Almost every woman is familiar with the unpleasant symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome. The cause of these symptoms is the monthly hormonal changes that occur before menstruation. Many women complain that they feel dizzy during their periods. Dizziness can be both a symptom of PMS and a manifestation of certain pathologies.
PMS may cause dizziness
When does dizziness occur during menstruation?
In most cases, dizziness is due to changes in hormonal levels. But there may be other causes of dizziness during menstruation:
- hypoglycemia;
- low hemoglobin level;
- heavy menstruation;
- decreased blood pressure;
- emotional stress.
You feel dizzy if your blood sugar level drops sharply.
Increased estrogen production increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. During menstruation, their concentration increases and, accordingly, the level of glucose in the blood decreases. Due to this, the body does not receive enough energy, which leads to weakness and vertigo.
Severe dizziness during menstruation is often the result of a decrease in hemoglobin levels in the blood. Anemia develops due to large blood loss during the menstrual cycle.
Women who are prone to greater emotionality often feel dizzy and weak during menstruation. This is due to increased production of prostaglandin, which leads to a decrease in blood pressure.
If dizziness is cyclical, accompanied by vomiting, severe headache, you should not attribute everything to premenstrual syndrome. In this case, you need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.
Possible reasons
Dizziness and menstruation
This phenomenon can be provoked by very contradictory reasons. In some cases this is associated with changes in blood pressure, while in others it is a manifestation of migraine. Often, the use of painkillers can also cause dizziness. Disturbances in vascular function, which are associated with the above factors, affect the cycle, and there is an increase in the number of female hormones, changing the functioning of the sexual sphere.
Often dizziness and other accompanying symptoms occur during PMS. First there is a feeling of squeezing, which is accompanied by heaviness in the lower abdomen. This condition can be explained by the fact that 3-5 days before the onset of the critical days, a woman gains weight due to fluid accumulated in the abdominal cavity. Don't panic, everything will go back to normal after your hormonal levels are restored. Each woman, with her individual characteristics, manifests symptoms and other phenomena in completely different ways.
There are several pathological factors that may cause dizziness:
- Meniere's syndrome;
- Cervical osteochondrosis;
- Anemia;
- Decreased blood glucose;
- Increase in temperature indicators.
All of the above factors lead to hypoxia. On this basis, activation of the vasomotor center, which is located in the medulla oblongata, is observed. Commands issued from there cause vasodilation, which makes the condition even more critical. Nausea and vomiting may also occur during this process. They are important signs during diagnostic measures.
Dizziness can also be caused by other factors of a different nature:
- Inflammatory processes;
- Tumors of the central nervous system;
- Neoplasms in the adrenal glands.
If there are certain suspicions and signs, it is recommended to urgently visit a doctor for further diagnosis.
Such measures make it possible to identify a serious deviation at an early stage of development and begin therapy in a timely manner.
What types of dizziness
Vertigo is directly related to disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The duration of attacks can vary from a couple of minutes to several hours.
Dizziness can be of different types
There are the following types of dizziness:
- Systemic (vestibular). Appears every cycle. Usually a consequence of damage to the vestibular apparatus.
- Non-systemic (physiological). Appears periodically, especially after severe physical or emotional stress. Occurs when there is a decrease in glucose or hemoglobin in the blood.
Systemic dizziness, depending on the level of complexity, is divided into:
- central;
- peripheral.
The first is caused by pathology of the central nervous system, metabolic or functional disorders, to which menstruation leads, only in a mild form.
Peripheral dizziness occurs due to damage to the vestibular nerve and is not associated with the cycle.
Each type of vertigo has its own accompanying symptoms. The table below will help you determine what type of disorder you are concerned about.
| Central | Peripheral |
| Headache | Nausea |
| Weakness | Vomit |
| Double vision | Sweating |
| Unsteady gait | Noise in ears |
| Prolonged attacks | Sudden onset |
If you feel dizzy not only during but also after your period and such symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
If dizziness persists for a long time, see a doctor
Feeling dizzy during menstruation
During the menstrual cycle, a woman experiences symptoms that resemble signs of pregnancy:
- weakness;
- nausea;
- apathy;
- anxiety;
- swelling;
- dizziness.
Experts believe that in most cases such manifestations are associated with hormonal imbalance:
- An imbalance of estrogen and progesterone leads to fluid retention, disturbances in the functioning of the circulatory system and, as a result, vascular spasms, dizziness, swelling of the mammary glands, and uncontrollable mood swings.
- The release of prolactin in large quantities indicates a violation of the water-salt balance, which affects the activity of all body systems.
- The synthesis of an increased amount of prostaglandins involved in the regulation of the uterus causes migraines and disorders of the vegetative-vascular system.
What is first aid?
If a woman often feels dizzy during her period, she should be able to provide herself with emergency help. At the first signs of vertigo, you can open the window and lie down. If the dizziness does not decrease and a feeling of lightheadedness appears, you must follow the following algorithm:
- Provide air access by opening a vent or window.
- Lie down on a flat surface and place a cushion under your feet.
- Unbutton tight clothing.
- If someone is nearby, you can ask for cold water and sprinkle a little on your face.
- Don't panic, calm down.
These simple actions promote blood flow to the brain and ensure it is oxygenated.
What to do?
What to do if a symptom occurs? Try to determine the cause of dizziness. If you have heavy blood loss or initially have anemia, you should enrich your diet with protein foods, and maybe sometimes you should take a course of iron supplements. Drinking plenty of fluids is also beneficial.
