Dizziness During Period: Causes, Treatment

Question: What causes Dizziness during period? Are There supplements that can ease dizzy spell during menstruation?

For most women, physical and emotional changes before menstruation is a norm. These changes could be mild or severe affecting everyday activity.

Pre-period symptoms affect about 75 percent of women and include headaches, abdominal cramps, vomiting, constipation, mood swing, abnormal behavior, and change in your appetite for sexual activity.

While these symptoms may occur in a lot of women, dizziness during period may also set in. Dizziness means your head is turning and you may lose your balance. Some women feel lightheaded, while others feel as if the room is spinning (vertigo).

The truth is, dizziness can happen for many reasons and if you have a cyclical pattern of feeling dizzy during your period, it is often related to hormonal changes and is usually not dangerous. However, severe dizziness, fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath, or very heavy bleeding are not normal and should be checked by a doctor.

Hormones control your period cycle, and this happens by the rising and falling of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH).

Dizzy spell usually last only a short time, and you don’t need to be utterly concerned. However, if you are feeling dizzy all the time, if it is getting worse, or if you are also very weak or breathless, it’s best to see your doctor.

Also, dizziness during period can happen because of a shortage of blood (anemia). In reality, most women only lose about 30–40 mls of blood during their period and this is usually not enough to cause a problem in healthy women. However, if your flow is heavy, prolonged, or you already have low iron or a medical condition, blood loss can contribute to anemia and dizziness.

Other causes of dizziness are inner ear problems affecting balance (vertigo), low blood sugar, low blood pressure and heart rate, lack of sleep, stress, some medications, and heart disease.

This article explains why you are dizzy during period, when to be concerned and treatment options.

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What causes dizziness during period?

If you’re experiencing dizziness, you should not panic about serious health issues. Many causes are minor and treatable. However, if dizziness is severe, new, or comes with other worrying symptoms, you should see a doctor.

Here are possible reasons you feel dizzy spell during your period:

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1. Effect of prostaglandins

During your period, prostaglandins primarily stimulate contraction of your uterus resulting in pain in your lower abdomen and back.

These same chemicals, together with other hormone changes, may affect other parts of your body resulting in diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and dizziness.

It is important you track when you feel dizzy during your menstrual cycle. This will quickly assist your doctor to determine if your dizzy spell is due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), dysmenorrhea (painful periods), or a serious health issue.

Dizziness that happens in a cyclical pattern is often linked to hormonal fluctuations or period pain. However, if you always feel dizzy (even outside your period), you will need to see your doctor.

How to Help

Prostaglandins cause uterine muscle to tighten up and contract to push out the endometrium with vaginal bleeding.

Some medications like Ibuprofen and Naproxen block the effects of prostaglandins. Taking ibuprofen a day or two before your period starts may help reduce cramps and dizziness related to severe pain. Always follow the dose on the packet and avoid these medicines if you have kidney disease, stomach ulcers, are pregnant, or your doctor has advised you not to take NSAIDs.

Other treatment options are discussed below.

(You can read more about period pain and prostaglandins here: https://medlineplus.gov/periodpain.html and https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003150.htm)

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2. Estrogen and progesterone effect

Another reason you will feel lightheaded during your period is the fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone hormones.

The truth is, a regular menstrual cycle naturally involves the fluctuation of hormones. However, the rising and fall of hormones may cause unexpected symptoms or make you feel dizzy, tired, more emotional, or “off” around your period.

Some women with PMS or PMDD notice dizziness, anxiety, or feeling “not quite right” in the days before their period, and this can settle once bleeding starts.

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3. Low blood pressure and heart rate

A low blood pressure can make you feel dizzy too. This usually happens if you are not getting enough blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your brain.

In some women, the time around menstruation can be frustrating, and they get stressed up, dehydrated, with severe abdominal cramps. All these could cause stimulation of the vagus nerve resulting in low blood pressure and heart rate (vasovagal response).

Because of overstimulation of the vagus nerve, you may experience dizzy spells. In some women, it could result in fainting.

