Welcome to POPSUGAR Uninhibited, a space where anyone with a period can come for advice, recommendations and support. Here, we’ll tackle topics like PMS, sustainability, post-partum periods and bring you first-person experiences in our period diaries. We also want to raise awareness around period poverty, with the aim to ignite change with the help of our launch partner Modibodi and charity partner Share the Dignity. You can find all of the stories here.
There is a lot that we don’t know about the menstrual cycle and how it works. This isn’t because the information isn’t out there, but largely due to the lack of sex education we receive in school. So chances are, there are symptoms related to your period that you weren’t even aware of.
Hormonal changes during your cycle can affect everything from your mood to your bodily functions and even your gums (mouth pain is quite common around your period), which is pretty incredible. Hormones are responsible for a great deal in our bodies and as such, we thought it worth exploring the potentially unexpected symptoms you might be experiencing as a result of your period.
Gum Pain
A couple of days before your period starts, you can experience mouth or gum pain. During this time, oral changes can include swollen or red gums, bleeding gums or swollen salivary glands. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this is because hormonal changes, which includes an increase in progesterone, causes menstruation gingivitis. It usually subsides once your period arrives.
Temperature Changes
Ever noticed that you’re a little more sweaty and hot around your period? Yep, your period can affect your body temperature thanks to the drastic hormonal changes occurring at the time. Rising progesterone levels and falling estrogen levels can affect your hypothalamus function, which is responsible for keeping your temperature stable.
According to Healthline, when it registers the lower levels of estrogen, your brain releases other hormones like norepinephrine that can send your body signals to sweat so you can cool off, even if you don’t need to at the moment. This is when you begin to feel hot and bothered for seemingly no reason but it’s all because of your cycle.
Nausea, Diarrhoea or Vomiting
While these might sound like symptoms of a serious stomach bug, it’s common to also experience these as a result of your cycle. Dysmenorrhea, which, according to Healthline, is the official name for severe and frequent period cramps, can also cause nausea, diarrhoea or vomiting before or during menstruation.
PMS is also known to cause increased nausea and diarrhoea in the lead up to one’s period, alongside a number of other not-so-fun symptoms like breast soreness, constipation, bloating, headaches and back pain.
Anxiety
Another common PMS symptom is anxiety and you might find that around your period, you experience more overwhelming levels of worrying or nervousness. It’s widely known that your cycle can mess with your mood, making you more sensitive, emotional or prone to swift mood changes, but it can also dial up your anxious feelings in a big way.
There is also another period-related mood disorder called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) that is estimated to affect up to five per cent of menstruating people. PMDD can cause feelings of despair, hopelessness or increased anxiety around one’s cycle.
If any of these symptoms have raised concerns or questions for you, please make an appointment with your GP to discuss these further. Your menstrual cycle is responsible for a number of happenings in your body, so it’s important to understand why and when these happen so you are more in tune when things do change.
Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
