Before critical days and during them, women feel worse. It is not surprising, because the organism undergoes changes, which although regular, but are of a global nature. Does he have enough resources to upgrade? Do defenses suffer in this period of development? How are monthly, immune and well-being related?
Immunity: what is it and where from?
Immunity is a kind of shield that the body exposes before an alien invasion in the form of viruses, bacteria. It blocks their penetration into the cells, fights with those damaging agents that still seeped into them.
The immune system, being a part of the whole organism, is dependent on many factors. The most important among them are the exchange processes occurring in the human body:
- Water;
- Lipid;
- Protein.
And their correctness and quality is regulated by hormones, including sexual. They also control the menstrual cycle, decreasing and increasing quantitatively at different stages of it. Therefore, monthly and immunity are so closely related.
The state of the body's defenses before menstruation
The premenstrual period is a painful experience for many people. There is a whole list of symptoms grouped for reasons of occurrence that are haunting a woman these days. There is also a common feature for all - a decrease in immunity before menstruation.
Body defenses during menstruation
It is caused by a hormonal background. To prepare the endometrium for rejection, a certain amount of these active components is needed. A week before menstruation, there is a decrease in progesterone, which prevailed throughout the second half of the period, and estrogens.
This is not just a smooth reduction of both components, but a powerful chemical reaction, a kind of clash between substances.
The response to her organism in the form of symptoms of PMS remains unavoidable: pain, swelling, and emotional manifestations. But the main thing is that all this weakens immunity before menstruation.
In addition to purely biological causes that reduce the possibility of producing cellular, humoral, phagocytic and other links of protective forces, they are consumed more quickly in this period. Any of the premenstrual symptoms compels the immune response to respond to it.
Features when menstruating
The question is logical, whether immunity decreases at monthly. Symptoms of PMS weaken, some disappear completely, so it seems that the restoration of defensive forces also began. This is not quite true. The state of immunity is still determined by hormones.
At this stage of the cycle, their number gradually goes up, estradiol prevails. One of the properties noted for this substance is the negative effect on immunity. It is also a chemical reaction that prevents the development of certain components of the protective forces. That's why immunity weakens during menstruation.
This has a more understandable explanation:
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The body's resources are directed not only to the renewal of the uterine mucosa. Changes occur in the ovaries, hematopoietic system, which should replace the natural loss of biological fluid, endocrine and lymphatic spheres; - Menstrual discharge, as an indispensable part of the process, creates favorable conditions for extraneous microorganisms. There is a need to strengthen the protection of genital organs from inflammation and infections. The factor also contributes to the fact that immunity during menstruation is more stressful than on other days of the cycle. Especially it concerns the local defensive forces. Their weakening is also due to a change in the acidity of the vagina, a violation of the bacterial composition of its mucosa.
And for the first time many of the ailments the woman risks to get in the period of menstruation:
- Inflammation of the uterus, appendages;
- Endometritis;
- Vaginitis;
- Herpes;
- Candidiasis.
This is especially true of women who ignore the rules of hygiene. If the runny nose, elevated body temperature become a habitual manifestation of menstruation and cease with its completion, then the protective system is seriously shaken.
We recommend reading the article about problems with hair during menstruation. You will learn about the effects of hormones on the body, the causes of hair loss during menstruation, and whether you can get a haircut on critical days.
Problem-free monthly and high immunity are combined in that they are signs of a healthy body. But it must be remembered that the defensive forces need a careful attitude, especially when they naturally weaken.