The woman is mysterious. It is so difficult to unravel that many men spend their entire lives trying to figure it out. It can be changeable in mood and unpredictable in everyday life, but when it comes to hormonal changes in the body, this becomes even more noticeable. Unraveling the woman, scientists connected all this with each other and found that the relationship that exists between the psychological state and PMS is explained in different ways. If irritability during pregnancy is explained by the emotional state of the woman, then the cause in this case may be not only the mental state, but also physiology and even toxic substances accumulated in the body. To find out for sure, a clinical study of the symptoms and causes of such irritability during menstruation will be required.
Why are women so irritable during PMS?
A week and a half before the next menstrual cycle, changes in a woman’s behavior are observed. Olympic calm can be replaced by violent anger, a charming appearance on a romantic evening can be replaced in the morning by malaise, swollen eyelids and a disgusting mood. All these are symptoms of upcoming menstruation, which are visible to the naked eye. If PMS is calmer in young people, then after 34-37 years you can expect anything from a woman.
What scientists say
Many researchers argue that such mood swings are a consequence of an imbalance of progesterone and estrogen in the body. If more estrogen is released, then aggression appears, and progesterone is characterized by fatigue and depression. During this period, there is stagnation of blood in the blood vessels, an increase in body weight, and painful sensations in the chest. Hence the rise in temperature, poor sleep, and irritability.
Other versions of the appearance of PMS
Vitamin deficiency and impaired water-salt metabolism can lead to intoxication of the body. Now, in addition to discomfort and physical pain, a whole complex of psycho-emotional symptoms is added, which are even more important.
My household knows very well that once a month there comes a period called “it’s better not to make me angry.” From a sweet and caring wife and mother, I turn into an irritable, gloomy and whiny creature. My husband, children, and even our cat try not to get into trouble again, bypassing me and agreeing on everything. As they say, if your woman has PMS, move a safe distance away from her and throw a chocolate bar. I don’t like being a capricious young lady at all, but I can’t help it. Why do you want to cry before your period?
All of us women are easily vulnerable, despite our outward equanimity and quite decent resistance to stress. And if on an ordinary day it is not difficult to hide resentment or disappointment, then before menstruation the mission “no tears” is almost impossible. A sad moment in the film, a broken nail, the house is out of cookies - what's not the reason why you wanted to cry before your period? In fact, even tearfulness during the premenstrual period can be logically explained.
PMS – premenstrual syndrome.
Why do you want to cry before your period? Hormone surges.
In our body, organs and systems are closely interconnected, like a clockwork. The coherence of the work of others directly depends on the function of some organs. For example, with hormonal imbalance in the second phase of the cycle, the ratio of estrogen and gestagens changes. This is the main and most common reason why you want to cry before your period.
It is known that when the level of the sex hormone estrogen increases, a woman becomes emotionally vulnerable: irritability and tearfulness appear before menstruation, and her mood takes on a depressive hue. In turn, before menstruation, progesterone levels can increase 25 times, affecting the entire body. This is why many of us feel tired, groggy and lethargic these days. PMS is especially difficult for women over 35 years old, which is associated with age-related changes.
The higher the level of progesterone in the blood in the second phase of MC, the more severe the premenstrual syndrome.
MC – menstrual cycle.
Why do you want to cry before your period? The reason for this is vitamin deficiency.
All women know the feeling of wanting something delicious, but not knowing what exactly. With the combination of “I’m ugly, everything is bad, no one loves me” and “I want some treats,” gaining extra pounds is not at all difficult. So why do you want to cry before your period and eat all sorts of harmful things? It turns out that the whole point is a lack of vitamins.
Our taste preferences rarely coincide with the needs of the body. For example, most women “eat up” their PMS with chocolate, which can be explained by a lack of magnesium, an important microelement.
Low magnesium levels often cause irritability and anxiety. In addition, its decrease leads to the accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the brain, compression of blood vessels, resulting in headaches and its consequence – tearfulness before menstruation.