Try to minimize the use of medications during menstruation. Sometimes it is better to endure the pain than to suffer with new symptoms. It is also important to limit psycho-emotional stress during this phase of the cycle; try not to overwork these days and sleep enough time.
As a general strengthening medicine, we can recommend a complex of B vitamins, or a complex of vitamin B6 + magnesium. If symptoms are severe, the best choice would be to consult a doctor.
What medications can be prescribed
If vertigo has a physiological nature of occurrence, then treatment of dizziness during menstruation is based on the prescription of hormonal drugs and symptomatic remedies.
Oral contraceptives normalize hormonal levels, reduce the amount of menstrual bleeding, and eliminate PMS symptoms.
Vitamin complexes alleviate a woman’s condition by stimulating the production of progesterone. With its deficiency, menstruation becomes abundant. Antispasmodics relieve cerebral vascular spasm, which helps reduce dizziness. They also eliminate pain symptoms during menstruation.
It is very important to take vitamins
Very often, a week before menstruation, women begin to feel dizzy and feel nauseous, in which case antiemetics are prescribed.
Manifestations of the syndrome
Besides the dizziness associated with PMS (which can also make you feel nauseous), the most common symptoms of the syndrome include:
- irritability, mood swings;
- anxiety, crying, depression;
- impaired concentration;
- headache;
- fainting conditions;
- increased sensitivity and tension in the chest;
- stomach ache;
- feelings of abdominal fullness, flatulence, changes in appetite;
- libido disturbance;
- sleep disorders;
- swelling.
Important! Sometimes in the first days of the cycle there may even be loss of coordination and unsteadiness of gait. This is due to a sharp drop in blood pressure, especially with heavy blood loss.
However, according to experts, during menstruation, dizziness and the above symptoms are minor manifestations of PMS. There are up to 300 symptoms of various types. Their large number is partly due to the lack of precise diagnostic criteria that would help distinguish the syndrome from both normal conditions and pathological conditions such as depression or anxiety disorders.
What folk remedies can be used for dizziness?
Traditional methods for treating vertigo can only be used if it is not a symptom of organic brain damage. Herbal tincture from Eleutherococcus is used as a general tonic, helps normalize blood pressure, reduces blood glucose levels, and relieves pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation.
Tincture recipe:
- 150 g of eleutherococcus roots.
- 400 g vodka.
Wash and chop the rhizomes of the plant. Pour into a glass container, add vodka and leave for 10–12 days to infuse, shake occasionally. After the time has elapsed, strain the solution.
Take 25–30 drops twice a day, the last dose should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
The herbal mixture helps cope with dizziness, relieve irritability and improve sleep.
Collection recipe:
Take 100 g of mint leaves, linden flowers, peony roots. Mix all ingredients, pour 5 cups of boiling water, let steep for 2 hours. Then strain. Take 2 tablespoons 2-3 times a day. Common lilac has a quick effect on dizziness. Apply fresh lilac leaves to the temporal, frontal or occipital region of the head. Keep for 20–25 minutes. Lilac flowers have a hemostatic effect and reduce bleeding during menstruation. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of flowers and leave to steep for 2 hours. Drink 1 tablespoon 2 times a day, 30 minutes before meals.
Treatment with lilac decoction should begin 2-3 weeks before the start of menstruation.
What to do if you feel dizzy before your period, watch this video:
Prevention of dizziness on critical days
You can prepare for your period and eliminate nausea and dizziness in advance using simple preventive measures:
- Drinking green tea with added ginger.
- Regular walks in the fresh air.
- Getting rid of bad habits (drinking alcohol, smoking).
- Avoiding excessive physical activity.
- Controlling vitamin balance.
- Maintaining an active lifestyle with the right approach to relaxation.
- Compliance with the diet, avoiding sweets, fried, fatty and smoked foods.
- Avoiding stressful situations.
During menstruation, it is advisable to resort to physiotherapeutic procedures:
- therapeutic massage;
- acupuncture;
- therapy with mineral waters.
However, such treatment should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a doctor, who will tell you how to do the procedures correctly.
Dizziness with PMS occurs in many women and does not necessarily signal serious health problems. Compliance with preventive and therapeutic measures helps eliminate the unpleasant symptom. If the symptom is uncharacteristic or manifests itself abruptly, it is necessary to consult a doctor and find out the cause of the pathological condition.
About 70% of women report feeling dizzy before their period, on the first day of their period, or at the very end of this unpleasant monthly process. The cause of the malaise is the peculiarities of the female body, which must endure hormonal changes every month. But there are dizziness caused by a certain disease, so it is necessary to distinguish premenstrual discomfort from signs of illness.
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What kind of prevention
To avoid discomfort during the menstrual cycle, you need to follow a daily routine and get a good night's sleep. Particular attention should be paid to proper nutrition. It should be varied and balanced. It is better to avoid fatty, salty and smoked foods.
If you feel dizzy during menstruation, you should eat foods that increase hemoglobin in the blood: pomegranate, liver, walnuts, buckwheat, dark chocolate. It is important to drink enough fluid, at least 2 liters per day.
Try to avoid stressful situations and spend more time in the fresh air. Before starting a cycle, exercise is recommended; it strengthens the body and helps stabilize the level of sex hormones.
Eliminating PMS symptoms
The first choice in treating PMS is to use appropriate hormonal contraception. Major changes in this direction led to the development of combined hormonal contraceptives with drospirenone. Modern “Drospirenone progestin” is characterized by antimineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activity (preventing water retention, counteracting the adverse effects of male sex hormones present in small quantities in female bodies), therefore, a positive effect on PMS symptoms.
