Women's health is highly dependent on hormonal levels. Changes in the level of various hormones associated with the completion of the monthly cycle affect the organs and tissues of a woman. One of the unpleasant manifestations of hormonal changes is swelling in the chest, abdomen, legs and face. Fluid retention in the body can cause severe discomfort, so in particularly serious cases, women should use recommendations to reduce unwanted swelling.
Why does swelling occur?
The occurrence of edema before the onset of menstruation is influenced by fluctuations in the levels of various female hormones. There are also a number of additional factors that contribute to fluid retention in the body. Most of them are associated with violations of the rules of a healthy lifestyle. Abuse of salty foods, lack of activity, and smoking increase the negative manifestations of premenstrual syndrome.
Excess estrogen
The main cause of edema is a strong increase in the level of estrogen in the blood before menstruation. An excess of this hormone affects water-salt metabolism and promotes sodium retention in tissues. The body's natural reaction to excess salt is an influx of moisture to the mucous membranes in order to dissolve the excess. Excess fluid quickly spreads through the fatty tissue, creating a feeling of swelling and heaviness in a woman.
Lack of progesterone
Before menstruation, the level of progesterone, the hormone responsible for the renewal of the endometrium of the uterus, decreases significantly. This substance also helps remove sodium from tissues, and its deficiency contributes to unwanted salt accumulation. A lack of progesterone combined with an excess of estrogen leads to salt retention and excess fluid accumulation. A woman’s body reacts to this phenomenon with swelling of various parts.
Prolactin
Prolactin also affects salt metabolism. It is not necessary to have an excess of this hormone for edema to occur. Moisture retention occurs as a result of increased sensitivity of fatty tissue to its effects. This reaction is due to the individual characteristics of the woman’s body.
Other reasons
The appearance of edema is facilitated by changes in quantitative indicators and other hormones. Secretory activity is an interdependent system, and fluctuations in one group lead to a general imbalance. In addition to internal causes, edema is provoked by the lifestyle that a woman leads, especially immediately before her period. Poor nutrition, which does not enrich the body with essential vitamins and minerals, is one of the significant factors causing swelling. Bad habits and poor sleep have a negative impact on the functioning of the organs responsible for the secretion of hormones.
Causes of other discomfort in the vagina during menstruation
On the eve of menstruation and during it, a woman’s body is in a state of slight immunodeficiency. This leads to exacerbation of chronic infections. In addition, many consider the time of menstruation to be safe in relation to a possible pregnancy, so they do not use reliable protection. This increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, some women may notice itching, burning in the vagina during menstruation, and an unpleasant odor.
There is itching (itching), burning
The most common cause of this condition is thrush. Candida colpitis is prone to exacerbation on the eve of menstruation. In addition to their complaints, women note:
- curd-like discharge;
- sour odor from the vagina and discharge;
- redness and swelling of the external genitalia.
In addition, the vagina may itch during an exacerbation of a herpetic infection, and a woman may not notice the rashes themselves if they are located in the vulva area.
Risk group
Almost every woman has experienced swelling before menstruation at different periods of her life. For some, these manifestations are minor, while others experience great discomfort. Most often, severe swelling occurs in the following cases:
- woman's age over 40 years;
- constant consumption of salty, smoked and spicy foods;
- living in big cities;
- renal failure;
- a large number of pregnancies, childbirths, abortions;
- overweight;
- diabetes mellitus and obesity associated with hormonal disorders;
- drinking alcohol and smoking;
- taking contraceptives;
- chronic stress;
- diseases of the pelvic organs, previous gynecological operations;
- insufficient water consumption;
- low physical activity.
Unpleasant smell
Pathological odors are always an alarming symptom, which primarily indicates inflammation in the vagina, which worsens during menstruation. The smell may vary:
- “rotten fish”, more often it appears with bakvaginosis;
- a putrid, unpleasant odor occurs with nonspecific inflammation, gonorrhea;
- a sour smell is formed with candidal colpitis.
