arrhythmia, metallic taste in the mouth.
If loss of strength during menstruation is accompanied by the conditions mentioned, this should be a reason to contact your family doctor and take a general blood test.
Quick help for weakness
It is important to understand that it is not necessary to fight against the weakening of the body, but to primarily eliminate the causes that cause such a phenomenon. However, you can use simple recommendations to alleviate your condition one-time during your critical days. So, if a loss of strength is observed against the background of dizziness, both of which are very intense, you need to take a few drops of atropine (1% solution). When weakness is provoked by a severe headache, nausea, sudden darkening of the eyes, you should immediately provide yourself with full access to oxygen: open the window, free your neck and chest from excess clothing. It is important to sit comfortably or even lie down, i.e. take the most comfortable body position, then begin to breathe deeply and correctly. There is no need to ignore sleepiness, trying to overcome it with coffee or energy drinks, and stay awake as usual. With such a state, the body persistently signals the need for rest and restoration of strength, which is spent on the active processing of hormones.
How to get rid of it using folk remedies
In order to invigorate the body weakened by menstruation, you can try to use the advice of our ancestors, who did not have a wide range of pharmacological agents at hand. For example, drink a glass of fresh birch sap three times a day or 2-3 tsp. fish oil. Tea with linden blossom in combination with dandelion jam is a great way to help you forget about the loss of energy. You can also brew medicinal verbena; it copes with the task no worse.
Help to easily cope with weakness and dizziness during menstruation:
- teas made from ginger, parsley seeds, lemon balm or linden flowers;
- freshly squeezed carrot and beet juices;
- seaweed powder;
- Ginkgo Biloba infusion.
For nausea that accompanies a weakened body on “red days of the calendar,” you can put a piece of lemon or sour candy under your tongue, drink a glass of kefir, mint tea or sauerkraut juice.
Regular impotence in the week before menstruation, as well as constant weakness directly on the days of menstruation, should be reasons to contact a gynecologist. Especially if ailments force you to radically adjust your usual rhythm of life, postponing not only going to the gym, nightclubs or swimming pool, but also canceling important meetings and taking time off from work. The nature of such phenomena may be different. However, if they are eliminated with the help of analgesics, sedatives, vitamin complexes, weakness, nausea, slight fever, weight fluctuations, pain in the lower back, chest and lower abdomen are not pathological and are caused only by monthly hormonal changes in the female body.
Many women experience a lack of physical strength and energy during and on the eve of their critical days. Weakness during menstruation can be so severe that it leads to disability and disruption of normal life activities. Sometimes the condition is combined with dizziness, nausea and even vomiting. The reasons for the appearance of weakness are different; without the help of specialists and a certain set of examinations, it is sometimes difficult to understand what is happening. How to understand your own health? And are there self-help options for such conditions?
Read in this article
Why PMS manifests itself differently
The female body is a very complex mechanism. Each female cycle is controlled by physiological processes that are inherent in nature and can malfunction. This results in psychological, physical or emotional outbursts and general poor health.
Reason 1: hormonal changes
Before and during menstruation, the levels of female hormones change dramatically. Estrogen, which is responsible for beauty, attraction and good mood, is produced in smaller quantities. Its effect on the body weakens: the ovulation period is over and by nature, there is no point in attracting the opposite sex. At this time, progesterone predominates in a woman’s body, which in most cases is the cause of ailments. Hormone imbalance leads to the following common negative symptoms:
- weakness and fatigue;
- tearfulness or irritability;
- impressionability;
- poor sleep;
- dizziness and nausea.
These manifestations of progesterone rampage are observed in almost every woman during the period of premenstrual syndrome.
Reason 2: uterine changes
The second half of the female cycle is responsible for preparing for fertilization and pregnancy. This explains:
- significant increase in appetite;
- rapid weight gain;
- breast enlargement and sensitivity.
If fertilization does not occur, the body suddenly changes direction and begins to prepare for menstruation. The uterus contracts to get rid of the endometrium. For this reason, women may experience quite painful cramps and lumbar pain. Sometimes it is difficult to cope without painkillers. In parallel with the spasms, nausea, pallor, chills and a decrease in body temperature are noted.
Reason 3: lack of minerals and vitamins
It often happens that ailments before menstruation are associated with a lack of the following substances in the body:
- potassium, magnesium, sodium;
- calcium, iron.
And also a lack of vitamins A and C. Often a woman’s body itself feels that it needs to make up for their deficiency. Constantly crave salty, sour or sweet. There may even be a perversion of taste. To avoid this, about a week before menstruation you should start taking a complex of vitamins for women and improve your diet. Then you will feel much better and, perhaps, dizziness, weakness and nausea will completely stop appearing.
Reason 4: nervous system overstrain
In all processes of the menstrual cycle, the central nervous system plays an important role. Overload of the nervous system very often occurs precisely in the last phase of the cycle, which, in turn, leads to:
- irritability and aggression;
- nervousness and tearfulness;
- panic attacks and loss of self-esteem or insomnia.
