Severe Fatigue During PMS or Period

From what I have read, once you ovulate, you get a flood of Progesterone, in turn, for some women, the added Progesterone has "relaxing" effect and for others (including myself, I just feel downright tired.

Also, Progesterone helps to relax the bowel so that in the event a woman were to become pregnant, her body could more readily absorb the nutrients (hence the slower bowel movement) in fact, your bowels do relax as it were...For some , this is all fine and good but for others, if you don't have enough fiber to help move things along, you begin to feel tired and constipated. Both could be contributing to why you feel more run down..

With your body suffering form chronic pain, the pain is a stressor of the body, which causes an excess production of cortisol (the stress hormone) that increase in cortisol can eventually further weaken your immune system... Hence, you continue to feel tired and worn out..

Once you ovulate, your Estrogen begins to drop off while your Progesterone begins to rise... With the drop in Estrogen (which controls the cortisol production) left to its own devices, you may find that IF you are having a stressful day, it becomes VERY overwhelming... and with the Progesterone on the rise... now, you not only feel stressed but oh so tired....

It's a vicious cycle to say the least..

Remedy... Although, you may be too tired to do it.. EXERCISE.. this will help to release those so badly needed "feel good" Endorphins.. Also, lots more fiber (as noted above) water.. DO drink up.. think of water as the gasoline for the body.. if you don't enough .... your body simply can't run right.... OR eliminate the toxins as needed (especially when your body is still trying to heal itself)
Lastly.. a little meditation goes a long long way.. even if just for 15 minutes.. try and step back, take a moment to calm your body ... I have found these tools to be helpful..
Of course, good nutrition..... I know it's hard around the time of one's period, as you might be craving sweets.. you aren't imaging that.. that is also thanks to Progesterone, which makes us more insulin resistant (esp IF we already partake in insulin raising foods)..... therefore, prior to our periods, the cravings can become worse.. as well has yeast infections more prevalent, which is become we becomes more alkaline right before our periods (as oppose to acidic) which in turn... yeast just love........as you can imagine, they thrive more in alkaline than an acidic environment)

Ahhhh being a woman :)

Start with one modification at a time... then starting add one each week... see if some of the suggestions make life a little better and go from there..

also, Dr. Elizabeth Vliet has a few books out relating to women and their hormones, they are packed with lots of good info!

good luck to you

Of course it is because you are in a weakened state to begin with. The fact that you are working your body hard with phys therapy, doesn't help during that time. You should have a vitamin regimen, especially iron. See a nutritionist or speak with your Dr. Eat iron rich foods, dark leafy veggies, kale, spinach. You need to strengthen the inside, so you can strengthen the outside. Perhaps some Ensure Complete. Talk to your Dr.

My OB told me that fully recovering from childbirth takes about a year. So, I can't imagine how long it truly takes your body to bounce back from what you have gone through. Every system in your body was affected. Every muscle, every cell. It's not surprising to me in the least that whenever your body has something going on, like prepping for menstruation, it needs a bit of extra rest. I think with a good diet, rest, and your dedication to fully recovering all of your muscle usage, maybe even supplements, you'll be fine. This does happen to me, but I've never been able to tolerate ovulation well. I have to take birth control and that helps a ton.

I agree with A. L. that it sounds like your female hormones working overtime and out-of-sync with your body. You can try visiting a naturopathic doctor and having him test you for your hormone levels and, if you need it, get you on some natural female hormones.

I have had horrible PMS symptoms since I got my first period in my teens. I suffered for over 25 years until finally, I read a book that talked about women's bodies, the female hormonal cycle, and what happens to various body systems when your female hormones are out of whack. For me, all my symptoms pointed to a progesterone defect. Once I stated taking some natural, bio- progesterone cream (a small dab on the back of my hand 2x/day)--I'm a new woman! Holy man, I wish I'd known years ago that a little progesterone would completely and totally change my life! Now I no longer suffer from those debilitating PMS symptoms. And I am 45 and in Peri-menopause; the progesteron has really helped with the Peri-menopause symptoms as well.

Another thing you might be interested in checking out is to make sure that your body isn't low on iron or folate acid so that when your body is gearing up for your period (in which you lose blood), your body isn't losing more iron than it should, thus making you extremely tired.

