Reasons why your heart hurts before your period

Menstruation is an integral process for every female body. Most often it is preceded by premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The most unpleasant thing is when your heart hurts before your period. But this symptom occurs much less frequently than pain in the lower abdomen and stomach upsets. If you approach PMS with attention and follow preventive measures, you may not even notice its onset.

Sometimes your heart may hurt before your period

Possible causes of pain

Every woman experiences the onset of PMS differently. It all depends on the characteristics of the body and age category. In addition, symptoms can manifest themselves in different ways. The cause of the syndrome may be changes in hormones, stressful situations, impaired metabolism, and more.

Some women complain of heart pain during menstruation. The central nervous system has a connection with the heart muscle, so people often notice that when they are stressed, they begin to pound in the chest. Accordingly, the same thing happens with PMS. After all, for a woman, the onset of menstruation is a stressful situation and the nervous system is excited during this period.

The main reasons why the heart hurts during menstruation are described in the table.

How to relieve a symptom

In the absence of organ diseases, you can cope with painful sensations on your own. Physical exercise, proper breathing, and sedatives will help with this. To remove pain, it is necessary to eliminate the cause. In this case, it is only possible to reduce the negative manifestations of PMS.

1. When the heart hurts, there is dizziness and weakness. In some cases, all this ends in loss of consciousness. During the period of unpleasant sensations in the left side of the hypochondrium, it is recommended to drink Valocordin, Validol. The drugs have a sedative effect and help relax blood vessels. Better blood circulation.
2. As soon as an organ begins to hurt in attacks, you need to sit or lie down, relax, and breathe deeply. Deep but calm breathing normalizes the functioning of the organ, and the heart will stop hurting.
3. Shortly before the start of menstruation, it is necessary to introduce iron-rich foods into the diet. Then the risk of a decrease in hemoglobin will decrease. The most affordable products are apples, liver, meat, buckwheat porridge.
4. Raise blood pressure with green tea, chocolate, and red wine. You can take a tablet of citramon, citropak, or any drug containing caffeine. As well as a complex of vitamins containing iron.
5. If your heart hurts, you should take sedatives in the form of tinctures of motherwort, valerian, and glod. You can make a “cocktail” of these drugs. Mix 10 drops of each, wash down with water, tea, juice. Tea made from chamomile, lemon balm, and mint has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

It is imperative to adhere to a sleep and rest schedule. Go for walks and light jogging. Spend more time outdoors. Then your heart will stop hurting and other manifestations of premenstrual syndrome will decrease.

Pain like PMS

With too much stress, there is a risk of angina pectoris. Pain can occur even when a woman has no heart problems. Heart pain and palpitations during menstruation can most often be observed when a crisis form of PMS occurs. A panic attack appears, which is characterized by a sharp drop in pressure, a spasmodic sensation in the lower abdomen, and a rapid pulse.

Pain often occurs due to premenstrual syndrome

What does heart pain during menstruation mean?

The menstrual cycle is an integral part of the life of every healthy woman. In most cases, monthly bleeding is accompanied by one or another manifestation of premenstrual syndrome. Heart pain during menstruation is considered one of the most unpleasant and dangerous phenomena during PMS.

Why does my heart hurt during menstruation?

A sharp change in the ratio of estrogen and progesterone provokes irritability, mood swings and tearfulness.

An increase in the number of emotional stresses in the presence of cardiac pathologies can result in an attack of angina pectoris.

But even in the absence of heart disease, deterioration in the regulation of the functions of peripheral nerves and overexcitation of the central nervous system leads to the appearance of aching pain.

Excess estrogen, which is necessary for endometrial rejection, also explains water retention in tissues. According to statistics, swelling is observed in 50% of women. Water retention is most common for those who have high levels of androgens, estrogens and the “happiness hormone” - serotonin, a few days before menstrual bleeding.

Pain in the heart manifests itself not only due to swelling of the internal organs, but also due to engorgement of the mammary glands. Their expanding lobes compress the nodes and nerves in the sternum, which provokes pain.

Fluid retention is enhanced by the active production of the hormone prolactin. In addition to edema, an excess of this substance explains increased blood pressure and tachycardia. Prolactin prolongs the excitation phase in myocardial cells during heart contraction, which leads to acute pain that appears cyclically.

Painful sensations can also occur in the absence of excess hormone production. They are caused by prostaglandins - biologically active substances of lipid origin.

They are released by dying cells and create a “beacon” for the immune system.

Prostaglandins released during endometrial rejection cause pain in various human organs and systems: spleen, gastrointestinal tract, heart, musculoskeletal system.

Pain in the sternum is most typical for the crisis form of PMS. With her, oh, manifested by changes in pressure, fear of death, abdominal cramps, chills, rapid pulse and sinking heart. The end of the attack is accompanied by the urge to urinate.

With the onset of menstruation, most of the unpleasant effects disappear, but with intense manifestations of 5-12 symptoms at once, heart pain continues during menstruation.

