The body of any woman is akin to a flower: it needs proper and regular care, as well as a careful attitude. Nevertheless, due to certain physiological processes, various changes can occur, among which there are less pleasant ones. For example, the appearance of extra pounds during menstruation. For those girls who are trying to lose weight, this is a real nightmare. However, before you panic, you should understand why during menstruation weight increases? A question that deserves everyone's attention!
At the same time, it should be borne in mind that on the eve of menstruation, weight gain can reach up to 3 kg, which is considered normal. To get to the bottom of this, it is worth diving into the physiology of the female body.
Clean waterphysiology
The menstrual cycle is in complete submission to hormones, among which the main role is played by estrogen and progesterone. At different times, their concentration changes, which has a significant role in the course of the metabolic process and the functionality of internal organs.
This cycle, as you know, takes place monthly and is due to the fact that the woman's body, regardless of her desire, begins to prepare for a possible potential pregnancy. Many young girls think about why they feel sick during menstruation. The activity of hormones in such a critical period is also to blame for this.
Before the onset of menstruation, the amount of progesterone remains at a high level. Exposure to hormones leads to a thickening of the inner wall of the reproductive organ (endometrium).
However, if, due to the absence of conception as such, pregnancy has not occurred, the concentration of hormones begins to decrease. As a result, the blood supply to the mucous membrane of the inner layer of the uterus stops, and the endometrium is rejected. At the same time, it is excreted through the genital tract.
In other words, the secretions are a mixture of complex composition:
- blood;
- mucus;
- dead endometrial cells;
- parts of the vagina.
This physiological feature was bestowed by mother nature herself and she also established the norm for the cycle of menstruation in women. As a rule, this is 28 days, which is not the case for everyone. Please allow a slight deviation of 1 week. That is, if the cycle lasts from 21 to 35 days, this is still considered the norm. Otherwisecase, it is worth contacting a specialist for advice.
Each woman or girl experiences this process individually. For some, menstruation is difficult, accompanied by painful sensations in the genital area. And someone gets off with a slight weakness.
What could be the reason?
The reason for weight gain may lie in the internal processes of the female body during the menstrual cycle. It is not for nothing that this period was dubbed by many as "critical". With the onset of these most alarming days for some girls and women, the body is preparing for a possible pregnancy.
Hormonal changes occur in the body, including the metabolic process. The increase in mass may be due to several factors, which will be discussed later.
Fluid retention in the body or what happens during menstruation
This is one of the main reasons for gaining extra pounds. We are already familiar with the influence of the hormone progesterone. During the second phase of the cycle, its concentration begins to increase, due to the need to prepare for bearing a child. As a result, fats are deposited in the subcutaneous layer, which in turn leads to fluid retention. Ultimately, a woman's weight before her period can increase to 1.5-3 kg.
However, not only a high level of progesterone leads to excess moisture in the body, another hormone is connected here - aldosterone. As a result, water-s alt metabolism is disturbed. This affects the manifestationswelling of the legs, face, the appearance of bags under the eyes. In addition, the stomach grows.
In addition, due to the increase in progesterone, immunity is weakened. For this reason, before the onset of menstruation, existing diseases that are in the chronic stage may worsen. That is, the resistance of the female body drops noticeably.
What happens during your period with PMS?
This reason should not be discounted either. There are several varieties of premenstrual syndrome, which are characterized by their own clinical picture. In 45% of cases, the edematous form of PMS can be diagnosed.
Usually this is accompanied by the following manifestations:
- headache;
- body swelling;
- itchy skin;
- flatulence;
- increased sensitivity to odors,
- nauseous;
- swelling and tenderness of the mammary glands;
- joint pain;
- sleep disorder;
- gaining excess weight.
At the same time, the edematous form is in third place in terms of prevalence. Moreover, in most cases, this syndrome affects mainly young girls. As for women of mature age and women in the premenopausal period, their cyclic symptom complex affects them to a lesser extent.
Many of the fair sex on the eve of critical days may experience negative diuresis, which is due to the fact that there is fluid retention in the range of 500–700 ml.
Thisthe condition during menstruation in women is expressed by swelling of the hands, feet, face, eyelids, and of a pronounced nature. In some cases, urination is not disturbed, however, a redistribution of fluid may occur in the body, which ends in the development of swelling.
Anemia
This disease affects many women and even young girls who exhaust themselves with rigid unbalanced diets. As a result, the level of hemoglobin decreases markedly. But during the period of menstruation, the female body loses up to 30 mg of iron daily.
Often, with anemia, women wake up with a strong appetite - the body lets you know about its natural needs. And again, it is quite difficult to avoid overeating here. And if you do not control yourself, then excess weight can seriously lag behind the norm.
Features of digestion during the menstrual cycle
Before the onset of menstruation, the concentration of progesterone in a woman's body increases (this is already familiar to us). However, not everyone understands how it affects digestion. And here lies another reason why weight increases during menstruation.
Due to the increase in the level of the hormone, the muscles of the genital organ begin to relax, which in turn puts pressure on the intestines. And this already leads to the accumulation of gases.
For this reason, the tummy begins to grow. In addition, constipation can serve as a harbinger of menstruation. Due to the accumulation of feces, the readings on the scales may also change. At the sametime weight gain occurs before the first day X. Afterwards, everything usually returns to normal.
