Many women report poor health before menstruation. Most often it is associated with premenstrual syndrome, but in some cases it may indicate some disturbances in the body. What are the causes and symptoms of feeling unwell before menstruation?
Features of the female body
The structure of women is very different from men. In particular, this difference is noticeable in the reproductive system. The body of a woman is set to bear and have children. At the age of 11 to 16 years, the first menstruation begins in girls, which means that the body is ready for pregnancy. Monthly, in the absence of fertilization, the egg goes out together with the endometrium of the uterus. At this time, menstrual bleeding is observed.
This period is quite difficult for a certain number of women. They feel weak, as well as other unpleasant symptoms. In addition, a few days before the onset of monthly bleeding, a woman may feel their approach. This is also evidenced by poor health and other concomitant symptoms.
What is PMS?
Very poor health before menstruation can be explained by premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. This term is called a complex of unpleasant symptoms that usually occur before menstruation and are its forerunners. Their duration varies from 2 to 10 days, depending on the individual characteristics of the woman's body.
With premenstrual syndrome, disturbances in the endocrine system are possible, metabolism is impaired, and the nervous system is also activated. Modern research proves that the older a woman becomes, the more prone she is to PMS. There are also studies that prove that those representatives of the beautiful half of humanity whose work is related to mental activity or communicating with people are more prone to this condition.
Causes of occurrence
The exact prerequisites for the occurrence of poor health before menstruation are unknown. At the same time, doctors distinguish such factors that can play an important role in the occurrence of premenstrual syndrome:
- Violation of the ratio of the level of the hormone estrogen and progesterone, which affects the emotional state of a woman.
- An increase in the amount of prolactin. This also explains the pain and swelling of the mammary glands before menstruation.
- Some diseases of the thyroid gland that provoke a violation of its functionality.
- Violation of the water-salt balance.
- An acute shortage of such vital vitamins as B, C, E, as well as magnesium, calcium and zinc.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Psychogenic factors, which include a negative situation within the family, at work, frequent stressful situations.
- Some infectious diseases can also cause you to feel unwell before your period at 40 or any other age. At the same time, the signs of poor health at 40 are most often felt more acutely than at an earlier age.
- Lack of regular physical activity, as well as obesity of any stage.
- The abuse of coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
Also, with the onset of pregnancy and the birth of a child, the hormonal background of a woman changes significantly, which can cause unpleasant symptoms of PMS. The cause of ill health before menstruation can also be abortions previously made by a woman.
Symptoms
Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by such unpleasant manifestations:
- weight gain;
- sleep disturbances;
- irritability;
- frequent mood swings;
- an increase in the abdomen in volume;
- headache;
- pain in the lower abdomen and in the lower back;
- tenderness of the chest, especially the nipples, when touched;
- copious transparent or white discharge from the vagina;
- increase in blood pressure;
- swelling of the face and limbs;
- fast fatiguability;
- an increase in body temperature to 37 degrees, which is most often observed in the evening;
- the appearance of acne on the skin of the face, chest and back;
- dizziness;
- craving for certain foods;
- a feeling of heat or chills in the evening;
- nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- diarrhea.
Why is she feeling sick before her period? Most often, unpleasant manifestations of premenstrual syndrome are associated with a lack of certain vitamins and minerals, as well as with hormonal disorders.
ICP stages
Depending on the severity of the observed symptoms, the following stages of the development of a pathological condition are distinguished:
- Compensated stage, in which the symptoms are mild and do not affect the daily life of a woman. Such manifestations do not progress with age, but with the onset of the first day of menstruation completely and completely disappear without a trace.
- A subcompensated stage, which is characterized by an acute manifestation of symptoms, which significantly worsen a woman's quality of life. With the onset of menstruation, the symptoms completely disappear.
- The decompensated stage is characterized by severe manifestations of PMS, in which a woman can experience symptoms even within a few days after the end of menstruation. Such manifestations with age can increasingly interfere with normal life.
Unfortunately, many women who experience tachycardia and poor health before menstruation rarely seek medical help, considering this condition to be normal. To date, the competent doctors have the power to reduce the manifestations of the syndrome and restore a normal life for a woman even during this period.
Diagnostics
In order to draw the correct conclusions about the condition of a woman, it is important to conduct examinations and examination on a gynecological chair. Premenstrual syndrome is one of those rare pathologies when a woman’s oral information about the symptoms she experiences can provide much more information needed to make a diagnosis than an examination on a chair. At the same time, a clear cyclical nature of the symptoms is noted, that is, they always occur a few days before the onset of menstruation.
Also useful for the diagnosis of the syndrome are such studies:
- A blood test for hormones such as prolactin, progesterone, estradiol. It is important to perform it in both phases of the cycle in order to see the difference between the fluctuations of their levels.
- Mammography or ultrasound diagnostics for pain in the chest to exclude the possibility of developing malignant neoplasms or diseases of the mammary glands.
- Electroencephalography for frequent headaches to study the state of the vessels of the brain.
- Measurement of daily diuresis with significant swelling of the face and limbs.
- Blood pressure measurement.
Also, a woman may need to consult such specialists as a therapist, mammologist, neuropathologist, psychiatrist, endocrinologist.
Medical assistance
Often, feeling sick and nauseous before menstruation can be alleviated with medications. The need to take medications is considered by the attending physician based on the symptoms that were clarified during the medical history. The most commonly prescribed medications are:
- Antipsychotics or other psychotropic drugs for the treatment of mental disorders, which can be observed against the background of premenstrual syndrome.
- Sedative drugs to suppress depression, as well as increased irritability.
- Herbal remedies with a sedative effect on the nervous system.
- Vitamin complexes and preparations containing calcium, magnesium and other trace elements to make up for their deficiency. They also have a positive effect on the endocrine system.
This help may be required for women with severe PMS. Most often, at the initial stage, the body can independently deal with unpleasant symptoms.
Hormone therapy
The causes of poor health before menstruation at the age of 45 can be associated with an imbalance in hormonal levels and a lack of certain hormones in the body at this stage of the menstrual cycle. In this case, a woman can individually be selected hormone therapy, which will include the missing hormones. It can be such hormones as progesterone, estrogen, bromocriptine.
Non-drug treatment
In some cases, a woman may be offered spa treatment. In addition to conducting standard physiotherapeutic procedures, it will help relieve mental stress. Also, alternative methods are sometimes used to treat ill health before menstruation. Herbal treatments, which have a mild sedative effect, are very popular among them. It can be infusions of mint, lemon balm, valerian.
Prevention
What to do if you feel unwell before your period? There are factors that are not possible to prevent. However, it is possible to alleviate the course of premenstrual syndrome or reduce pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation if you adhere to such recommendations from experienced gynecologists:
- Limit the amount of coffee and strong tea consumed since they contain caffeine.
- It is also recommended to follow a diet, which consists in reducing the amount of salt used, as it can provoke water retention in the body, and, as a result, swelling. You need to include in your diet low-fat varieties of fish, meat, legumes, seeds, dairy products, as well as dark bitter chocolate.
- Regular exercise also has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole.
- It is also important to reduce stress levels at work and at home.
- One of the ways to prevent premenstrual syndrome is also considered to be oral contraceptives. However, before you start taking, you need to consult with your gynecologist, as well as pass some tests for hormones.
To reduce symptoms in the period before the onset of menstruation, it is recommended to conduct regular sex life. It is noted that women who have a permanent sexual partner are less likely to feel unwell before menstruation.
Conclusion
Negative health before the onset of menstruation is a fairly common phenomenon, which is encountered by about 30% of women. With age, this amount may increase. Fortunately, modern medicine has long found ways to solve this problem.