Cramps before period back pain, fatigue, bad temper and insomnia are some of the popular symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. In addition, premenstrual syndrome consists of many other types of symptoms, for example, mood change, erectile and painful breast, desire for food, discomfort and depression. On the days of menstruation, many women feel uncomfortable because of these symptoms. In general, these physiological phenomena are not harmful to women’s health. However, these symptoms vary from person to person.
What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by a series of physical and psychological symptoms that appear before menstruation. Statistics show that 95% of women experiencing PMS symptoms, particularly, 40% of them suffering from severe symptoms that cause a lot of trouble to their lives and 5% of them having no ability to continue their work (this condition is called Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)).
Although these symptoms are different from person to person, in general, there are several common physical symptoms: cramps, headaches or migraines, back pain and erectile breast. In addition, you may deal with a host of psychological symptoms such as irritability, stress, depression, discomfort, fatigue, insomnia, appetite, and decreased sexual desire. It is realized that PMS can cause a significant number of physical and psychological issues.
It is difficult to identify the exact cause of PMS. It is likely that these symptoms are associated with sexual hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. It is supposed that the cause of PMS is mainly due to the interactive effects of the neurotransmitter of the central nervous system on the sex hormones. As usual, it is often easy to see the degree of change in 5-Hydroxytryptamine or serotonin when PMS occurs.
What are possible causes of premenstrual symptoms?
Changes in stimulating factors and chemical substances in the brain: Changes in serotonin can cause premenstrual symptoms. The serotonin insufficiency also leads to premenstrual depression, fatigue, appetite and sleep disorders as well.
Vascular disorders: Cramps and back pain that many women have to experience before and during the period are the pain in the pelvic area. The cause of this condition is the disorder of pelvic veins. This area has an important system including ovarian vein and veins around butt.
If these veins cannot work smoothly during menstruation, varicose and blood vessel disorders will attack you. As a result, the menstrual pain will be more intense.
Cramps before period are also called pelvic insufficiency. This is the normal expansion accompanied by the constriction of blood vessel walls. This phenomenon only can be detected if the patient goes for an ultrasound, an X-ray and internal organs screening.
To recover from cramps and back pains, it is best to follow a healthy lifestyle, eat nutritious foods and strengthen sports activities.
In particular, on the menstrual days, women should limit the salt intake to reduce flatulence and fluid retention in the body. Therefore, you should prioritize calcium-rich foods and vegetables to improve health and reduce symptoms.
If cramps are not improved even when the menstruation has ended, it is necessary for you to take gynaecological examination to learn more about the cause and find out the best treatment.
Studies show that boosting the iron absorption can help the risk of PMS, including unpleasant cramps, when the menstrual cycle is approaching.
How can you relieve cramps before period?
How can types of food help you to relieve premenstrual syndrome, especially cramps? According to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, if you follow a high-iron diet, there is higher possibility that you will reduce premenstrual syndrome.
The researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Harvard gave the question list of food to about 3,000 women for more than 10 years. They found that in addition to controlling other factors such as body mass index (BMI), age, smoking habits, rates of contraceptive use and calcium intake, you should take about 18 milligrams of iron into the body every day as recommended (or slightly higher, 20 milligram). If so, premenstrual symptoms will be considerably improved.
Iron helps you produce serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that affects mood control. Specialists think that the lack of this chemical may lead to premenstrual symptoms. However, if your body absorbs enough iron, this study claims that you will produce enough serotonin to get rid of PMS.
Nevertheless, it is not advisable to consume iron too zealously. The reason is that the redundancy of iron may be not excreted from the body. To avoid supplying the body with excessive iron, it is suggested that women should not exceed 18 milligrams of iron per day.
In short, using the fair amount of iron every day will support to get rid of cramps and mood swings. Please refer to the following tips to accomplish this goal as the menstrual cycle arrives.
Carefully inspect the cereal packing
You need to read the content on the back of the package to know about the dose of iron. Then, you can safely knock more than half of the needed iron every day before lunch.
Consume lentil daily
Nearly 200 grams of cooked lentils contain 37% of the iron needed amount for daily use. The consumption of this food is also a great way to increase the size and the texture of all foods. Particularly, you can add lentils to salad, soup, meat or pasta in your daily diet. Lentil is really a good friend of the girls who desire to lose weight.
Eat spinach
If you are not fond of salads, why don’t try iron-rich spinach? This is quite beneficial for the girls at dinner. In reality, 180 grams of cooked spinach contain up to 6.4 milligrams of iron while 30 grams of raw spinach only provide 0.81 milligram of iron.
It is not difficult to cramps before period and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome as well. If you often have to suffer from unbearable cramps, it is recommended that you should supplement your body with iron-rich food appropriately.
Reference: https://carekees.com/cramps-before-period/
Author:
Joyce Baker is both a graphic designer and a writer, has been worked as a freelancer. She graduated from Arts and Humanities faculty at University of Central Florida. Has been trained in the field of design and health, she loves creativity and actually want to share with people the useful information about Healthcare and Nutrition in creative ways.