symptoms

[hayley]

i was just wondering if anyones symptoms get so much worse before your menstruation coz mine get so much worse and i dont no why can anyone help

[purplefocus]

Hayley,

I have to answer a big YES, my symptoms get much worse. Usually a few days before I start I am totally unfunctionable. It is like every symptom I have exacerbates. I know this happens so I just try to accept it and realize that those days are for laying around watching movies.

Paige

[MomtoGiuliana]

This is very common for POTS patients. My POTS specialist says it is probably b/c hormonal changes right before your period make you less able to retain blood volume. So, you should really try to drink more fluid and probably increase your salt intake at that time.

For me, I feel worst at ovulations--which is when many POTS patients feel best. No explanation available there, except that somehow, there is a hormonal connection. I also felt terrible during late pregnancy, whereas most POTS patients feel best then!

[hilfgirl33]

I also feel horrendous around ovulation, my heart goes absolutely crazy. I can predict when I'm ovulating by my palps!!!

I feel better for a few days after O, then have about 8 or 9 horrendous days before my period. Thank God I get my period more like every 35 to 40 days, because it does a number and a half on me, so you are not alone!

[POTSMama]

This seems to be a common finding. To add one more voice: I too found over the years that my symptoms were worse right before menstruation. In fact, before I was properly diagnosised (a recent thing for me after 15 years of symptoms!), my doctor thought it just meant I needed more estrogen (since it drops right before your period) and so he stuck me on birth control pills to see if my tachycardia/palpitations improved. In fact, they were no better. Another doctor, noting that I had no symptoms during pregnancy at all, insisted after my daughter was delivered and my symptoms came back months later that I try estrogen replacement therapy - - that made things even worse so I quickly got off of it.

I am starting to realize/believe that even though hormones are somehow at play here, the issue is probably more what the hormones do in terms of blood volume or sodium or something else rather than hormone levels per se. Due to pregnancy delivery complications, I had to have a hysterectomy a couple years ago, and now at 45 I think I am showing signs of early/pre- menopause although it's hard to tell since I don't have menstrual cycles anymore. This may be why I have gotten worse this past year suddenly after being pretty stable for years. I now believe my mother also has POTS and/or NCS albeit a milder form than I (after talking to her recently, I realize she has had symptoms for years I didn't know about and so it's possibly genetic in our family), and she told me that her first tachycardia/palpitations/dizzy spells/migraine headaches occurred during menopause (while my more severe symptoms started at age 30). The good news I guess is that she got much better after she was through with menopause, so I'm hoping for that as well! I guess the thing to do is to increase fluids/salt and rest more and take better care of yourself right before periods, and just anticipate that you might feel worse then. Good luck!

Carol