Many are wondering if gaining weight before menstruation is normal.
The onset of menstruation is recognized by many women by changes in the general condition of the body and other manifestations. Some girls feel heaviness in the lower abdomen, nausea, dizziness, others have swelling of the chest, limbs, constipation. The body of different women reacts differently to the approach of menstruation. But some ladies report weight gain before their period.
Is this normal?
As a rule, this situation is normal, and it can be explained by the physiological processes that occur in the female body in the period before menstruation. However, there are cases when weight gain can be considered as a manifestation of a certain pathological condition. Accordingly, differential analysis will help answer the question about the cause of weight gain.diagnostics.
Almost all women are kind to their own figure. And a serious increase in extra pounds can cause real disappointment.
What causes weight gain before period?
Reasons
The cause of weight gain immediately before and during menstruation should be sought primarily in physiological processes. It is known that every month a woman's body undergoes changes aimed at the implementation of pregnancy.
Why does weight gain happen before period?
Such changes are due to shifts in the hormonal background, while changes in body weight may depend on the impact of the following factors:
- Heredity.
- Eating errors.
- Premenstrual syndrome.
The question of hereditary predisposition is raised in many conditions, and in this situation it is of immediate importance. It is impossible to deny the errors of a woman in nutrition, which can appear at any time and worsen before menstruation.
According to reviews, weight gain before menstruation often worries.
Disruptions in the endocrine system
In addition, it is important to take into account the factors that cause pathological weight gain in the period under review. They should also be kept in mind during clinical examination, since the exclusion of physiological causes will require the search for other answers. For example, weight gain can provoke disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system against the background ofthe following states:
- Hypothalamo-pituitary dysfunction.
- Polycystic ovaries
- Pathological changes in the adrenal glands.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Hypothyroidism.
These diseases, of course, are not associated with menstruation, and they can manifest themselves at any time. However, only a doctor after an examination can completely exclude such conditions. To find out the exact reason for weight gain before menstruation is possible only through a comprehensive examination.
Development Mechanisms
It is known that the menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones. In different periods, the concentration of the main regulatory substances - progesterone and estrogens - changes. They affect a variety of metabolic processes, the functions of internal organs. In the period before menstruation, progesterone levels rise significantly. The biological role of this hormone is to ensure the onset of pregnancy and its normal course. However, other properties of progesterone do not go unnoticed. For example, it provokes fluid retention in the body, the volume of which can reach a liter.
What else provokes weight gain before menstruation? How many kilograms can you normally gain?
High nutrient requirement
It is also important to consider that the body requires more nutrients before menstruation, as there is still the possibility of pregnancy. This encourages a woman to take more food, which, of course, is reflected in weight. In addition, onagainst the background of hormonal changes, constipation may occur due to a decrease in peristalsis in the intestines. A decrease in the frequency of bowel movements is also reflected in weight gain. All factors in total can cause a set of up to 3 kg.
How is it manifested and what is accompanied by weight gain before menstruation?
Symptomatics
Getting a few extra pounds is not the most pleasant sign for any woman. However, this should not be considered critical, since the weight will return to its original value after the end of menstruation. In the case when this does not happen, you need to pay attention to your own body and try to determine the cause of what happened. If it is not possible to identify the causes on your own, it is important to seek help from a doctor.
He will tell you how many days weight gain before menstruation happens. Also, during the clinical examination, the specialist will focus on the symptoms that disturb the patient. If there are no other complaints besides weight gain, the doctor will have to identify and confirm them. Quite often, similar situations are considered as manifestations of premenstrual syndrome, which develops in most women.
In addition to changes in weight, the following manifestations may be noted:
- Constipation.
- Nausea.
- Sleep disorders.
- Mood changes.
- Feeling hot in the face.
- High heart rate.
- Dizziness, headache.
- Swelling of the face, limbs.
- Thirst, increased appetite.
- Soreness in the abdomen.
- Breast tenderness.
The presence of all of these signs is not mandatory, but most often a combination of several of them is manifested. In some women, the symptoms are severe and cause significant discomfort, in others they are almost invisible. Everything depends on the sensitivity of the female body to changes in the hormonal background that accompanies the period of menstruation.
There are even weight gain before menstruation during the diet.
Diagnosis
In cases where a woman's weight gain occurs regardless of the menstrual cycle, you should pay attention to reasons other than physiological. Perhaps there are disorders in the body that affect the endocrine system. In these cases, the use of additional diagnostic tools is shown, which include such methods of instrumental and laboratory confirmation as:
- Computed tomography.
