Bloating when the period is a common early symptom of menstruation which has been experienced by most women when it comes to period. It gives you the feeling of gaining weight or your abdomen and other parts of the body feel so tight and even swelling.

Bloating mostly happen before your menstruation and it will fade away and ultimately disappear once you have been on a period for several days. You might not be able to stop bloating entirely. However, there are many ways as well as home remedies for this little evil “girl.”

Several methods that you can use to calm down period bloating such as avoiding caffeine and alcoholic beverages, consume more water, follow a less – sodium diet with veggies, fruits, lean protein and whole grains, take a diuretic, exercise regularly and consume less processed foods. Moreover, you can discuss with your doctor if birth control medication can help. Once your bloating affects your daily routine severely, you should seek help from your doctor immediately.

What to do to prevent and treat period bloating?

Since there is nothing called one – size – fits – all treatment, you might need to adjust your lifestyle appropriately to reduce the bloating both before as well as during your period.

1. Consume the proper foods

You should cut the salt consumption. But how to know whether your diet contains a too high amount of salt? The AHA (American Heart Association) has recommended limiting your daily salt consumption to no more than 2.3g.

For example, processed foods or canned food contain a high amount of salt and other ingredients which might not be the healthiest. Therefore, you should concentrate on consuming more fruits and veggies and other healthy foods like lean protein, seeds, nuts and whole grains.

2. Drink more water

You should ensure that you have consumed at least eight cups of water on a daily basis. Therefore, try to carry a water bottle with you and target to top up it a few times a day. Even though the recommendation is eight cups of water a day, the amount of water might vary from a person to another due to personal health, environment, and many other factors.

3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol

This seems pretty evident as caffeine and alcohol contribute a high portion to bloating and other worse symptoms of PMS. Instead of drinking these beverages, you should consume more water.

If you have the difficulty of getting rid of your morning cup of coffee, you can try to replace it with other healthier beverages such as tea, or you can choose to consume decaffeinated type.

4. Exercise regularly

Exercising on a regular basis is essential when it comes to lowering your PMS symptoms. Professionals recommend that you should consider one of the following instructions:

–    Several hours of mild physical exercises on a weekly basis.

–    An hour or maximum 2 hours of vigorous activity on a weekly basis.

–    An appropriate mix of these activities a week

5. Medication

If these natural home remedies are not able to calm your PMS and bloating down before as well as during your period, you might need to take a visit to your doctor to other treatments. You might discuss with your doctor about this:

Birth Control. Taking this might help you to calm your PMS down. However, you might need to discuss with your doctor before using it.

Diuretics. This medication will help you to reduce the bloating sensation and the fluid your body stores. So you may ask your doctor about the medicine.

When does period bloating happen?

Before your period comes or at the beginning of it, bloating is likely to happen. PMS symptoms can start at least a week or two weeks beforehand. You might experience bloating every month, not at all or once in a while. Relief from the bloating may happen right after your period starts or it might take several days to cover it up.

Moreover, you might encounter other symptoms too. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists claims that about 85 percent of women say that they have experienced physical symptoms associated with their period. Apart from bloating, other symptoms that one might encounter when the period comes are cramping, acne, fatigue, food cravings and moodiness.

Why do periods lead to bloating?

Long story short, the answer is hormones. PMS happens when the luteal phase of your menstruation is occurring. That is when your hormones such as progesterone and estrogen might fluctuate. Moreover, it is also the time when your uterus thickens. If you get pregnant, the fertilized eggs will attach to your thickened uterine lining. Otherwise, when the thickened uterine lining evacuates your body, and you have your period.

Besides, hormones might not be the only reason that causes you physical symptoms which cause period. Other causes for your symptoms might be due to your diet, the type and volume of minerals and vitamins you consume, the number of foods and drinks you have with alcohol and caffeine as well as your genes.

When to see a doctor?

You should discuss with your doctor if you bloating has these following symptoms:

You still experience bloating even after your period

It becomes more severe and affect your daily activities

Mild or middle bloating that often starts before your period and it goes away after your period begins is nothing to worry much about. As long as you can do your daily activities usually and your symptoms only occur around your period, things you can do is to adjust your daily activities and your diet to suit the time. However, if your symptoms have become more and more severe and the bloating gets in the way of your daily activities, you need to see your doctor immediately.

Reference:

https://carekees.com/cramps-before-period/