You also don't mention how old you are; if you are in your 40s, you could already be going through/starting Peri-menopause, which will start playing havoc on your female hormones as well as other areas of your body (thing thyroid and adrenals [adrenals also have to do with tiredness]). Menopause starts way before a woman gets to her 50s or 60s.

So inspiring to hear your courageous fight back from being so sick! I would definitely go see a naturopathic doctor, tell him/her what you've been through, and have him/her help you get your body further recovered/healthy. Good luck.

I don't believe you have to put up with this because you are getting older. I believe nutrition and supplementation could help. Starting with PMS I would get a decent GLA, which is an omega-6 fatty acid known to help balance hormones. Play with the dosage.

I'd also ask you what you are eating? Is it a good balance of good carbs, fat and protein? A good protein shake might help with that energy level.

Vitamins! If you can afford to add in some good vitamins that can help too.

Don't give up the ship! A long time ago a doctor told me I could not get better. I didn't listen and he was wrong!

Do research and try things. Don't just wait it out.

I sell vitamins and I am happy to give you links to supplements I believe in if you like. Whatever you decide just do your google research and find high quality products.

Best of luck!

Wow! It sounds like you've been through a lot. And you still have a sense of humor about it - you are an amazing woman!

I wonder - how are your iron and vitamin b levels? You might ask to check up on this. The menstrual cycle takes quite a drain in women's iron levels, and recent discoveries point that the hormonal changes of PMS make our bodies use vitamin b differently - so that even if you are not b deficient the rest of the month, you might be during your period. A deficiency in either one will affect your energy levels.

It is difficult to overdose on vitamin b (though possible, so avoid extreme doses), but you can get this over the counter with a B complex (B6 and B12 together) - I like the sublingual form - I use it to help reduce swelling in my hands and feet during pms (which is a new symptom as I've gotten older, so there might be something to your idea there). As for iron, overdosing on that is super-easy, so you might want to get a blood test on that one before taking supplements.

I don't know for sure that all this will help, but it might be an idea worth checking out? Hang in there, lady!

Please, rather than posting -- get to a doctor, now. You likely may need your doctor to refer you to a specialist but you and your regular doc need to figure out what kind of specialist. You had an extremely traumatic physical experience and it sounds like you are nowhere near recovered. Have you had ANY follow-up therapies? Therapy to rebuild muscle tone may be in order; and/or seeing a registered dietician or nutritionist; you may need something specialized for a time like protein supplements or specialized diet to regain energy; your nighttime sleep may seem OK to you but may actually be messed up so you may need a sleep study done; etc. And of course your ob/gyn must be involved since this seems to be triggered at least in part by your menstrual cycle.

You do not have to live this way but you do have to take on the work of being very assertive with doctors to get help. Don't let them dismiss you as "just a woman with some bad PMS"! Force them to work with you to get the therapy, food and treatment you may need. This may be about needing a lot of gradual exercise to rebuild yourself but the tie to your period means there may be something else amiss. You will have to be willing to get help AND to ask for help with your kids so you can get out to the doctors and so you can get real rest.

I can't imagine feeling like you do and managing four children. I hope your husband is fully on board and understands that you are still ill, basically. He must step up and take on a lot more if you are not going to spend years like this, and he must be supportive of your working hard with doctors right now. In other words -- YOU need to be the family's priority, not the kids, not him. If there is not a healthy, functioning mom, if the world has to revolve around her periods, then the whole family will suffer. Get your husband on board,, even if it means you have to haul him to hear the doctor say it rather than you. Get household help if at all possible-- it doesn't have to be an expensive maid service, it could just mean calling on your good friends to cook some meals and bring them over on a schedule; getting a local high schooler to watch the kids several afternoons a week at your home with you there but resting; etc. If you are in a church, call on the church for help and ideas. If you are in a group with other parents, call on them. Focus on yourself and the medical issues here and don't be one of those folks who says "I don't want to bother anyone." Many of us would be delighted to be "bothered" to help someone if only we were asked.

Get to the doctor; be proactive and assertive; ensure your husband is on board; be willing to ask for help right now.

Been where you were several times. All insides missing , two ostomies, central line, g-tube. You are still recovering. Give it more time. Have you had blood work done recently? You may want to. How old are you? Worth a call,to your doc. Also had four young children while all this was going on. I am the bionic woman!! All artificial parts. Hope you get some answers.