- Study of the ovaries, adrenal glands, thyroid gland using ultrasound.
- Biochemical studies of blood samples for electrolytes, hormonal spectrum.
- Carbohydrate tolerance test.
- Examination of blood samples for glucose levels.
Examination by a gynecologist will need to be supplemented by a visit to an endocrinologist. The results of a comprehensive diagnosis will allow us to draw final conclusions about the cause of the appearance of excess weight during menstruation.
If the examination reveals a pathology, the woman is prescribed a specific therapy, the essence of whichcomes down to the normalization of metabolic and endocrine processes in the body.
Preventive and curative measures
In order to prevent strong weight gain during menstruation, it is important to listen to the recommendations of experts. Many activities, in addition to therapeutic, are preventive in nature. When these problems appear, a woman should pay attention to her body, taking into account the menstrual cycle.
You can minimize the unwanted changes that occur in the female body during menstruation by following simple general recommendations. For their implementation, a woman will only need organization and desire, while the effect will be noticeable almost immediately. First of all, it is important to observe the following nutritional rules in the premenstrual period:
- It is important not to overeat, but the diet should be complete.
- It is necessary to refrain from consuming excess sweets, flour products, fatty foods.
- Saturate the diet with greens, fruits, vegetables.
- Reduce hard cheeses, chocolate, coffee.
- Eat more often - up to 6 times a day.
- Carry out regular weight control.
- Refrain from smoking, alcohol.
Physical activity
Besides diet, you should pay attention to your physical activity. You should sleep at least 8 hours a day, it is also recommended to swim, walk more often in the fresh air, and do morning exercises. Wheninsomnia, it is recommended to take a bath with warm water and resort to other relaxation methods, such as breathing exercises, aromatherapy, relaxing music.
Following these simple recommendations will eliminate many manifestations of PMS, improve the general condition during menstruation.
The reasons for gaining weight before menstruation for the week have been described above.
Medicated therapy
In case of serious concern about her own he alth and the occurrence of significant discomfort from a severe syndrome before menstruation, a woman can resort to the use of medicines. A qualified doctor will be able to advise certain medications that eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Among them:
- Microelements (iron, calcium, magnesium), vitamins C, B6.
- Hormonal drugs.
- Diuretics.
- Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Sedatives.
It is important to take any medication in strict accordance with the appointments of a specialist. It is forbidden to choose drugs on your own and start using them, as this can provoke many undesirable effects.
Other methods
To improve the general condition and reduce the likelihood of weight gain before menstruation in a week, you can additionally use other therapeutic agents. Physiotherapeutic procedures remain relevant, for example, balneotherapy,reflexology, electrorelaxation. In addition, methods of psychotherapeutic influence are widely popular.
You can also resort to folk methods that involve the use of a variety of tinctures:
- It is necessary to take lemon balm and calendula flowers in the amount of three tablespoons, mix them, pour boiling water (half a liter). After that, the container is covered and infused for 10 hours. Take the infusion prepared in this way should be half a glass for a week in the second half of the menstrual cycle.
- It is necessary to take equal parts of flowers of valerian, chamomile, cornflower. 100 grams of the resulting mixture should be poured with half a liter of vodka and insisted for 12 days. Take alcohol infusion should be three times a day for 3 tablespoons. The course takes 7 days. This infusion helps to get rid of stress, reduces the severity of PMS, thereby reducing a woman's craving for sweets. In addition, the infusion has a moderate diuretic effect, which reduces the likelihood of swelling, fluid retention in the body.
- You need to take 1 part of calamus and 20 parts of alcohol. The components are mixed and infused for 20 days. Take the resulting tincture should be before eating one tablespoon. Tincture improves metabolism, the formation of less adipose tissue. It is important to bear in mind that calamus root helps to increase appetite, and therefore it is recommended to use the tincture before meals. At the same time, it is necessary to eat slowly, chew food thoroughly. This approach will allow you to get enough of lessamount of food.
You can use folk recipes during menstruation and before it only with the permission of a doctor and only in cases where there are no contraindications to this. During therapy, it is important to limit food and exercise.
Pre-period weight gain reviews
Many women report gaining extra pounds during their period. As a rule, this is due to physiological processes. Women report that they manage to eliminate such a problem by limiting their own diet and performing a set of physical exercises. There are often reports of the effectiveness of yoga and meditation practices that can eliminate the psychological factor and reduce food cravings. For some women, only medication prescribed by a doctor to reduce the severity of PMS helps.
It was considered whether it is normal to gain weight before menstruation.
