Dizziness before menstruation is not typical. A number of factors can cause dizziness. These include high progesterone levels, certain medical conditions, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Dizziness can also be an early symptom of pregnancy.
Scientists haven't studied this symptom much, so doctors don't know how common it is or why some women experience it and others don't.
Conditions that can cause dizziness before your period are usually not life-threatening. Therefore, the presence of this symptom does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. But since this symptom is not common, a woman should consult a doctor.
Classification
Currently, it is customary to distinguish two groups into which dizziness is divided.
- Central vertigo - occurs with diseases of the brain and disturbances in its functioning.
- Peripheral - they talk about it when the inner ear and vestibular nerve are irritated, or there are signs of their damage.
A separate group includes systemic and non-systemic ones, i.e. physiological dizziness.
When the functioning of a person’s vestibular, visual and muscular systems is disrupted, they speak of systemic vertigo. This condition requires very careful diagnosis and comprehensive treatment.
Non-systemic dizziness has completely different causes - neurogenic. This can be stress, a lack of glucose in the blood, which is caused by fasting or poor diet, and overwork. Children begin to feel dizzy due to long rides on carousels; many people experience bouts of dizziness due to motion sickness on public or sea transport. This condition does not have any serious causes, and soon everything goes away.
Well, those people whose attacks of vertigo occur against the background of any diseases need to undergo a special examination to clarify the true cause.
Home remedy
No specific treatments can cure dizziness that occurs before your period, but some strategies can reduce the risk of severe dizziness. They include:
- diet
- avoid strictly restrictive diets
- to drink a lot of water
- exercise regularly
- stand up slowly to avoid dizziness when changing positions
A woman should also avoid driving or doing other hazardous activities when she feels dizzy.
Types of dizziness in various diseases
If dizziness is caused by a disease, then it will be accompanied by corresponding symptoms of a particular disease. Now let's look at the characteristic signs of some diseases that can cause vertigo attacks in a person.
Diseases of the inner ear and inflammatory processes in it. Here, in addition to dizziness, the patient will have specific discharge from the ears and reduced hearing sensitivity. The formation of wax plugs in the ear canals is also one of the causes of dizziness.
If a person has Meniere's disease, attacks of dizziness are quite severe and frequent. In addition, other symptoms are observed: hearing deteriorates, noise in the ear occurs, vomiting or nausea appears.
With vestibular neuritis, dizziness usually worsens if a person stands up suddenly or turns his head.
Brain hemorrhage or stroke. One of the most dangerous causes of dizziness. A person’s head begins to spin suddenly, and this state lasts for quite a long time. Along with an attack of vertigo, weakness appears, speech is impaired, there is no sensitivity in the muscles, coordination and vision are impaired.
Dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by intensification when moving the head. Unsteady gait, loss of orientation, and pain in the neck may also occur.
This source of dizziness, such as the formation of a tumor in the brain, is characterized by gradually increasing attacks of vertigo, with severe headaches and the development of one-sided deafness.
Constant tinnitus, dizziness and sudden hearing loss on one side are symptoms of a perilymphatic fistula.
Weakness and nausea, coupled with dizziness, occur after spinal injury and traumatic brain injury.
If attacks of dizziness are aggravated by the fact that a person has changed the position of the body, then we are talking about benign positional vertigo.
Basilar migraine - the head begins to spin long before the attack of the migraine itself, neurological symptoms are also present: nausea, darkening of the eyes, tinnitus, vomiting.
Some medications may cause dizziness as a side effect. Goes away after discontinuation of the drug.
Causes of dizziness
Pathology of the vestibular system
The vestibular system helps you move easily and know your location in space. Vestibular disorders, which often mimic the inner ear, can cause nausea, dizziness and even difficulty walking. Research suggests that some women with vestibular disorders experience significant symptoms of dizziness before menstruation.
Meniere's disease
- a common vestibular disease. Changes in the distribution of fluid in the body before your period may also change the distribution of fluid in the inner ear. This may cause dizziness. A 2009 study of healthy women found differences in the vestibular system in the days before menstruation. However, this study is not conclusive. Scientists need to do more research to determine how changes in the menstrual cycle may affect the vestibular system.
Changes in progesterone levels
After ovulation, progesterone levels rise steadily. Then it drops right before your period starts. Changing progesterone levels may increase the intensity of premenstrual symptoms.
Women with severe symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be sensitive to the effects of progesterone.
Treatment with progesterone sometimes causes dizziness or drowsiness. Women on progesterone therapy may notice dizziness before their period begins.
Increased blood pressure
High blood pressure can cause dizziness. Research shows that progesterone, which rises in the second half of the menstrual cycle, can change blood pressure. This change is associated with PMS in such a way that women who report PMS symptoms may have increased blood pressure before their period begins.
