Menopause Matters Forum

Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: KaraShannon on August 19, 2020, 08:40:42 PM

Title: Can bloating or water retention be really bad sometimes?
Post by: KaraShannon on August 19, 2020, 08:40:42 PM
 ;D

Hi all

I've always had a bit of water retention around the time of my period, but this month I feel like I've turned into the michelin man .  There's no way I'd put so much weight on in such a short time (a week).

Does this happen to others, I feel so uncomfortable and feel like a huge hippo going around my flat instead of a gazelle  ;D  (though I'm no gazelle at the moment anyway, but still)
Title: Re: Can bloating or water retention be really bad sometimes?
Post by: Baby on August 21, 2020, 07:58:04 PM
Hi kara I am just in the middle of my second month of Elleste Solo 2mg and I have put on 9 pounds in weight all on my belly. I joined my local gym a month ago and the leggings I bought no longer fit.
Title: Re: Can bloating or water retention be really bad sometimes?
Post by: jaypo on August 22, 2020, 10:56:46 AM
The gut is where it all goes sadly,middle age spread as some call it but also try and keep a check on what you're eating,intolerance can cause bloat,I recently discovered I have a wheat intolerance,so cut it out completely,no more bloat,so keep a food diary if you can,it really could make a difference  :)
Title: Re: Can bloating or water retention be really bad sometimes?
Post by: KaraShannon on August 22, 2020, 11:43:01 AM
Thanks Baby and Jaypo

This is more like water retention, although I know what you mean about weight gain, this is more like in a week, heavy, bloated, exhausted, retaining water.  I get it once a month and it goes shortly after my period, but this month seems like tenfold, and the exhaustion is phenomenal  ;D  I am really sleeping at the moment, I vaguely remember I have always done that as summer comes to a close, not sure why, but I think this is partly whatever 'stage' I'm at in my cycle.  The estradiol seems to do this, and then the combined patches seem to give me tons of energy and very little sleep. 
Title: Re: Can bloating or water retention be really bad sometimes?
Post by: CLKD on August 22, 2020, 02:02:35 PM
I used to feel really wheezy prior to a period due to water retention though I didn't pee more nor have such a large belly.  It seemed to be in every pore and vein  ::) and would go immediately the bleed began.  Never easy though, my skirt had to be undone by the end of the day  :-\.  I would also be very thirsty and would grab celery from the fridge to suck the ends that were in the glass jar.

As for middle aged spread: well my apron dropped over about a week years ago.  I haven't put on weight but cannot see my knees however, when laying down my body is flat.  By the end of the day I have a double layer probably due to sitting for too many hours  :-X

As oestrogen levels drop, muscles may become lax = middle aged spread  ;). As jaypo suggests, maybe keep a food diary for 4 weeks: that's every thing you eat/drink to see if there's a pattern through the 4-5 weeks.