If the central nervous system (CNS) has been working hard all month, there has been a lot of stress or anxiety, then it is not surprising that before your period you will also experience headaches, nausea and even vomiting. Depression may also occur, which will go away only after the end of menstruation.
Feeling unwell during premenstrual syndrome is a common and natural phenomenon. This does not mean that problems of malaise should not be addressed. It is necessary to take all possible measures to reduce the severity of the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome.
Reason 5: vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD)
Women are very often subject to frequent changes in blood pressure. With VSD it is often reduced. Before and during menstruation, such women and girls may feel weak or even lose consciousness. This is due to fluctuations in pressure due to hormonal changes and blood loss along with menstrual flow.
Later, all processes are restored, and health improves on its own. You can check whether ailments are related to VSD if you regularly measure your blood pressure for a month and record the results obtained in all phases of the female cycle.
PMS classification
Premenstrual syndrome is divided into classes depending on the duration of ailments before menstruation. The intensity and nature of the origin of general well-being is also taken into account. Doctors consider the degree of mild premenstrual syndrome to be the presence of 4-5 symptoms, where only 1 or 2 are pronounced. They appear a week before menstruation occurs.
If the degree is severe, then there are many more symptoms. They are all very pronounced and can occur even two weeks before the start of menstruation. Basically, 5-7 signs of PMS manifest themselves so clearly that it becomes very difficult for a woman to endure this period.
It is also important to note that there is also a division of PMS into 3 types:
- compensated;
- subcompensated;
- decompensated.
With the compensated type, the symptoms disappear with the onset of menstruation and the signs do not progress. The subcompensated type involves the progression of symptoms and ailments before the onset of menstruation. The last type indicates the persistence of symptoms during menstruation, and even for some time after them.
What can you do to prevent discomfort before your period?
Most women give up and refuse to lead a normal life when they experience a loss of strength before menstruation. They feel like they don't need to do anything. Due to severe ailments, they have to deny themselves not only some pleasures, but also postpone important things. Going to bed for a few days every month or taking pills is too depressing. And enduring discomfort and pain is harmful, so you should fight all this. The first thing you definitely need to do is visit a gynecologist. The doctor may recommend taking:
- sedatives, hormonal pills;
- antihistamine tablets, anti-inflammatory drugs;
- homeopathic medicines, vitamin and mineral complexes.
Typically, treatment is prescribed for up to six months. In addition to therapy with special pharmaceutical drugs, other measures will need to be taken to eliminate premenstrual ill health. Nutrition will also need to be adjusted. It is advisable to avoid fatty and salty dishes from coffee, but you can consume dark, especially dark chocolate.
Consuming alcohol and nicotine only makes you feel worse, so it is better to avoid them or at least reduce your consumption a week before your period. It is useful to eat, in the second phase of the female cycle, seafood, legumes, dairy products and fruits and vegetables.
Physical activity, even in the form of gymnastics, has a very beneficial effect on eliminating pain in the lower abdomen and lower back before menstruation. You will need to exercise every other day during PMS and 2-3 times a day. In addition, your mood should also improve, because physical activity promotes the active production of endorphins. It is extremely important to avoid lack of sleep, otherwise it will result in an aggressive or whiny state.
Many women experience a lack of physical strength and energy during and on the eve of their critical days. Weakness during menstruation can be so severe that it leads to disability and disruption of normal life activities. Sometimes the condition is combined with dizziness, nausea and even vomiting. The reasons for the appearance of weakness are different; without the help of specialists and a certain set of examinations, it is sometimes difficult to understand what is happening. How to understand your own health? And are there self-help options for such conditions?
Read in this article
Reasons for appearance
Slight weakness and malaise may be normal for a healthy woman on the eve of and during menstruation. But the condition is not always associated with increased stress and psycho-emotional stress. This is especially true for the female body. Changes in hormonal levels can be so pronounced that it confuses the fair sex. But you shouldn’t attribute your condition to this alone. Often, weakness during menstruation may indicate serious illness.
Premenstrual syndrome
Its severity ranges from mild malaise to complete asthenia for several days. Weakness in this condition is part of a complex of symptoms. Along with it, lethargy, or even vomiting, pain in the mammary glands and irritability, nervous excitability and others appear. Rarely does one woman experience everything at once.
As a rule, it is characterized by a combination of certain symptoms that regularly repeat 7 - 10 days before menstruation and continue for the first 2 - 3 days of the cycle.
Depressive state
Changes in hormone levels throughout the cycle often lead to depression on the eve of and during menstruation. At the same time, sometimes a woman perceives this as weakness: she doesn’t want to do anything, she lacks emotional and physical strength. Gradually the condition passes, and by the middle of the cycle she feels well.
Decreased hemoglobin levels
Changes in blood counts are one of the serious reasons why a woman may feel tired and lack of strength. Many people do not even suspect that gynecological pathology sometimes leads to a decrease in hemoglobin levels in the blood. But it cannot be otherwise, because during menstruation a woman normally loses up to 150 ml of blood, and with pathology the figures vary greatly. Large monthly blood loss exhausts all the resources and reserves of the body, and it does not have time to recover. As a result, anemia occurs, sometimes severely, and this requires a blood transfusion.
