About the causes of chills associated with PMS and how to deal with them

"I often feel chills before menstruation, but I don't often hear about it as a symptom of PMS," "What should I do when I feel chills?"

Premenstrual disorders often feel feverish symptoms such as irritability and slight fever, but there are also cases where cold symptoms such as chills appear.

In this article, we will discuss the chills associated with PMS. The chills associated with PMS are mainly caused by fluctuations in body temperature due to changes in female hormones.

In addition, we will introduce how to deal with when you feel a chill, so please try to incorporate it into your daily life.

Find out in this article

• Criteria for determining whether premenstrual chills are associated with PMS
• Causes of chills associated with PMS
• What to do when you feel cold

What is PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)?

PMS is defined as “mental or physical symptoms lasting 3 to 10 days before menstruation and that resolve or disappear when menstruation begins”.

PMS is thought to be caused mainly by changes in female hormones. However, in addition to fluctuations in female hormones, it is said that stress and other hormones in the brain also affect it, so it is not clear exactly.

Also, PMS symptoms vary from person to person. Mental symptoms include irritability and depression, while physical symptoms include headaches, increased appetite, chest tightness, dullness, mild fever, and chills.

What is pms

Premenstrual chills due to PMS?

Not all premenstrual chills are PMS. Of course, you can feel chills with PMS. However, there may be other causes as well.

For example, if you have a fever due to inflammation in your body, such as a cold or appendicitis, you will feel chills. In order not to overlook other causes, it is important not to judge it as PMS.

Keep a physical and menstrual log to help distinguish between chills associated with PMS and chills caused by other causes. There is no problem with handwriting, but there are many apps that are convenient for recording, so it is a good idea to use them.

Compare the time when symptoms appear and the time of menstruation to determine whether it is due to PMS. If symptoms appear before menstruation and disappear with the onset of menstruation, the chills may be associated with PMS. However, if the symptoms continue even after menstruation begins, it is highly likely that the cause is something other than PMS, so it is desirable to consult with an internal medicine doctor or a gynecologist.

Causes of chills associated with PMS

The chills associated with PMS are related to changes in female hormones before menstruation. Let's take a closer look at the changes in body temperature that occur in conjunction with changes in female hormones during the menstrual cycle.

During the period from ovulation to menstruation, the secretion of luteinizing hormone increases and the body temperature rises, which is called the high temperature period. The amount of progesterone secreted begins to decrease around the end of about 14 days of the high temperature period.

With the reduction of progesterone, the body temperature switches to the low temperature period. And after the cold period begins, menstruation begins.

In this way, before menstruation, it is thought that you feel cold due to the difference in body temperature between the high temperature period and the low temperature period.

What to do when you feel cold

Here are some tips on how to deal with the cold. The coping methods introduced are three methods that are easy to incorporate: warming the body, eating, and Chinese medicine.

If you are prone to feeling the chills associated with PMS, please know so that you can deal with it early and spend a little easier time.

warm the body

When you feel chilly, it's always good to warm your body. The point is to warm the three necks of the wrist, ankle, and neck. Warm your wrists and ankles with hand warmers and leg warmers, and your neck with neck warmers and snoods.

It is also recommended to warm your stomach with a belly band or a disposable body warmer. Another way to warm your whole body is by soaking in a hot tub.

And when you feel chills, refrain from cold food and drink, and eat something warm. In particular, miso soup and soup with ginger will warm your stomach.

balanced diet

Food has cooling properties and warming properties.

Summer vegetables, such as cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes, often have cooling properties. Foods with cooling properties will cool the body even more when eaten in salads or cold recipes, so it is better to cook them by grilling or steaming them.

Warming ingredients include ginger, garlic, and onions. When you feel chilly, avoid foods that cool your body and eat foods that warm your body.

In addition, taking as many items as possible in a well-balanced manner on a regular basis will lead to the health of the entire body, including female hormones. Let's be conscious of the balance of daily meals as much as possible.

Kampo

Chinese medicine has a number of prescriptions to improve chills. For example, kakkonto, which is often used in the early stages of a cold, warms the body and relieves the chills.

The chills associated with PMS are also important to balance female hormones. You can also expect improvement by taking Kamishoyosan, Tokishakuyakusan, and Keishibukuryogan, which are known as the "three major gynecological prescriptions" according to your constitution.

It is more important than anything else to take Chinese herbal medicine that matches your constitution and symptoms, and it may be better to take it for a certain amount of time rather than taking it only when you feel chilly. It is a good idea to consult a specialist such as a gynecologist or a herbal pharmacy.

Read the following articles together
Commentary on PMS and Kampo

summary

In this article, I explained about PMS and chills. It is very important to distinguish between chills associated with PMS and chills caused by other causes. Keeping track of when you have periods and chills can help you tell. If in doubt, it is recommended to consult a gynecologist.

Fluctuations in body temperature due to changes in female hormones are thought to be the cause of chills associated with PMS. We also introduced three ways to deal with the cold, so let's take measures to make it a little easier.