Provoking factors

There are certain reasons that can influence the appearance of painful sensations during menstruation. These include:

• severe stress, anxiety;
• depression;
• smoking and alcohol abuse;
• excessive physical activity;
• insomnia, lack of rest;
• abuse of strong coffee;
• improper diet, which involves eating food with the least amount of fat;
• lack of minerals.

In some cases, it is enough to exclude the above factors to normalize a woman’s condition with premenstrual syndrome.

Diagnosis and development factors of PMS

Heart pain during PMS and menstruation can be caused by various abnormalities in the functioning of vital organs. Factors influencing the occurrence of heart pain are physiological and psychological in nature:

• lack of potassium and calcium;
• stress and nervous tension;
• lack of sleep;
• increased physical activity;
• alcohol and cigarette abuse.

In addition to psychosomatic, vegetative-vascular and endocrine changes, pain in the heart area may indicate other diseases:

• breast dysplasia (in 45-50% of cases);
• mastodynia (occurs in 10% of the female half of the population).

Taking hormonal drugs is one of the causes of pain. Physical sensations with pain in the heart are as follows:

• It's a dull pain;
• tingling in the chest;
• pulling and pressing pain.

Only a qualified specialist can figure out and understand why pain in the heart area appears. Diagnosis of painful PMS should be carried out under the supervision of specialists in order to exclude serious disorders and diseases in the functioning of organs.

The cardiologist will collect information about the functioning of the heart valves. The gynecologist and endocrinologist will take a history of symptoms and check hormone levels. You will also need to visit a neurologist who will analyze the activity of brain neurons. It is necessary to take tests for the content of salt ions, glucose, prostaglandins, and hormones.

What examinations should you undergo?

Pain in the heart muscle is a serious symptom that should not be ignored. You should immediately visit a cardiologist who will prescribe the necessary measures. Most often, the following procedures are used to diagnose the causes of pain and rapid heartbeat before menstruation:

• ultrasound examination of the heart;

To diagnose the heart you need to undergo an electrocardiogram

• electrocardiogram;
• blood pressure measurement;
• checking heart rate and pulse.

If no pathological changes are detected during examination, the central nervous system is examined. To do this, you need to contact a neurologist. If this doctor does not notice any abnormalities, you need to make an appointment with a gynecologist. The specialist looks at the hormonal status of the female body. For this purpose, blood tests are prescribed.

Only after receiving the results will possible deviations in the body’s functioning be identified. In some cases, a consultation with a psychologist may be necessary if the problem is hidden at this level.

To treat pain and palpitations before menstruation, you need to conduct a comprehensive examination of the body.

Medicines for chest discomfort

Therapeutic measures should be aimed at eliminating cardiac pain. Since they appear during PMS, complex medications of various groups are usually prescribed. To eliminate the symptom use:

• medicines for blood circulation;
• diuretics;
• antidepressants;
• artificial hormones;
• complex of vitamins;
• means for normalizing neurotransmitter metabolism;
• natural herbal sedatives;
• anti-inflammatory medications;
• tranquilizers.

The doctor selects a treatment method based on the etiology of colic of the heart muscle. Hormonal drugs are prescribed on an ongoing basis over a certain period. In addition, it is recommended to supplement treatment with a vitamin complex.

What medications can you take?

If pain brings discomfort to a woman, it is necessary to take medications depending on the situation:

• Minor pain. You can buy sedatives. For example, Novo-Passit, Afobazol, tincture of valerian or motherwort.

To normalize the condition, Afobazol may be prescribed

• The occurrence of weakness and dizziness. Validol must be placed under the tongue. Or take Corvalol, Valocordin in the form of drops. The same list of drugs can be used for sleep disturbances and heart pain.
• The pain occurs due to swelling. Diuretics are prescribed to remove excess fluid. This group includes Veroshpiron, Furosemide, Torasemide.
• The balance of hormones is disrupted. Prescribed medications that contain estrogen and progesterone. The most commonly used are Yarina, Regulon, Janine.

Heart pain before menstruation: causes, symptoms, treatment

Often the menstrual cycle is accompanied by the unpleasant phenomenon of PMS, which causes headaches, irritability, weakness and heart pain before menstruation.

This is due to several factors: psychological, hormonal, metabolic and other changes.

Why does your heart hurt before your period, which doctor should you see first, and can you help yourself?

Premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is a cyclical set of symptoms that appears in some girls before menstruation. It is characterized by psychosomatic, vegetative-vascular and metabolic-endocrine disorders, which are restored at the beginning of a new cycle.

PMS occurs for several reasons: nervous overexcitation, changes in the body's metabolic processes, disruption of the cardiovascular system, but they are based on one main factor - hormonal changes.

Psychosomatic manifestations

Psychosomatic disorders during PMS occur due to a decrease in the blood levels of two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. They have a mild sedative, calming effect. But the amount of oxytocin - an analgesic, stimulating active substance - increases, so the nervous system is in constant irritation.