A 2021 study found that diastolic blood pressure was 3.2 points higher in the second half of the menstrual cycle among women who reported severe PMS.
Pregnancy
Dizziness
is a common symptom of pregnancy, even in the early stages. Changes in blood pressure can cause dizziness, and as pregnancy progresses, blood flow to the brain slows. This may be a sign of pregnancy in a woman who does not usually experience dizziness before her period. If symptoms persist and a woman does not get her period, she may be pregnant and should take a pregnancy test.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a type of extreme PMS that can disrupt a woman's daily life before or during her period. PMDD presents with a wide range of symptoms, including severe cramps, dizziness, vomiting and migraines.
Dizziness during menstruation and menopause
Women have their own reasons for dizziness. They are associated with hormonal changes in the body during PMS, menopause or pregnancy. The rapid loss of hemoglobin by the female body during menstrual periods often leads to anemia and lack of oxygen in the brain. It is these reasons that lead to dizziness, depression, and sudden changes in mood. With the advent of menopause, a woman’s body undergoes serious changes, which are accompanied by pressure surges and increased excitability of the autonomic nervous system.
Diagnostics
To diagnose the cause of dizziness that occurs before your period, a doctor may ask a woman to monitor her symptoms to see if there is any connection between the dizziness and diet, lifestyle, or other factors.
Your doctor may order the following tests:
- a hearing test that can help diagnose Meniere's disease
- blood test to check for hormonal problems, infections and other problems
- brain scan
First aid
In case of severe attacks of dizziness, the victim must be given first aid. A person should take a horizontal position, take a few drops (8-10) of atropine 0.1% solution. And, of course, do not forget about ensuring the flow of fresh air. In some cases, it may be necessary to relieve nervous tension with sedatives or tranquilizers.
Further assistance should be provided by a doctor. Only a specialist can identify the cause of dizziness and prescribe effective treatment. It is quite possible that to find out a more complete picture of the disease and an accurate diagnosis, you will need to consult different doctors: a therapist, a neurologist, an endocrinologist, an otolaryngologist.
When to see a doctor
Dizziness before your period is not an emergency unless a woman has other symptoms such as numbness, chest pain, or confusion. If you have these symptoms, you should seek medical help immediately.
However, if dizziness occurs before each period, a woman should still consult a doctor. It is also important to see a doctor if you do not have your period, as this may indicate pregnancy.
After consulting with a doctor, a woman should seek additional help if:
- The treatment recommended by the doctor does not help
- side effects from medications occur
- symptoms change and new symptoms develop
Treatment with folk remedies
Fans of alternative medicine and folk remedies have their own recipes for relieving attacks of dizziness. The following are considered effective in these cases: ginger tea, carrot, beet and pomegranate juices. Drinking small portions of parsley seed tea throughout the day will stop the attack. Tea is brewed at the rate of 1 teaspoon of seeds per glass of boiling water and infused for 6-8 hours. Mint, lemon balm, linden blossom - teas made from these medicinal plants also have a positive effect in the treatment of dizziness.
Attacks of dizziness, as such, do not pose any threat to human life. However, in some cases they can indicate serious illnesses. And therefore, if, along with dizziness, symptoms such as severe headache, loss of sensation in the limbs, incoherent speech, and confusion are observed, you should urgently call an ambulance.
Primary appointment with a neurologist: 1850 RUR.
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Treatment
Because dizziness before menstruation is relatively rare, there is no specific treatment. However, if a medical condition is causing this symptom, your doctor may recommend treatment for the condition.
Some women also find relief from dietary changes, especially a low-salt diet.
Various treatments can help manage PMDD. Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, including exercise, antidepressants, or medications for certain symptoms, such as painkillers for menstrual cramps.
Even without a diagnosis, you can cope with dizziness before your period starts. A woman can ask her doctor about motion sickness medications that may help relieve symptoms.
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.
A little about menstruation and... migraines
At the time of menstruation, women experience quite strong hormonal changes. Some hormones become more, others less. At the same time, under the influence of hormonal levels, the tone of blood vessels, including those of the brain, can change significantly. And this, in turn, can cause a migraine attack, including vestibular (this disease is discussed separately in the article).
Sometimes such attacks go unnoticed and are noted by girls only as mild dizziness. However, migraine is not the only cause of dizziness during menstruation.
During the natural course of the monthly cycle, a woman loses a fairly large amount of blood, namely from 100 to 150 or more ml. This blood loss itself can cause dizziness. This is also an important cause of the symptom.
Often during menstruation, various drugs are used to relieve pain. Very often these are antispasmodics (no-spa, buscopan, etc.), and a common side effect for them is a decrease in blood pressure and, as a result, dizziness.
Also, during menstruation, a woman’s mood often changes significantly. And this is an additional point in the occurrence of psychogenic dizziness. And finally, no one has canceled the combination of all or part of the above factors.
