TeenHelp - Your menstrual cycle: understanding weight gain

Your menstrual cycle: understanding weight gain
By Cassie (cynefin)

Disclaimer:

This article mentions weight numbers. Make sure you are in a safe place before proceeding.

Menstrual cycles and the symptoms that accompany them can be an uncomfortable time for people. Many people struggle with a variety of different symptoms including headaches, nausea, cramps, and emotional symptoms. Some people also struggle with weight gain which can cause your favorite clothes to feel tighter around that time of the month. This article aims to explain and help you understand menstrual related weight gain.

What causes it?

Menstrual related weight gain is typically temporary and is caused by water retention within the body. Water retention can occur as a result of a variety of things, including hormones. You may gain up to five pounds.

Progesterone, for instance, spikes during the second half of your cycle to prepare for a pregnancy. When you do not become pregnant, the levels drop. The spike in progesterone can cause the body to retain water.

Estrogen levels also change; they often rise right before you get your period. These high levels can cause water retention. Estrogen levels drop after you get your period, however.

Weight gain can also be caused by lack of diet and exercise. Even those who exercise regularly sometimes find that they gain weight because they stop exercising due to menstrual pain. Weight fluctuation caused by diet during this time may last a little bit longer.

How to reduce it?

Below explains a few ways to avoid weight gain around your period.

Eat mindfully. Try to avoid salt (it can cause water retention) excess sugar,and alcohol. Though it is perfectly okay to indulge in a craving or two, know that what you eat can influence how much water your body will retain.

Exercise. It may be the last thing on your mind, especially if you're in pain, but sweat produced through exercising can help release some of the water your body is holding. Exercising can also release endorphins or "feel good" chemicals in the brain that may reduce your pain.

Drink water. Drinking water may seem counterproductive given the fact that your body is retaining water, but drinking a lot of water can help to "flush" your system, possibly at a faster rate than it would without drinking water.

Weight gain around your period can be an uncomfortable thing to experience, but knowing why it happens and what you can do about it may make the experience more bearable in the future.