Vitamins of group “B” are those necessary links in the chain, in the absence of which the ratio of estrogens and gestagens in the body is disrupted, with a sharp predominance of the former. As mentioned above, the higher the level of estrogen in the blood, the more likely a woman is to start shedding tears before her period for no apparent reason.
A lack of B vitamins contributes to fatigue, loss of concentration, irritability and tearfulness. Vitamins “B1”, “B2”, “B6”, “B12” are responsible not only for a good mood, but also provide the female half of humanity with healthy nails and hair, excellent health and good mood. They regulate the production of monoamines - substances responsible for reducing the severity of PMS, including tearfulness. Vitamin “B6” (pyridoxine) is involved in the synthesis of serotonin, the “joy hormone”, which is responsible for a good mood. Poor nutrition, stress, heavy physical activity and, as a result, vitamin deficiency - this is why you want to cry before your period.
IMPORTANT! Nutrition in the days before menstruation should be as balanced as possible in terms of the content of vitamins and microelements in foods. You should not give in to temptation and indulge in sweets and fatty foods; only healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables and grains, will help replenish the missing vitamins in the body and improve your well-being.
Why do you want to cry before your period? Boycott pickles!
Every self-respecting woman monitors not only her health, but also her own figure. And, believe me, nothing upsets you more than another kilogram gained. As you know, in the second phase of the menstrual cycle, the level of progesterone increases, which contributes to fluid retention in the body. If you eat a lot of salty foods during this period of your life, you can gain up to 2.5 kg in weight in a few days. As for me, weight gain is a very real reason why you want to cry before your period, especially considering that fluid accumulates not only in the body, but also in the tissues of the brain, which provokes headaches and tearfulness.
Why do you want to cry before your period? Unfortunately, this question can only be answered after studying each case of PMS separately. Perhaps it’s all about the physiological characteristics of the body, or perhaps during this period a woman needs special care and understanding from her family and friends. In one case or another, by leading a healthy and active lifestyle, you can significantly reduce the manifestations of PMS so that you no longer shed tears over trifles.
Mistakes women make with PMS that increase irritability
On the eve of the menstrual cycle, the entire female body is relaxed, and it can be supported by high-calorie foods. Many people think so. Of course, this is a misconception. Feeling sorry for yourself, and even more so, eating up your bad mood is unacceptable, because new problems with appearance and body weight will begin to appear. If you want to forget about everything and plunge into the world of pleasant taste sensations, you need to understand that high-calorie foods will not help satisfy all your needs for vitamins and minerals, but will only bring problems. Only balanced nutrition will ensure proper metabolism.
Another mistake is limiting yourself to sports. For some reason, there is an opinion that this causes the body to experience a certain amount of stress. Of course, this is not true either. You need to move even more, aerobics, brisk walking, and sports exercises are especially useful, which will not only relieve stress, but also activate all the body’s forces, bringing hormones into balance. If a woman plays sports, her back, pelvic and abdominal muscles are strong, which means that difficult days will be less painful and irritability will not even arise during menstruation.
Fighting weight is another mistake. During the premenstrual period, weight fluctuates, it’s true. But you can't fight him. No diet can change nature, and if kilograms still appear, then it is better to pacify your appetite and try to eat foods with less calories.
Irritability during menstruation
For many women, premenstrual syndrome is an unbearable period during which the thought arises that they would start menstruation sooner. The reason for this is not just a deterioration in well-being before menstruation, but irritability, bad mood, in some cases, aggressiveness and rage, which are not so easy to cope with on your own.
Moreover, with age, women who have signs of PMS note an increase in their intensity - they become more pronounced.
Further in the article I propose to figure out how menstruation affects mood, what to do and is it worth fighting?
- How do periods affect your mood?
- Irritability during PMS. How to fight?
- What should men do?
How do you cope with PMS?