Sweet cravings
It is very difficult to fight excess weight during menstruation: craving for the most harmful - sweets - is added to the increased appetite. This is especially true for chocolate. Many people (due to their illiteracy) explain these desires by a decrease in hemoglobin levels, and therefore they try to compensate for the loss with a couple of three chocolate bars.
In fact, the reason why weight gain during menstruation is due to changes in hormone levels. As soon as menstruation begins, the increased concentration of progesterone decreases, while prostaglandins are intensively produced. Due to these biologically active substances, the mucous membrane of the wall of the reproductive organ is exfoliated.
In addition, the amount of female hormones - estrogens - is rapidly decreasing. But thanks to their presence, the concentration of serotonin (hormone of happiness) is maintained at an optimal level! With such physiological metamorphoses, it is not surprising that the mood deteriorates.
Of course, limiting yourself completely is not the best solution, because you always want sweets. A couple of slices of dark chocolate won't do more harm, but an obsessive desire will certainly kill!
A special form of mental state
Weight gain during or before the menstrual cycle may be due to more than just women's physiology. Premenstrual syndrome, which is mostlypart is characterized by instability of the psychological state, up to 90% of women may suffer.
Mood can drop noticeably in a matter of minutes, and there is almost any reason for irritation. And if a girl still winds herself up about why weight increases during menstruation, then serious stress is not far from here.
Changeable mood, a tendency to depression, the appearance of apathy - all this is the result of the influence of a neurotransmitter, which is also released in high concentration before menstruation.
Main psychological factor
The main psychological reason lies in the subconscious: many girls or women every time experience fear of the next nightmare. In addition, bad mood and lack of self-control add fuel to the fire. The result is an irresistible craving for something very sweet and high in calories.
To everything else, everyone around seems to “provoke” a woman on purpose, and, seeing her condition, they give chocolate and other sweets in order to somehow calm her down. But in this case, the inevitable weight gain is a matter of time.
It is worth noting the exact opposite: after learning about the natural change in weight, women can deliberately start to overeat, so as not to expose their body to unnecessary "stress". However, there is a certain nuance here, which lies in the fact that the period of such relaxation can drag on for a week or another.
It's not a problem to negotiate with your close relatives, you just have to ask them not toto import flour and sweet at least for the period of menstruation. But as for prolonged overeating, everything is more than serious here. After all, the lack of self-control can lead to obesity, which many of the fairer sex would not really like.
Therefore, if there is an urgent need for this, it is necessary to seek advice from a good psychotherapist. In any case, being overweight (not naturally) will not do you any good.
Diet during menstruation
We now know how much weight increases during menstruation - within 1-3 kg. Therefore, there are no reasons for worrying. At the same time, for girls who are prone to overweight, the fight against fullness can drag on for quite a long period of time - several months. Nevertheless, on such critical days, doctors strongly recommend avoiding calorie reduction.
But what to do, because the process itself does not want to be interrupted?! Is there really nothing that can be done during the critical days?! There is a solution and for this you should follow simple tips:
- Increase your fiber intake the week before your period (beans, vegetables, apples).
- After eating, do not drink water for an hour. This will avoid stretching the stomach and adjust it for small portions.
- Increasing serotonin naturally - bananas, tomatoes, corn.
- Reception of sour-milk and iron-containing products must be carried out separately. Fewthe fact that their combination is poorly absorbed by the body, such nutrition also contributes to a breakdown and an early desire to interrupt the diet.
In other words, it is better not to argue with the physiology of the female body! As for weighing during menstruation, for girls this is far from the best idea. As a result, you can only spoil your mood, nothing more. The process of losing weight on critical days should be comfortable. And instead of suffering, a woman should experience satisfaction from what is happening.
Helpful tips
There is no doubt about the need for self-control. At the same time, it is possible to enlist support in the form of practical and actionable recommendations. And regardless of why the weight increases (before menstruation or during them), the rules for its reduction are identical. As a rule, a number of restrictions are necessary for the period of critical days, but such a forced temporary measure is useful!
Actually, the recommendations themselves:
- All fatty, fried, s alty (including mayonnaise) women need to remove from their diet. Also avoid alcoholic products, canned vegetables, pastries. All this contributes to the retention of moisture, respectively, and weight gain.
- Diversify the menu with more he althy products - vegetables, grain bread, fish.
- Water consumption should be limited, especially in the evening. The use of tea or coffee, as well as mineral water, can result in edema, which, as is now known, promises weight gain duringmonthly.
- Taking calcium and magnesium supplements will reduce puffiness, as well as swelling of the chest and abdomen. Usually, doctors advise using vitamin and mineral complexes to normalize the functioning of all systems, which should not be neglected!
- It is worth noting that weight loss is noticeably faster only in the first half of the cycle. At the second stage, the process slows down or stops altogether. However, it is not worth throwing the conceived explicit. It's just that the priority is changing a little - now it's important not to get better.
- It is worth a certain amount of time to devote to physical activity. Of course, there is no need to arrange marathon races, but gymnastics, swimming, dancing will help relieve stress and deliver a lot of pleasant sensations. In a pinch, a simple walk in the park can also give women positive emotions.
- A loved one can also provide significant help: instead of chocolates, he should give his woman whole or dried fruits.
At the same time, all efforts that will be directed to he alth and self-control should be permanent and regular. Only in this way can the desired results be achieved. And besides, for a woman, this period will be less difficult and can no longer be considered critical.
But if the weight does not go away while dieting during menstruation, it's time to visit a doctor. Perhaps the trouble lies in another reason, which requires more qualified consideration.
