Water retention - who suffers?

b3t4

Hi all,

I suffer quite badly from this phenomena about 5 days before my period and 2 days after it starts

My weight will dramatically increase by half a stone to then dramatically decrease by half a stone all in the space of about 7 days!!

This is starting to piss me right off. When I'm retaining I feel like a bloated heifer and a girl who doesn't have a single item off clothing that fits anymore!! Everything, and I mean everything, looks bad and feels tighter than normal. I resort to tummy hiding and loosely fitted clothes to help ease the torment a smidgen.

I'd drink about 1 to 1.5 litres of plain water a day. While I'm retaining I seem to retain every drop I put into my body i.e waaay fewer trips to the toilet no matter how much I drink! When my period starts I breathe a sigh of relief and know that things will start getting back to normal fairly lively. It's very frustrating.

Does anyone have tips or tricks on how they've helped alleviate this problem for themselves? Teas, multi-vits, etc? Maybe it's all connected with the moon and it's effect on water? Oh and if anyone has to go through a similar torment, each month, please share, so as I can know that I'm not the only one.

Thanks,
A

GirlInterrupted

b3t4 wrote: »

Hi all,

My weight will dramatically increase by half a stone to then dramatically decrease by half a stone all in the space of about 7 days!!

You poor, poor thing.

I have a raging thirst about two days before the start, and I pee a lot the last day, so I would imagine I do retain some water, but nothing that makes anything especially tight. I'd say some goes to the boobs as they get pretty swollen and sore, but seven pounds?

I wish I had words of wisdom, but all I have is sympathy.:o

Wibbs

dunno if this helps, or how it may work, but a woman I know swears by banana and cranberry smoothies and her mates that have tried it swear by that too.

Puddleduck

Yea, I suffer from it too. Pain. I generally feel crap for a while..and what do I usually crave? Salt! So steer well clear of any salty foods for a while, keep drinking the water, go when you have to, try not to hold it. Maybe drink some cranberry juice as well.

Nevyn

Cut your salt intake, include hidden salt in processed foods.

Snowie

that happens to my mum and my brother ...
my mum cut out all cafine in her diet and most carbs it stoped...
it could be a dietry thing...

Zzippy

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

that happens to my mum and my brother ...
my mum cut out all cafine in her diet and most carbs it stoped...
it could be a dietry thing...

Your...brother... retains water around his...period? :eek:

ladyella

You could try fluid tablets. I get ones called Water Balance. Its in a jar with a yellow & blue label, they're brilliant. You can buy them in Boots for about a fiver.

allabouteve

GirlInterrupted wrote: »

You poor, poor thing.

I have a raging thirst about two days before the start, and I pee a lot the last day, so I would imagine I do retain some water, but nothing that makes anything especially tight.

Probably because you put salt, alongside herbs, some of which can cause retention, on everything.:)

OP, its probably due to your salt consumption as has been said, and it can be really hard not to crave it, but give it a try for two cycles to see if its the cause and you've got your answer.

Cranberry juice is good too, but check the percentage of juice on the carton ingredients list, as its often called a juice 'drink' and can contain as little as 5% actual pure juice.

b3t4

Thanks all.

The only think I've ever noticed a craving for is a bag of greasy chips about 1/1.5weeks before my period. The thing is though that I wouldn't have salt on them. I don't put salf on anything any more (which annoys himself) but as we all know there is plenty of hidden salt in things. I'll take a look at what I crave coming up/having my period though as there might be something in that.

I'll try the cranberry and banana suggestion. Cranberry juice is a mind field as allabouteve has pointed out so little actual juice in them and so much sugar in lots of brands.

I won't go down the tablet route as that's a bit far for me and I'm not keen on the idea. I'm trying to keep as natural as possible with this one. Unless they're natural?

I don't drink coffee and if I drink tea it's barely a half a cup or only a sup of my boyfriend's so caffine can't be the issue.

A.

Morgase

b3t4 wrote: »

I won't go down the tablet route as that's a bit far for me and I'm not keen on the idea. I'm trying to keep as natural as possible with this one. Unless they're natural?

You can get natural cranberry tablets in health food shops (possibly the Sona range) and they are not too expensive. I used to suffer from cystitis so I am familiar with all the diuretic things!

I found that the cranberry drinks weren't much use for me so I would take the cranberry tablets and plenty of water. Although you're taking plenty of water you might need the cranberry tablets to get the water out of your system.

Sammag

Yes, I do too, drive me nuts. I don't find Cranberry does much other than make your tongue feel like an emery board.

My tum is as flat as a pancake for 3.5 weeks and then every month I look like I'm expecting triplets for 10 days before my AF arrives and feel like I've put on 10KG. :mad:

I honestly think the only thing to avoid it it drink gallons of water all the time and then your body doesn't try to hang onto the water.
Easier said than done though... if only water tasted like wine, or even better vodka and coke

F.A.

I suffer from that as well. It is quite amazing (if irritating), really: from the very moment my period kicks in, I have to go to the toilet about 2-3 times an hour, even without drinking!

OP, you might want to try nettle tea, nettles are aquaretics, i.e., increase the excretion of water from the body . Personally, I have only fully realised how bad it has become the last time, and after some research, I have decided that it's become worse with me because I have stopped drinking coffee (I used to have at least three cups a day), which is also a natural diuretic. I'll give that a try next time around.

midlandsmissus

Same for me. So annoying.

I was giving out about this once, when my boyfiend chipped in helpfully with "it's a mans world alright"
I was saved from a near murder charge by him seeing my face and hurriedly adding 'but it aint nothing without a woman beside him!"hahaha


What I find most amusing, is when you see pictures of celebrities with tiny rounded tums, and the magazines are going "Is so and so not telling us something?" and im thinking do they realise women have periods and bloated stomachs? must be men writing them!

Same as it must be a man who came up with that "have a happy period" advert. I laugh sarcastically every time that comes on:D

b3t4

Puddleduck, I'll keep an eye on salty things.

Sammag, I hear ya on the 'if only water tasted as good as wine'!! haha

F.A., Nettle tea, eh? I might try and find some of this stuff to see if it'll help at all

midlandsmissus, ah but it is a man's world when it comes to this kind of thing. Oh and I agree with you on them picking at female celebs like that. I mean I look at least 3 months pregnant about once a month.

Thanks for sharing girls and it's comforting to know I'm not the only one. I was talking to a friend of mine and she's confirmed that she too gains about 7 pounds with this carry on. I know 7 pounds might sound like an exaggeration but it ain't. I only wish it was an exaggeration!

Do ye girls get constipation coupled with this water retention? (makes since really as the body will try and get water from wherever it can)

Bah humbug, oh to be a man but sure then I wouldn't be a woman and, as we all know, women are lovely

A.

Dudess

Yep, I get it terribly too - it is possible for a woman to gain half a stone during her period due to water retention. And the bloating - horrible. I'd prefer my ass to bloat than my stomach to do so...