PMS Bloating – Going Up, Anyone?

Oh great, here it comes again. First the favorite pair of pants or skirt won’t fit, then the second favorite, and so on until you eventually give in and reach for the “floater” clothes which allow for a bit of discretionary sizing. I called them that because I felt like a hot air balloon for a week or more each month, limited to wearing whatever didn’t dig deeply into my skin, have buttons or zippers that wouldn’t zip.

Dieting didn’t help much because I hadn’t gained any real weight, yet I seemed to plump up regularly in strategic spots. My bra felt like a boa constrictor and I felt like a blimp. I did notice that certain times of the month often came with cravings for salty foods.

I recognized some as salty and made an effort to cut back on those, but it’s also important to read the labels on prepared foods because many foods high in sodium may not seem that salty to the taste.

If PMS bloating is confined to the belly area and you also notice puffiness elsewhere, a lower sodium diet may be very helpful. For some women, though, it’s primarily a belly bloating and this can come from a variety of causes, some minor and some serious.

Hormonal changes following ovulation, and before your period, often result in intestinal “slowdowns.” Bowel movements may be less frequent causing increased pressure and fullness from gas, liquids and solids in the digestive tract. If symptoms occur like clock-work each month, there are a number of steps you can take to help prevent this from occurring.

However, there are some serious conditions whose symptoms are similar, and may increase or be more noticeable during stages of the menstrual cycle. Seek the advice of your physician if symptoms get worse or more persistent in a manner that is not normal for you.

For most of us, alleviating this monthly symptom is a matter of trial and error. Adjustments to diet, exercise and fluid intake, just tweaking our own systems as the body requires, can make a big difference in how we look and feel.

If you can squeeze in some brief moments for movement throughout the day, and there are even desk exercises for the cubicle-bound, you increase the likelihood that things will “keep moving along” in the digestive track. These same efforts also reduce general fluid buildup in the body.

I found an overall increase in dietary fiber to be very beneficial in reducing bloating, but it should be done gradually. A decision to just eat more high fiber foods when you notice things are not moving well can really backfire, if you get my drift. And worse, doing it on and off can cause problems instead of relieving them.

Decreasing PMS bloating is not a quick-fix undertaking and your own solutions may need to be adjusted over time with natural body changes, so don’t accept defeat too easily if bloating returns. Persistence wins in this case.

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