Psychosomatic symptoms are the most “unpleasant”, because they manifest themselves in a woman’s behavior towards other people. Aggression and depression increase, irritability, tearfulness, and blues appear.

Many smells, tastes and sounds are perceived differently by the excited nervous system and can cause discomfort. Due to the excitation of the central nervous system, peripheral neurons suffer: there is a decrease in tactile perception, slight numbness of the limbs and engorgement of the chest.

Vegetovascular manifestations

A decrease in the amount of the male sex hormone - testosterone - before menstruation, as well as an increase in prolactin, cause severe swelling and change the usual heart rhythm: the heartbeat may become faster or slower, especially after exercise, alcohol and caffeine. Severe swelling increases the amount of circulating blood, so it increases the pressure inside the vessels, and the accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the internal organs leads to compression of the nerve endings.

Vegetovascular symptoms of PMS are the following manifestations:

• headache;
• dull, aching pain in the heart area;
• swelling;
• heartbeat that may become faster or slower;
• dizziness due to disruption of cerebral vessels;
• high blood pressure;
• nausea.

Metabolic and endocrine manifestations

Menstruation requires changes not only in the level of sex hormones. At the end of ovulation, the synthesis and release of adrenal steroid hormones, which regulate salt and glucose metabolism, slows down. Various salt ions are retained in the body: potassium, sodium, phosphorus and others, and the amount of glucose in the blood does not change smoothly, but in waves.

Due to changes in the functioning of the adrenal glands, metabolic processes inside the body slow down: swelling, weakness appear, the level of physical activity decreases, depression appears, and appetite increases significantly due to surges in glucose.

Prolactin

Prolactin is an active substance that is produced in the body during and after ovulation to prepare the mammary glands to produce milk in the event of fertilization of the egg and the birth of the fetus. One of the side effects of this hormone is sodium retention.

This condition causes not only swelling, which increases blood pressure and increases heart rate. Another result of sodium retention is the prolongation of the excitation phase in cardiomyocytes during cardiac contraction. Overexcitation of cells leads to acute, lightning-fast pain, which can appear cyclically every 5-10 seconds and quickly pass.

Estrogen and progesterone

Estrogen and progesterone regulate not only the functioning of a woman’s reproductive system, but also normalize the functioning of the nervous system, providing a mild sedative effect in case of overstimulation. It is because of a decrease in their level at the end of ovulation that negative psychosomatic changes appear and the functioning of the peripheral nervous system is disrupted.

Before menstruation, pain in the heart, caused by a change in the amount of estrogen and progesterone, has a dull, aching character. They appear due to increasing excitation of the central nervous system (brain) and deterioration in the regulation of peripheral nerve endings in organs.

Prostaglandins

Prostaglandins are substances that cause inflammation and pain. They are released mainly by infected or dying cells. The role of these substances for the immune system is difficult to underestimate, because they are a beacon for protective cells, calling them to the site of death or infection of body tissues.

When the endometrium begins to shed at the beginning of menstruation, the cells of the uterine lining die and release prostaglandins. This causes pain not only in the reproductive system, but also in the body organs: heart, liver, spleen, intestines.

The heart begins to hurt suddenly, the discomfort has a mild aching character and goes away within 2-3 minutes, especially if you provide the girl with complete rest during this time.

Factors in the development of PMS

PMS does not manifest itself in all girls, so it can be assumed that not only hormonal changes, but also other additional factors are involved in the occurrence of premenstrual syndrome:

• constant nervous tension;
• lack of minerals, especially potassium and calcium;
• increased physical activity during ovulation and menstruation;
• poor low fat diet;
• poor sleep;
• caffeine and cigarette abuse.

It is these factors that significantly enhance the effect of hormonal changes and also contribute to the development of pain in the heart muscle.

Treatment

Treatment for heart pain due to different causes is different. For example, if a patient has severe edema, then before the onset of menstruation she may be prescribed diuretics or herbs that will help normalize the fluid content inside the body.

If there is a disturbance in the functioning of the nervous system, psychotherapy is necessary in the form of sedatives or homeopathic remedies. The latter contain herbal components, and their high effectiveness is largely due to the placebo effect.

If the cause of heart pain is a severe hormonal imbalance, then therapy using hormones: progesterone and estrogen will help. They will calm the nervous system and also reduce agitation.

Factors influencing the occurrence of pain

Each woman has her own set of premenstrual symptoms. They depend on lifestyle, nutrition, and the presence of chronic diseases.

The following factors provoke the appearance of heart pain:

1. Stress, anxiety;
2. Nervous exhaustion;
3. Depression;
4. Unfavorable psycho-emotional environment;
5. Alcohol abuse;
6. Cigarettes;
7. Excessive physical activity;
8. Poor sleep, inadequate rest;
9. Addiction to coffee, strong tea;
10. Improper diet with a deficiency of fats;
11. Lack of minerals;
12. Rare exposure to fresh air.

To prevent the recurrence of unpleasant painful symptoms, it is enough to go through all the points of unfavorable factors, take appropriate measures, and eliminate the negative impact.