An unpleasant odor may appear during more serious pathological processes, for example, endometritis, salpingitis. It can also occur due to insufficient hygiene during menstruation, rare changes of tampons or pads, or a foreign body in the vagina.
If a woman notices nagging pain in the lower abdomen, fever or other alarming symptoms against the background of foul-smelling discharge, she should consult a doctor immediately to determine the cause of the condition.
Watch this video about the causes of itching and burning in the vagina:
Manifestation of swelling
The manifestation of swelling is individual. Every woman has physiological characteristics that cause swelling to appear in certain organs and tissues. The most common symptoms are swelling and pain in the mammary glands, swelling of the abdomen, hands, legs, feet and face. Excess fluid can cause weight gain of 3-5 kg. Swelling is often accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders - constipation, bloating, gases. As a result of changes in body shape, women face difficulties in choosing a wardrobe: their feet become so swollen that it is impossible to wear shoes of their size, and their usual trousers do not meet at the waist. Water retention most often begins 3-7 days before the start of menstruation and goes away in the first days of menstruation.
When should you see a doctor if you have a swollen vagina?
Vaginal swelling, as a rule, does not require mandatory medical attention or medication. But if a woman doubts the cause of her illness, then she should be checked by a doctor.
It is necessary to go to the hospital if you have the following problems:
- signs of infection such as fever or chills;
- painful or difficult to tolerate symptoms;
- persistent and non-improving symptoms.
It is imperative that you see a doctor if you have a sexually transmitted infection.
To find out the cause of the swelling, your doctor may perform an examination or take blood tests. There are many different medications available on the market today to treat vaginal edema. In most cases, women manage to cope with this problem quickly and effectively.
Before menstruation, the cervix feels different to the touch than on the other days of the cycle. Based on her condition, it is easy to calculate exactly when her period will begin (approximately how many days are left before it). Some women even conduct self-diagnosis at home for this purpose during PMS or when they want to get pregnant. But doing this without proper training is not recommended, and can even be fraught with dangerous consequences.
How to get rid of swelling before menstruation
The manifestation of swelling can be significantly reduced if you take medical recommendations regarding lifestyle adjustments. In some cases, this is enough to eliminate monthly discomfort. If a simple transition to a healthy lifestyle does not bring the expected effect, you should consult a gynecologist, urologist, endocrinologist and other related specialists. Based on the results of the examination, doctors prescribe various medications that mitigate the manifestation of premenstrual syndrome.
Nutrition
To reduce swelling, it is recommended to reconsider your usual diet in favor of dietary products. For protein foods, you should give preference to fish and white meat, and exclude red meat. The products should be consumed boiled or steamed. Fried and smoked foods during this period can significantly increase the manifestations of swelling. The menu should be varied with fresh vegetables and fruits. The most beneficial will be those that contain large amounts of magnesium and potassium - spinach, broccoli, lettuce, peaches, apricots, bananas. A sufficient intake of B vitamins from food is necessary, which strengthen the nervous system. It is also recommended to eat more diuretic foods - watermelon and cucumbers. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, rich in zinc, are very useful for eliminating edema.
Water
The smaller the amount of drinking water consumed, the more the body is determined to accumulate moisture. Thus, the body tries to provide itself with a supply of fluid. Drinking enough water will significantly speed up the process of salt elimination and, as a result, reduce tissue swelling. Recommended drinks include regular still drinking water, herbal and green teas, birch sap, fruit drinks and decoctions of diuretic herbs. The amount of fluid consumed should be about 1.5-2 liters per day. This recommendation should not be used by women suffering from chronic kidney disease. In these cases, it is necessary to consult a urologist regarding the amount and nature of fluids consumed.
Physical training
A sedentary lifestyle contributes to fluid retention in the body. To reduce swelling, you should perform simple physical exercises daily. In addition to accelerating the removal of moisture, physical exercise has an additional healing effect on the body. During sports, blood circulation accelerates and metabolic processes occur faster.
