Period “cold”

[Purplecarrots123]

Am I imagining things….every month in the lead up to my period I feel like I have a cold coming? I have it tonight - feeling lethargic, bit of a scratchy throat and feeling meh etc but not properly wiped like when you have an actual cold. Not sure it’s actually a cold as I have barely come into contact with anyone over the last week (WFH life and a weekend at home doing DIY!). I checked my tracker and lo and behold I’m due to start in the next 48 hours. That would probably explain my rock bottom work motivation yesterday too!

Every month this happens, do others have this? Or is it my body? I’m mid 30s, fit, healthy, good diet etc, but I have this ridiculous “period flu cold” every bloody month!

My GP claims it's not a thing

However https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/asthma/asthma-triggers/female-sex-hormones-and-asthma

I get this

I occasionally get it; it's definitely a thing! I was ill in bed with flu as a teen when I got my first period, and have sometimes wondered if it was genuine flu or period flu.

I certainly feel more run down and lethargic a week or so before .
I Could also sleep for a week !

I used to get achy joints ever month. Vitamin D helped a bit. Hysterectomy with oophorectomy helped a lot😂

Hiya look up period flu. It’s a thing and widely recognised but not totally understood. I used to experience similar every month. I was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis. I’m not sure if my monthly illness was related to the inflammation and cytokines of that condition but I’d have the double whammy of menstrual pain and cold/flu and horrible sore throat without fail. I used to take a lot non steroidal anti inflammatories for the pain though and wonder if they contributed to stomach pain and reflux which might have made the sore throat worse. Good luck with finding what works for you.

I never had it until I hit peri and then it started, got so bad I actually had full on flu symptoms for 48hrs and then the day my period started it was like someone flicked a switch - gone.

Been on HRT 3 months and not had it since!

I feel a bit like the flu is coming on. Always get a small fever and headaches and bone crushing tiredness. Then my period arrives 🤷‍♀️ I’ve seen articles that say it isn’t a thing but for me it certainly is.

I get off balance (not quite dizzy) feeling before my period

I absolutely get this. Not every month and no apparent pattern but definitely a thing with me!

I always get a sore throat for the week before my period and a migraine 2 days before it starts. Without fail.

Well while I am not glad we all seem to get some variation of this, I am comforted by not being the only one! to all those that say it’s not real….think this albeit small samples proves something is real in some format! But I won’t get on my soapbox tonight around women’s health and how people sometimes don’t believe us!

Currently in bed watching a film!

exact the same!

Yes I get this sometimes. I have endometriosis and adenomyosis though, and since I found out I’ve wondered if these are linked.

I started getting this about 2 years ago… as soon as my period starts, the cold goes. It’s funny how our bodies work

I know someone who comes down with heavy cold symptoms every month. It knocks her out for two days.

Yep! Headache like you get from sinuses being inflamed, sore throat, feel dreadful every month. Never know if it is an actual cold or just my period coming. I’m on HRT now, still got it last month! I’ve got a mirena coil now so maybe it will stop when my periods stop, please God!

I get this too! My joints feel achy, I feel feverish without having an actual temperature and I get stuffy like I’m coming down with something. As soon as my period arrives it buggers off.

I am exactly the same today - feverish but no temp! Most bizarre! Our bodies eh! Hopefully this will jog on when it starts!

It’s a thing for sure. When your progesterone rises, your body is on high alert for threats and so your inflammation rises and immune system more sensitive (progesterone, literally pro-gestation, protecting potential baby). For me my voice is really ropey and my autoimmune symptoms flare up. Anxiety raises. Explains all the usual PMT stuff too.

This is what people mean when they say ‘get to know your cycle’ - plan work and events and social life around it, listen to your body.

Yep me too - so clumsy, I dropped a brand new ice cream and my brand new phone on the ground last month 😢 - hyper mobility exacerbated during this phase - joints more lax = more clumsy.

I used to get this and worked out it was eating meat in the few days before. Apparently your need for vitamins and minerals increases in the few days before. I sort of imagine it can therefore affect immunity and most of the immune system lives in the gut, and meat is harder to digest.

So 1-2 days before I've tried to add in things like beans and sweet potatoes to aid digestion which helps IMHO.

Also I quit supermarket bread and now mainly eat sourdough and think this has helped.

I used to follow the Cycle Diet website, think they have turned it into an app now..basic idea is that you alter your diet depending on where you are in your cycle. Main thing it taught me was not ignore the urge for carbs in the second half of the cycle.

I now find that any peri symptoms are settling after a few months.

This also looks helpful:

londonclinicofnutrition.co.uk/nutrition-articles/foods-to-eat-for-each-stage-of-your-menstrual-cycle/