Do you find that when you’re just about to come on your period or even when you’re on your period, you suddenly feel unwell? Like a bit cold-y, bit flu-y, bit rundown?
Turns out that while this is the last thing you need to be dealing with during that time of the month, it’s actually perfectly natural if, yes, really bloody annoying.
According to period educator Berrion Berry, this is because post-ovulation, there is a decrease in the immune system, to ensure that the system doesn’t ‘attack’ a fertilised egg the way it is in place to attack illnesses and diseases that present in the body. This means a reduction in inflammation.
Additionally, according to the period experts at Clue, “Inflammation can worsen symptoms of many chronic diseases, and so this suppression of inflammation can be a good thing.”
They add that “although inflammation has a bad reputation, having a suppressed inflammatory response increases a person’s risk of infection. This decrease in inflammatory response might be one reason people with cycles have reduced ability to build muscle during the second half of the cycle, but more research is needed.”
All of this is also backed by a 2017 study at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health which found that the progesterone released post-ovulation can reduce the body’s ability to fight infections.
So, how do we boost our immune systems before our periods?
According to Youtime, some things we can do to give our immune systems a helping hand are:
- Consume a healthy diet
- Exercise regularly
- Try to sleep well
- Wash your hands regularly
Just another reason to take it easy around that time!