Period FAQs

how to help period bloating

by Alek Herman Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Here are some ways to reduce period bloating:

  • follow a low-sodium diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein
  • drink lots of water
  • skip caffeine and alcohol
  • limit processed foods
  • exercise regularly
  • take a diuretic
  • talk to your doctor about whether birth control pills may help

Here are some ways to reduce period bloating:
  1. follow a low-sodium diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
  2. drink lots of water.
  3. skip caffeine and alcohol.
  4. limit processed foods.
  5. exercise regularly.
  6. take a diuretic.
  7. talk to your doctor about whether birth control pills may help.

Full Answer

What can I take to reduce period bloating?

How can you treat and prevent period bloating?

  1. Eat the right foods. You should avoid eating too much salt. ...
  2. Drink lots of water. Make sure you drink plenty of water on the days leading up to your period. ...
  3. Skip alcohol and caffeine. Experts believe that both alcohol and caffeine contribute to bloating and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
  4. Exercise regularly. ...
  5. Consider medication. ...

How to stop bloating before and during period?

How to get relief from period bloating using remedies/alternate medicine

  1. Consume fruits. Several fruits like orange, watermelon, grapes, and lemon relax the inner lining of the stomach and have a soothing sensation in the body.
  2. Primrose oil. Primrose oil comes in tablet and is readily available in the market. ...
  3. Diuretics. ...
  4. Vitamin and mineral supplements. ...
  5. Apple cider vinegar. ...
  6. Hot towels/heating pads. ...

How to get rid of pain and bloating during ovulation?

  • Antibloating medication: These are available OTC. ...
  • Water-reduction pills: Also known as diuretics, these are only available by a prescription from your doctor. ...
  • Hormonal birth control pills: Birth control pills may help you with bloating and other premenstrual syndrome symptoms, if you’re still having periods, because they can stabilize your hormones. ...

More items...

How to reduce premenstrual bloating?

To help limit bloating before your period, you can try the following:

  • Avoid salty foods.
  • Eat potassium-rich foods.
  • Try natural diuretics (e.g., spinach, asparagus, watermelon, cucumber, and garlic).
  • Avoid refined carbohydrates. They can cause an increase in blood sugar levels, which further raises insulin levels and causes the kidneys to retain more sodium.
  • Exercise regularly.

How to stop bloating during period?

How to get your period to last longer?

What phase of the cycle does PMS occur?

What are the symptoms of PMS?

When does bloating start?

What does it feel like to have bloated?

Can you have bloating before your period?

See 4 more

About this website

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How to Stop Bloating During Period - Brighter Press

What is bloating? Bloating in its strictest meaning simply refers to having an accumulation of gas in the abdominal cavity. However, during some stages of the menstrual cycle, bloating can be generalized to mean an increase in the amount of gas and fluid not only in the abdominal cavity but the body as a whole.

Period bloating: Causes and remedies - Medical News Today

The menstrual cycle is important in the development of the female body but has a range of uncomfortable effects. One of these involves bloating. Period bloating can be uncomfortable and may affect ...

How to de-bloat during period?

The good news: There are some seriously easy steps you can take to de-bloat during your period. Switching up the foods you eat, like swapping in more potassium-filled foods and nixing the caffeine for a few days, can do some serious remedying to your bloated belly.

Why does period bloating happen in the first place?

You can thank fluctuations in estrogen levels and a sharp drop in progesterone right before your period. "When estrogen levels are higher, our bodies tend to retain water," says Meggie Smith, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

How long does it take for bloating to start?

Basically, it's a bloating double-whammy. Bloating usually starts to kick in about one to two days before the start of a woman's period, according to the Mayo Clinic. But some women experience symptoms up to five days beforehand, often interfering with normal activities.

How many women experience bloating during their period?

Because the truth is: An estimated 70 percent of women experience bloating during their period, according to Diana Bitner, MD, a Michigan-based ob-gyn.

What is the best medicine for bloating?

Ibuprofen and Naprosyn (found in brands like Aleve and Midol) block the chemicals that cause inflammation, and in turn, bloating, says Kelly Roy, MD, an ob-gyn in Phoenix. “A couple days before your period, take 200 to 400 milligrams every six to eight hours,” she says.

What foods can you eat to keep your body from puffing up?

Pick protein- and potassium-rich foods. Fill your plate with ingredients that won’t cause you to puff up. “ High-potassium foods like bananas, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and asparagus help promote a good balance of fluids,” says Isabel Smith, RD, a New York City-based dietitian and fitness expert.

When does bloating start?

Bloating usually starts to kick in about one to two days before the start of a woman's period.

Symptoms

Period bloating is very common. In fact, over 90% of people who menstruate report experiencing symptoms like bloating before or during their periods. 3 PMS symptoms can begin any time after your first menstrual period, but usually by your early 20s. Some women experience more severe symptoms in the late reproductive years.

Tips to Reduce Bloating

Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to reduce period bloating, which include: 3

Why Bloating Happens

When it comes to just about any period symptom, you can blame it on the hormones. Changing hormone levels leads to a variety of changes in the body. Each month that you do not become pregnant, your body’s estrogen and progesterone levels fall significantly. This rapid decline in hormones can lead to water retention and bloating.

Risk Factors

Most people who menstruate experience symptoms around their periods. The following risk factors can increase your chances of period bloating: 1

Home Remedies

If you have tried to improve period bloating with lifestyle changes and are still uncomfortable, you may be considering a home remedy. It’s important to note that you should always talk with your healthcare provider before beginning a new dietary supplement. Home remedies that may improve period bloating include:

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If period bloating has become so severe that lifestyle changes do not help and you are unable to keep up with your daily activities, talk with your healthcare provider or gynecologist. They will likely ask you to keep a symptom diary to understand when the bloating starts and what (if anything) helps it.

