Increased appetite before monthly
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
The presence or absence of appetite is a natural phenomenon in human physiology. But many representatives of the fair sex know the feeling of constant hunger, which overtakes them about once a month. And do not look at the calendar to understand that the "critical days" are approaching. Is it normal or not, why does an increased appetite appear before menstruation? These and other issues will try to disassemble and highlight below.
Causes of increased appetite before menstruation
To understand the source of this seemingly unusual symptomatology, one must understand the physiology of this process. And, as doctors found out, the reasons for the increased appetite before the menstrual period lie in the cycle of ups and downs of the hormonal background of the woman, which each woman individually covers from 28 to 32 days. It is these changes that provoke a woman to change the state of health in a certain phase of the cycle.
To make this clearer, let's dwell on the peculiarities of female physiology. According to this criterion, the woman's menstrual cycle is divided into two physicians, practically equal in time. The first half of it is different in that there are changes in the hormonal background, caused by a significant increase in the parameters of hormones-estrogens, which include estrones, estriols, estradiols. Against this background, the egg is maturing, which is normally ready for fertilization by the middle of the cycle. The picture of the condition is positive: the woman feels wonderful, full of strength and optimism, has a high capacity for work. There are practically no complaints at this time in the woman.
In the middle of the cycle, with the maximum amount of estrogens, there is a process of ovulation, which consists in the fact that the mature egg leaves the ovary, going into the fallopian tubes, where it "waits" to fertilize itself.
As soon as this moment comes, the need for such an amount of estrogen disappears, and its concentration begins to gradually fall. While the hormone progesterone on the contrary begins to be intensively developed. This hormone is responsible for the preparation of the woman's body for a possible pregnancy. And after conception has occurred, it is he who must ensure that the embryo without irregularities takes its place in the uterus. Certainly, disruptions in the level of progesterone can provoke the development of an ectopic pregnancy in a woman.
It is the increase in the concentration of progesterone in the body very often and causes some deviations, which are expressed by the deterioration of the woman's well-being, and in order to somehow compensate for the discomfort, the body "wants" to receive positive emotions, which are often expressed in the need to chew constantly.
It is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the mechanism of the relationship between the increase in the level of progesterone and the increase in appetite. There are several versions explaining this phenomenon, and each of them has a basis for existence.
Some women explain the increase in appetite in the premenstrual period by the fact that estrogens, not yet known in science, affect the process of producing the "hormone of happiness" - serotonin. Therefore, in the first half of the menstrual cycle, the woman feels fine. And as the level of estrogen begins to decrease, the production of serotonin decreases, that is, the body ceases to have enough of this "happiness." This is the impetus to the fact that women are trying to find it in something else, for example, in a chocolate bar or a delicious chicken with crispy crust ...
But this explanation is too exaggerated, because hormones are not the only source that stimulates the synthesis of serotonin. In addition, the increased appetite before menstruation is expressed not only in the need of a woman for greater consumption of sweet, the desire to eat is expressed precisely in increasing the consumption of the quantity of products, whether bakery products, meat or fish dishes, confectionery products and so on. Appetite is literally everything. And all this is explained by the lack of one serotonin impossible.
There is another version of what is happening. Some scientists believe that the explanation for this phenomenon lies in the plane of changes in the intensity of metabolic processes, which are supposedly activated immediately before the onset of menstruation. More active metabolism requires additional energy costs. And where the body to take more energy than from food. A regular chain is built up: a great need for energy release - more need for its source, that is, in nutrition, - the woman's appetite increases, demanding to provide him with this source.
Thus, as it was already noted above, the metabolism proceeds more actively in the first half of the cycle against a background of increasing and reaching peak values of estrogens. With the onset of a fracture, the amount of estrogen gradually decreases, whereas the concentration of progesterone increases. Such a change in the physiological picture leads, on the contrary, to the inhibition of metabolic processes.
Another, the most incredible statement, is akin to the "grandmother's tales", that the female body, before "cleansing" - in the form of menstruation, first tries to stock up with nutrients, vitamins and minerals that will be so necessary for replenishing lost blood and resuming torn away mucous uterus.
But all these statements do not have a real biophysiological basis. So what is the reason for the increase in appetite, after all?
It turns out all the matter is that the body of a woman, after reaching the egg state of readiness for fertilization, every menstrual cycle is preparing for the possible conception and fulfillment of a woman's duty, imposed on her by nature.
During this period, under the influence of a certain combination of necessary hormones, activation of certain regions and systems of the brain is observed: the hypothalamus, the reticular formation, the limbic system. There is irritation of the nerve receptors and the center of hunger, which sends a pulse (command) to the stomach for increased production of the secretory enzyme. There are other, less noticeable, but no less significant changes that have not yet been fully understood and understood by man.
