During menstruation, the body sheds the uterine lining along with blood. The amount of blood and fluid lost varies from woman to woman. The average length of time for menstruation is three to five days. Few women have an easy time during their monthly periods. Due to hormonal changes before and during menstruation, women must bear different kinds of problems. Symptoms like mood swings, back pain and abdominal cramps are common.
There are also other symptoms of menstruation that most women experience from time to time. Due to lack of knowledge, women may start worrying that something is abnormal and become stressed.
Learning about these normal symptoms will help you better understand various issues related to your cycle and ease concerns.
1. Painful Breasts
During menstruation, many women complain about tender and painful breasts. In addition, there may be heaviness and swelling in the breasts.
These symptoms can make any woman worry about their health, but they are not serious. Tender and painful breasts occur due to hormonal changes and progesterone secretion during menstruation.
After menstruation, the problem resolves on its own.
2. Acne and Pimples on the Skin
Skin breakouts including pimples, zits and acne are common during menstruation. During menstruation, there is an increase in the sex hormones and androgen in the body. This makes the skin’s oil glands overactive, causing the pores to become clogged.
3. Swelling and Puffiness in Body
The hormonal imbalance in the body and an increase in estrogen during menstruation can cause excessive accumulation of fluid in body tissues, leading to water retention.
This can create swelling and puffiness in different body parts, mostly in the feet, legs, stomach and breasts. Water retention is relatively normal and tends to pass when menstruation ends.
4. Bloated Stomach
Bloating during the menstrual cycle is a common occurrence. In fact, 8 out of 10 women on average suffer from bloated stomach, both before and at the beginning of their menstrual cycle.
5. Blood Clots
Many women notice small clumps of blood in their menstrual flow. These blood clots are usually a normal, harmless part of menstruation. The clots may be bright red, dark red, brown or even black. They occur as part of the normal shedding of the uterine lining.
6. Brown Blood Discharge
Noticing brown blood discharge during menstruation can make anyone worry. But there is nothing to be concerned about as it is mostly harmless. The brown blood discharge is due to oxidization that occurs when the blood stays in the ovaries for a longer time and the color changes to brown.
7. Nausea and Vomiting
Many women suffer from nausea during menstruation, and some actually experience vomiting. Nausea is not a serious issue, but it can be draining and make you weak and tired.
8. Loose Bowel Movements
During the first few days of a menstrual cycle, some women experience loose bowel movements. This is perfectly natural and not harmful at all.
9. Rise in Body Temperature
During menstruation, some women complain about elevated body temperature. This is normal. The body temperature becomes warmer than usual due to hormonal fluctuations during different phases of the menstrual cycle.
10. Headache
There is a close relationship between headaches and hormonal changes in the body during the menstrual cycle. Estrogen and progesterone may affect headache-related chemicals in the brain, causing headaches. Many women with migraines report headaches before or during their periods.