Bleeding can be either during menstruation or acyclic. Sometimes they can last up to 30 days or more, with short intervals.
The following conditions may be the causes of monthly large blood loss:
Cause | How it manifests itself |
, especially with a submucous location of the node or | As a result, the myometrium cannot fully contract, the area of the internal sloughing layer of the uterus increases, and menstruation becomes very heavy. Sometimes the appearance of pieces, similar to parts of the liver, is noted in the discharge. |
Endometrial pathology (and) | This condition is characterized by acyclic spotting. |
Oncological diseases of the cervix and uterine cavity | A woman may not even suspect the presence of a malignant pathology. But progressive weakness and malaise will lead her to a doctor, who, upon examination, will reveal the pathology. |
Malignant ovarian tumors do not lead to bleeding, but there is a sharp decrease in hemoglobin. And hence the general poor health.
In such situations, weakness will be combined with lethargy, increased fatigue, shortness of breath appears even during normal physical activity, the heart rate increases, blood pressure drops, the skin is pale, and there are some other signs.
Often, when the hemoglobin level decreases, a woman notices the appearance of a metallic taste in the mouth and a change in taste preferences.
Pregnancy
If weakness and nausea appear during menstruation, but the woman notes that the discharge is much less than usual, and it is even spotting, pregnancy cannot be ruled out. In this case, menstruation may come on time or with a slight delay. In fact, these are the threat of interruption, not critical days. Therefore, if a girl notices any other signs of pregnancy against the background of increased fatigue, she should do a blood test, which is more informative.
Weakness and fatigue can bother a woman throughout pregnancy, and this is not considered a pathology. But it is necessary to undergo an examination, since often this condition can be aggravated by a decrease in hemoglobin.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia
Changes in pressure, often called VSD, are more susceptible to women of slight build, who are normally characterized by low blood pressure. On the eve of menstruation and especially during it, girls often notice weakness, which is associated with several reasons:
- loss of blood - fluid volume,
- fluctuations in hormonal levels with a predominance of the gestagenic component, which in itself reduces blood pressure.
Gradually the woman recovers, and the weakness disappears. It is possible to establish that such conditions are associated specifically with pressure drops by monitoring it throughout the entire cycle.
Other pathology
Often weakness can be present throughout a woman's life, but worsens during menstruation. Or the girl simply times it specifically for her critical days. Weakness and fatigue appear with many chronic diseases. As a rule, it occurs as a result of intoxication of the body with waste products of pathogenic microorganisms or its own cells. The most pronounced weakness is caused by tuberculosis, HIV, cancer of the blood and other organs.
Self-help or how to deal with the condition
Before you begin to deal with such conditions, you should figure out why weakness constantly appears or intensifies during menstruation, and then goes away. If this interferes with a woman’s normal life, and even more so if she feels so bad these days that she cannot go to work, then you should definitely consult a doctor. Also, medical help should be sought if, along with general malaise, other symptoms are present, for example, pallor, shortness of breath, bleeding, etc.
If a woman is bothered by slight weakness and drowsiness during menstruation, she should slightly change her lifestyle, diet, and some habits, and a significant improvement will soon occur. Useful tips:
- Sometimes the prescription of contraceptive hormones reduces the degree of manifestation of premenstrual syndrome, respectively, and the loss of strength will not manifest itself in the same way on the eve of and during menstruation.
- Regular exercise and the use of relaxation techniques will help control the function of the cardiovascular system. If weakness is associated with pressure changes, then classes, meditation, Pilates, even dancing can help you feel better.
- You should also spend enough time in the fresh air, because hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) can cause weakness, lethargy and increased fatigue.
- Performance largely depends on nutrition. The diet should contain sufficient amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. If necessary, you can add courses of vitamins and microelements. A pattern has been identified between magnesium deficiency and fatigue, weakness, and irritability. Therefore, even doctors’ recommendations often include a course of taking medications of this microelement, for example, the drug “Magvit” and others. Also, on the eve of menstruation and during critical days, a woman has an increased need for vitamins B, C, A and E, and iron.
- It has been noted that coffee, nicotine and alcohol can aggravate well-being if weakness is a manifestation of premenstrual syndrome. Therefore, you should limit your consumption on these days. And even with a decrease in blood pressure, it is better to replace coffee with green tea, which, in addition to caffeine, contains a large amount of antioxidants.
- If the malaise is caused by a decrease in hemoglobin, then mandatory treatment will include long-term intake of iron. But the regimen is determined only by the attending physician.
Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can sometimes cause a decrease in performance and a deterioration in a woman’s well-being. But if severe weakness occurs during menstruation, it is first necessary to exclude various pathological conditions, and for this you need to consult a specialist. Only a doctor, after a comprehensive examination, will be able to determine the cause and prescribe the most effective treatment. If the cause of the disease is premenstrual syndrome or other minor functional disorders, then lifestyle changes, balanced nutrition and sufficient physical activity will help improve the condition.
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