Naturally, everyone's reaction to the upcoming monthly cycle is different. It all depends on age, character, and even external circumstances. Therefore, to understand whether you are experiencing premenstrual syndrome, you can look at the symptoms you have. So, think about how deep the depressive state is, is tension clearly expressed? How often does sadness occur during this period, does your mood change, or does apathy appear? Do you get irritated at every occasion or get into conflicts? Also during this period, absent-mindedness appears, interest in what was recently attractive decreases. Notice whether your appetite changes, does the desire to overeat appear, or self-control is lost? Many people quickly get tired, drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia appears. If you regretfully answer “Yes” to all questions, then this is PMS and you will have to put up with irritability. You just need to help yourself live with it correctly. In especially severe cases, women have uncontrollable outbursts of anger these days.
Is it all hormones? Why anxiety, headaches and a craving for sweets appear during PMS
Four types of PMS
There are four categories of PMS: anxiety, overhydration, carbohydrate cravings, and depression.
Having considered these categories, you will better understand the mechanisms that provoke the occurrence of unpleasant symptoms before critical days. In general, it is very useful to know the exact name of the things that are happening to you (especially for symptoms that previously seemed not serious). PMS with anxiety. Approximately 66-68% of women with PMS experience anxious thoughts. It turns out that this is the most common category of PMS. If you feel anxious, nervous, or irritable during the luteal phase, you may have PMS with anxiety. These symptoms usually get worse as your period approaches, and you may feel depressed just before your period. When critical days come, all these symptoms quickly disappear. PMS with anxiety is characterized by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone - this becomes obvious by a shortening of the luteal phase and low levels of progesterone (relative to estrogen).
PMS with overhydration and bloating. Occurs in 60−66% of women, this is the second most common type of PMS14. It is characterized by retention of water and salt in the body, as a result of which women gain weight (weight gain occurs due to edema - Ed.); They also experience symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, and sweaty extremities. PMS with overhydration/bloating occurs due to increased estrogen and aldosterone at the end of the luteal phase.
PMS with strong cravings for carbohydrates. It happens in 24-44% of women with PMS. This type of PMS is characterized by cravings for sweets, increased appetite and an increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed (refined) as the period approaches. A vicious circle arises: you are craving sweets, you eat a lot of tasty things, and eating a lot of sweets (read: sweet gluttony) leads to fatigue, headaches, rapid heartbeat, dizziness and even fainting. This is especially true for women with unstable blood sugar levels (for example, women with polycystic ovary syndrome - PCOS.
PMS with depression. It is observed in almost 23% of women with PMS. Symptoms include depression, social isolation and, in particularly severe cases, even suicidal thoughts. Other symptoms include lethargy, forgetfulness, disordered and confused thoughts, tearfulness and insomnia. Although most women believe that they have type 1 PMS, most often they experience a layer of symptoms. Delving deeper into the topic, we will understand that the treatment of PMS is primarily associated with restoring hormonal balance.
How to help a woman with panic attacks during her period?
In this case, the help of a psychotherapist is absolutely irreplaceable. A competent specialist will not only be able to detect the connection between panic and menstruation, but will also find out why this connection is present. He will also suggest a number of methods for self-stopping and overcoming panic attacks. In order to jump out of the wheel of panic, you need to feel your body well, understand its needs and be aware of the causes of discomfort. Existential-humanistic therapy is ideal for treating panic attacks during menstruation. You can combine relaxation techniques and self-regulation techniques with it, using them at home - every day, for prevention, as well as in those places where an attack occurs.
If you need to work on your condition in a group (this may be necessary if the attacks have already become protracted and chronic), Gestalt therapy and body-oriented therapy will provide effective assistance.
Contacting a psychotherapist on such a delicate matter is not easy for everyone. It is important to remember that mental health is worth the cost, both temporary and moral, and to take care of it so that panic attacks disappear from your life forever.