If you faint, hit your head, or feel chest pain or difficulty breathing, you should seek urgent medical care.

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4. Heavy menstrual flow during period

Heavy menstrual flow may also be the reason you feel weak and dizzy during your period.

Ordinarily, menstruation for a majority of women last about 3–7 days. If you’ve passed 7 days and are still bleeding, or your flow is much heavier than usual, then your bleeding may be abnormal.

Also, the flow of your period is another way to tell if you have excessive bleeding during menstruation. If you have to change your pads hourly for several hours in a row, pass large clots, or need double protection (pad + tampon) to avoid soaking through, then surely something is wrong and you should see a doctor.

Heavy bleeding during period can cause anemia, and you may feel dizzy and fatigue due to decreased perfusion of your brain.

Causes of heavy bleeding during your period are uterine fibroids (especially the submucous type), pelvic infection, bleeding disorders, endometrial hyperplasia, endometriosis, some hormonal problems, and side effects of anti-clotting drugs like warfarin. Do not stop blood thinners on your own – always speak with your doctor.

If you have heavy bleeding during your period, you must see your doctor for help. This will involve multiple tests (including blood count and iron level) and an ultrasound scan. In severe cases, a blood transfusion or treatment in hospital will be necessary.

(Useful patient pages on heavy bleeding:
ACOG heavy menstrual bleeding FAQ – https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/heavy-menstrual-bleeding
Mayo Clinic menorrhagia page – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menorrhagia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352829)

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5. Vertigo

If you feel like you are spinning, tilting, or unbalanced, it is possible you have vertigo. Other symptoms are hearing impairment and ringing in your ears.

Vertigo is often related to inner ear problems and could cause you to feel dizzy or lose your balance. Talk to your doctor if you have these symptoms, especially if they are new, severe, or come with hearing loss, weakness, difficulty speaking, or severe headache.

(You can read more about dizziness and vertigo here: https://medlineplus.gov/dizzinessandvertigo.html)

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6. Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia means a low blood sugar and symptoms includes fatigue, restlessness, seizure, confusion, sweating, hunger and yes, you will also feel dizzy. If you feel dizzy during your period, it could be a sign of hypoglycemia, especially if you skip meals or eat a lot of sugary snacks and drinks.

Usually, when you eat, your body produces insulin, a peptide hormone that helps push glucose into your body cells for normal function.

After eating very sugary meals, there is a surge in insulin resulting in a sudden low blood sugar levels in some people (reactive hypoglycemia). This can make you feel dizzy, shaky, and unwell.

If you have diabetes and are on insulin or tablets, low blood sugar is a medical emergency. Always follow your diabetes plan and speak with your doctor if you notice repeated low sugars around your period.

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How to stop dizziness during periods

Like already mentioned, the monthly feeling of dizziness, especially when expecting your period, is not abnormal for many women. It happens because of normal hormone fluctuations, pain, or lifestyle factors. So, don’t panic. Here are tips to improve your symptoms.

• Take plenty of water daily. Dehydration can make you feel dizzy and can be prevented by taking lots of water throughout the day.

• If a dizzy spell starts, its best to lie down as quickly as possible. This is crucial to avoid a fall. If you can, raise your legs slightly.

• Though this could be difficult, you need to stay away for sugary drinks. These drinks contain high levels of sugar and may cause dizziness in some people by triggering a sugar “high” and then a crash.

• Take your meals regularly and prevent getting hungry. Carry small snacks if your dizziness seems linked to long gaps between meals.

• If you feel so disturbed and stressed out, take some rest, practice deep breathing, and try to sleep well at night.

• Take iron supplements if your doctor has confirmed low iron or anemia, or take food rich in iron such as red meat, beans, shellfish, and liver.

• Talk to your doctor for help if symptoms persist, are getting worse, or if dizziness happens even when you are not on your period.

If dizziness comes with severe headache, chest pain, difficulty breathing, weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, confusion, or if you actually faint, you should go to the emergency room immediately.

For ongoing heavy periods, severe pain, or repeated fainting episodes, it is better to see a gynecologist early rather than waiting.