Thanks to dosed exercises, excess tension in the nervous system is relieved, which can also affect hormonal levels. Physical education helps reduce body weight by burning fat tissue. Reducing the amount of subcutaneous fat removes a woman from the risk group for edema. To achieve the effect, you don’t need to try to load yourself to the point of exhaustion. Hiking, swimming, yoga, and Pilates are perfect for this.
What to do if you experience discomfort
If pain or other discomfort increases, or other accompanying symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may be a sign of an emergency. If the discomfort is not severe, occurs periodically, or is even habitual for the girl, the examination still needs to be done, but as planned, after the end of menstruation.
Only after a thorough examination, at least an ultrasound of the pelvic organs and testing for sexually transmitted infections, can a diagnosis be made and recommendations for treatment be given.
And here is more information about what menstruation can be like after ovarian apoplexy.
The vaginal mucosa is subject to all the cyclical changes that a woman’s body undergoes every month. This may be associated with a change in the woman’s feelings. However, the appearance of pain, pathological odor, burning or itching should alert you and become a reason for an unscheduled visit to a doctor.
First signs of pregnancy
Any woman, before uttering two exciting words “I’m pregnant,” goes through a stage of doubts, guesses and worries. “Is this really pregnancy? What if there is a banal delay? What if I made a mistake? Unfortunately, a test can only be done after the first day of delay, and until this time a woman can only guess and hope. And try in every possible way to confirm your guess.
Signs of pregnancy in the first days are a very abstract and conditional concept. But since appealing to the common sense of a woman who really wants a baby is practically pointless, let’s still try to find out what the first signs of pregnancy may be after conception.
The onset of pregnancy is not always accompanied by any specific symptoms. By the way, even the beginning of menstruation does not always indicate that pregnancy has not occurred. Quite often there is a situation in which a pregnant woman experiences bleeding in the first month. At first glance, it may seem that the woman has started menstruation. But in fact, this is nothing more than implantation bleeding.
Approximately 8–10 days after conception, the embryo implants into the uterine mucosa. And it is precisely this process that in some cases may be accompanied by mild bleeding. This phenomenon occurs in every fifth woman, is a variation of the norm and should not cause much concern. Can they be distinguished from regular periods? Yes.
If you suspect that you are pregnant, analyze the characteristics of your last menstruation. Perhaps they were scarcer than usual, or ended ahead of time? Or maybe the color of the discharge was unusual? Remember if you had unprotected sex. If yes, you have every reason to suspect pregnancy.
Change in basal temperature
Source
A variety of traditional medicine recipes, diets and medications are a panacea for women suffering from swelling before menstrual periods associated with hormonal imbalance or other disorders in the body.
Traditional methods
Providing assistance in the presence of edema dependent on a woman’s menstrual cycle must be comprehensive. In some cases, you can use natural ingredients, but before doing this, you should consult your doctor.
Swelling before the onset of menstruation usually goes away if you follow the above recommendations. However, if all methods have been tried and relief does not occur, then you should immediately seek help from a doctor and undergo a thorough examination. Perhaps water retention in the body is a symptom of a serious illness.
Chest pain and missed periods
A disruption in menstruation, which is accompanied by chest pain, is an alarming symptom for any woman. It can signal the onset of pregnancy or the emergence of health problems. Chest pain, delay? We tell you what this could be and for what reasons.
If a woman experiences a long delay in menstruation, the first step is to find out what could have triggered it and take a pregnancy test.
Taking a pregnancy test
It can be done as early as 5-7 days after your period was supposed to start. The test reacts to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. This hormone begins to be produced in a woman’s body at the moment of fertilization of the egg. Its concentration in the body of the expectant mother increases every day, so it is recommended to do the test several times with a break of a week to get an accurate result.
It will exceed 37 ̊ C if a woman is expecting a child. Other symptoms of pregnancy include constant aching pain in the chest and lower abdomen.
