Weight Gain During Menstruation: Myths & Realities
Like stomach cramps and mood swings, weight gain during menstruation is another complaint of many women during that time of the month. It appears to be caused by various factors revolving around hormonal production. At the same time, some women also report having intense cravings before the start of the menstrual week. However, experts in this field have advised people not to believe these myths. As people of the 21st century, it is best to believe in events that have scientific explanations rather than mere speculations.
Why do women report gaining weight in the course of their menstrual cycle? Here are a couple of things that are said to contribute to the phenomenon.
Cravings
This is more experiential than scientific. All of us have cravings. But it is said that the people with the strongest cravings are those who are undergoing hormonal changes. Women who are undergoing the menstruation process have a lot of cravings. It is their body’s way of coping with the hormonal changes inside them. Experts in this field say that women during their menstruation are prone to suffering from low blood sugar. With this, the automatic response of the body is to create cravings that will provide enough sugar to restore the normal blood sugar levels in the body.
Then again, when nutritionists measured how much weight was gained because of this one week craving, they found it to be insignificant. A 63 kilogram woman reported a two pound weight gain after her menstrual week and eventually lost it in the succeeding days. This prompted nutritionists to focus on another weight gain catalyst.
Water Retention/Edema
A lot of women will notice that during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, they added a couple of pounds to their weight. A good deal of these additional pounds is not really fat. In fact, it is primarily water weight. At times when hormones are erratic and are not at their normal levels, swelling (a.k.a. edema) occurs. Thus, a woman stores more water in certain areas such as the arms, legs, and tummy. The breasts also swell which may cause physical discomfort to the woman.
Experts observed women who were undergoing ovulation and eventually menstruation. After making sure that they did not consume any additional food apart from their usual diet, weight was measured and compared. The experts deduced that the swelling and water weight was the main contributory factor in the actual weight gain among women. And thus, it led nutritionists to developing a diet plan that would help control bloating and weight gain in the duration of the menstrual week.
A word of advice: weight gain during menstruation is perfectly normal. It happens to all women, though it varies as to how much water weight is gained by any particular person. For as long as the process ends and the symptoms are alleviated right after menstruating, gaining water weight is not a problem. With the proper diet plan, water weight will be controlled and lost right after menstruating. It should not be too bothersome for any woman experiencing this because eventually it resolves on its own.
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