Summary

Period bloating is a condition that occurs before or during your period. It causes a distended belly and an uncomfortable, tight feeling. Period bloating is believed to be caused by the hormone changes that take place each month during your period.

How to reduce bloating during period?

Working out during your period or the days previous to it may not seem the best thing to do, but it has been demonstrated that doing soft exercises like yoga during this stage can actually relieve the bloating. Besides, the endorphins that your body releases during exercise will also improve your emotional state and give you more energy overall.

What foods help with bloating?

Foods like almonds, figs and squids are some of the richest sources of calcium. Pumpkin seeds, fish, avocados and bananas are the ones with higher magnesium content. Make sure to ingest enough of these foods to help reduce bloating. You can also take calcium and magnesium tablets or capsules.

Does peppermint help with bloating?

Peppermint is widely known for its properties to relieve pain and reduce bloating because of the diuretic effect it has on the body. Besides, drinking a hot beverage will help you relax, and thus decrease your stress level.

Does primrose oil help with bloating?

Primrose oil is known for its capacity to decrease prostaglandin levels which can cause bloating during your period. How to reduce period bloating by primrose oil? You can find tablets of primrose oil in any health store, and taking 8 of them per day is recommended.

Does caffeine cause cramps during periods?

Caffeine has a direct effect on your smooth muscles which are located in your intestines and uterus. Drinking caffeine can make them contract more frequently, causing period cramps and a bloated feeling.

How to stop bloating during period?

Avoiding foods high in salt and refined carbohydrates may help relieve period bloating. There are many lifestyle changes that a woman can make that may help to reduce water retention. In turn, these changes may help relieve the symptoms of period bloating. 1. Avoid salty foods.

What foods help with period bloating?

Foods that act as natural diuretics include: asparagus. pineapples. peaches. cucumber. leeks. ginger.

What does it mean when you feel bloated before your period?

It may be accompanied by stomach cramps and backaches. Period bloating is when a woman feels her abdomen is heavy and swollen just before and at the start of her period. Bloating is also one of several premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms that can occur 1-2 weeks before a woman’s period.

What hormones cause a woman to bleed?

About a week before a woman’s period starts, levels of the hormone progesterone fall. Reduced levels of progesterone cause the uterus to shed its lining, which is what causes menstrual bleeding.

When do women experience bloating?

Many women experience bloating before and at the start of their period. Can certain lifestyle changes offer some relief?

Does bloating go away after a period?

However, if period bloating affects a woman’s daily life, it is a good idea for her to speak to her doctor. If bloating does not go away after a period, it is also a good idea to talk to a doctor.

Does potassium help with period bloating?

Research shows potassium decreases sodium levels and increases urine production. In this way, potassium may help reduce water retention and improve period bloating.

How to stop bloating before your period?

How do you stop bloating before your period? To help limit bloating before your period, you can try the following: Avoid salty foods. Eat potassium-rich foods. Try natural diuretics (e.g., spinach, asparagus, watermelon, cucumber, and garlic). Avoid refined carbohydrates.

When does bloating start?

Bloating is a common early sign of PMS. A feeling of bloating may appear about a week before the start of your period. The feeling of bloating might increase and then get better in the first days of your period.

How often does bloating occur?

It may occur every month, once in a while, or bloating may never occur at all. Once your period arrives, or a few days into it, the symptoms should disappear. As your period progresses, water retention declines rapidly and the swelling subsides.

What happens the week before your period?

The week before your period, you may experience breast tenderness and swelling. Symptoms such as bloating, swollen arms and legs, and bags under the eyes can also appear. Swelling and bloating are common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that are caused by water retention. Whether other symptoms of PMS are present or not, ...

How long before your period does water retention affect your body?

Water retention associated with PMS can create a bloated, heavy feeling about a week before your period.

How to get rid of water retention in kidneys?

They can cause an increase in blood sugar levels, which further raises insulin levels and causes the kidneys to retain more sodium. Exercise regularly. Your health care provider can provide further advice on other possible remedies for water retention, such as diuretics.

What foods can help with water retention?

If you’re feeling puffy and bloated, foods that contain potassium, like bananas and dark leafy greens, may help reduce water retention. They do this by counteracting high levels of sodium in the body. Consuming lots of salty foods can make water retention worse.

How to stop bloating during period?

Here are some ways to reduce period bloating: follow a low-sodium diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. drink lots of water. skip caffeine and alcohol. limit processed foods. exercise regularly. take a diuretic. talk to your doctor about whether birth control pills may help.

How to get your period to last longer?

2. Drink lots of water. Make sure you drink plenty of water on the days leading up to your period. Try carrying a water bottle around with you, and aim to fill it up several times a day.

What phase of the cycle does PMS occur?

The short answer is hormones. PMS occurs during the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle. That’s when the hormones estrogen and progesterone can fluctuate. It’s also when the lining of your uterus gets thicker. If you become pregnant, the fertilized egg attaches to your thickened uterine lining. If you’re not pregnant, the thickened lining leaves your body, and you have a period.

What are the symptoms of PMS?

Besides bloating, other common symptoms include: cramping.

When does bloating start?

Symptoms of PMS can begin a week or two before your period starts. You may bloat every month, once in a while, or not at all.

What does it feel like to have bloated?

It may feel like you’ve gained weight or like your abdomen or other parts of your body are tight or even swollen.

Can you have bloating before your period?

Mild to moderate bloating that begins before your period and goes away soon after your period starts is generally nothing to worry about. As long as you’re able to function normally and your symptoms occur around your period, most likely all you need to do to reduce the symptoms is try some lifestyle modifications. However, if you have more severe bloating that gets in the way of your daily activities, talk to your doctor.

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