Summarizing the foregoing, it can be concluded that to date physicians can not specify the reasons that make a woman feel hunger attacks in the premenstrual period. That is, there are no objective sources of hunger. Part of this factor can be explained by complex complex changes that occur in the female body. Those that are not fully understood by mutual contact and tangential processes affecting various hormones, which, acting on certain centers of the brain, make changes in the work of the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract and other systems, and the organs of our body.
Here you can add an emotional factor. A woman in the second half of the menstrual cycle becomes less emotionally stable. Irritability and deterioration of her well-being can also cause a woman to provoke herself at least with something tasty.
Therefore, it is not possible to significantly influence this factor. But do not get upset, a small increase in body weight in this period - this is the norm, which also easily goes away during the next few days, after the onset of menstruation.
It should also be noted that the increase in appetite affects not all women of reproductive age. A number of them do not feel any changes at all, when there are also those who, on the contrary, at this time lose interest in food. Therefore, increasing appetite - this is quite an individual characteristic of the female body.
What's bothering you?
Who to contact?
How to cope with increased appetite before menstruation?
Those women who face the problem discussed in this article, especially if they follow their forms, are interested in the question of how to cope with increased appetite before menstruation? How not to damage your figure.
It was noticed that, nevertheless, it is mainly women who are attracted to carbohydrate food, because it is more conducive to the production of serotonin, an enzyme that provides a good mood. But if the body requires it, therefore, he needs it. You just need to understand some rules that need to be adhered to not to gain extra pounds and not to spoil the figure.
Permit:
- With increased appetite before the monthly, you can enter into your diet cereal cereals. They are energetically capacious, but not "stacked" on the sides of a woman.
- Bakery products are preferably consumed from durum wheat (dark bread).
- It is permissible to increase the volume of fruits and raw vegetables.
- You can afford pasta from hard wheat varieties.
- Let's use rice, preferably not polished. But you should not be upset if you did not manage to buy one, you can do without the one that lies on the shelves of any store.
- A small amount of potatoes is allowed, preferably in a baked or boiled form.
- A variety of herbal teas also have a positive effect. Correct selection of fees contributes to the effective reduction of bouts of hunger. Here it is especially worth noting the decoctions of their wild rose berries or dandelion flowers.
It is necessary to limit:
- Do not get involved in confectionery and pastries, especially fresh, if there is no desire to turn into a pyshechku.
- Exclude carbonated, especially sweet, drinks.
- Limit salt intake.
- Minimize products of increased fat content.
- It is proved that caffeine exerts a negative influence on the woman's organism in the period of interest to us. Proceeding from this, in the premenstrual period it is necessary to reduce the consumption of foods that differ by their high content: strong black tea and coffee.
- Do not get carried away with a large intake of protein foods. Limit the amount of meat and fish introduced into the ration, and eggs.
- They increase appetite and strong alcoholic beverages, especially as they are referred to a high-calorie product.
Fulfillment of these simple recommendations will not allow to remain hungry, and to protect your figure from the surplus of excess kilograms.
There is also the psychological aspect of relief of attacks of hunger. A woman should learn to switch her attention to another sphere of life. For example, it is necessary to do your favorite, interesting occupation, then you can simply forget about hunger. After all, as it is believed that the main reason for increased appetite before menstruation is the lack of positive emotions that a woman is able to compensate in different ways. That is, it is necessary to increase the number of positive emotions and the famine will pass by itself. This simple recommendation, perhaps, is the most effective method of coping this problem.
The latest results of monitoring the intake of hormonal contraceptives allow us to speak about the effective elimination of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, this also applies to bouts of hunger, which the woman begins to experience more often on the eve of menstruation. Taking medications of this pharmacological group makes it possible to stabilize the balance of hormones somewhat, which invariably depresses the pathological symptoms that bring discomfort to a woman. As a result, a woman feels much better.
But in general, it is noticed that the number of grams that the body takes in the time period of interest in a healthy organism does not lead to an actual increase in the body weight of a woman, since after the onset of menstruation, the excess weight very quickly disappears. It takes a few days.
Read also:
But you should not get carried away, reassuring yourself that everything will pass and you can eat what you want. If the desire to eat is close to the signs of bulimia, then this can be aligned with pathology. This is already a mental disorder associated with the consumption of food, characterized by a spontaneous increase in appetite, which begins as a paroxysmal spasms of agonizing hunger. Such a condition is a disease that can not be solved independently without the help of a specialist.
The female organism is unique, and, perhaps, even physiologically more complex than the body of a man. After all, nature has created such perfection, giving him the ability to conceive, endure and bring to light a new life. But for this, the present and future mothers have to "pay off" some moments that cause discomfort and a number of inconveniences. And sometimes they are jealous of men who do not have to worry about the consequences of hormonal background bursts. But the feeling of the birth of a new life or a sense of belonging to the female community compensates for everything. Even increased appetite before menstruation. After all, this problem is solved, it is only necessary to make a little effort and listen to the recommendations that were given in the above article.