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QUESTION
Different women have different feelings during menstrual cycle (at different days of the menstrual cycle) and many women have very specific feelings during menstrual periods. Why all women feelings are so different but sometimes very similar. I know that women health is a complicated one but what exactly could be included in so called "period side effects"? What are period side effects?
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ANSWER from experts
It is true that different women could feel differently during whole menstrual cycle and during period inself. Everything depends on women health status, hormones, reproductive history, contraception methods and lifestyle including stress factors.
Period side effects usually include all symptoms which appear before, during and after period.
Generally speaking the following could be included in so called "period side effects":
 Period side effects which appear only during menstrual period - all symptoms which could be noted during menstruation;
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) - symptoms which appear 3-7 days before menstrual period;
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) which is a severe form of PMS - mainly mood disorder associated with the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
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The most common period side effect is menstrual cramps which can range from mild to severe. Mild menstrual cramps may be barely noticeable and of short duration - sometimes felt just as a sense of light heaviness in the belly but severe menstrual cramps can interfere with women ordinary activities such as work, house hold, driving, sport activities, etc.
It is estimated that about 50% girls and women suffer from menstrual cramps. The main cause of menstrual cramps is uterine contraction triggered by prostaglandins and other chemicals. The cramping sensation is intensified when clots or pieces of bloody tissue from the lining of the uterus pass through the cervix, especially if a woman's cervical canal is narrow.
Sometimes the main cause of menstrual cramps could be endometriosis (the growth of endometrial cells similar to those that form the inside of the uterus but in a location outside of the uterus).
Main Period Side Effects include:
- Abdominal pain
- Acne
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Backache
- Bloating
- Breast swelling and tenderness,
- Constipation
- Decreased libido
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty in concentration
- Dizziness
- Appetite changes and/or Food cravings
- Fluid retention
- Headache
- Menstrual Headaches
- Indigestion
- Irritability
- Mood swings - tension, irritability, crying spells, etc.
- Some muscle pain,
- Nausea
- Stomach cramps/pain
- Tiredness
- Troubled sleeping, troubles with concentrating and/or remembering,
- Weight gain
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