Welcome back to Just Curious, Strong Women’s weekly series exploring all the random health and fitness questions you’ve always wondered about but never got the answers to.

This week, we’re exploring why some of us struggle with dizzy spells in the week leading up to our period, and how to avoid it where possible.

Navigating the week before your period can be an interesting experience. For some people, it’s the same as any other week, potentially peppered by the odd cramp or mood swing. But for others, it can be a rollercoaster ride of symptoms that include bloating, trouble sleeping, breast tenderness, constipation and acne.

And alongside all that fun stuff, there’s another symptom that can pop up unannounced: dizzy spells. While you’ll be glad to know that feeling a little light-headed or woozy in the week leading up to your period is fairly common and usually nothing to worry about, it can still be disruptive; there’s something unnerving about sitting in a meeting and suddenly feeling out of touch with the room around you. 

So, to get to the bottom of this conundrum, we asked a GP to tell us everything we need to know about pre-period dizziness. What causes these pre-period dizzy spells? And is there anything we can do to minimise their severity?  

According to Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQ Doctor, there are several factors that can lead to dizziness in the week before your period.

The first is hormonal fluctuations – specifically changes in levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. While your oestrogen levels are at their highest just before ovulation, they typically increase a second time in the latter half of your cycle alongside progesterone before dropping just before your period starts.

“These hormonal fluctuations can affect blood vessel dilation and blood pressure, leading to dizziness,” Dr Wylie says. Because both hormones have a regulatory impact on blood pressure (meaning that higher levels typically equal lower blood pressure), some women find their blood pressure is lower during the last week of their period, leading to spells of light-headedness. 

Dehydration can also lead to low blood pressure, and it just so happens to be more common before your period due to the drop in oestrogen; high oestrogen levels lead to increased water retention, while lower levels can make it harder for your body to stay hydrated. In this way, dehydration can also be a contributing factor.

Hormonal changes can also affect our ability to regulate our blood sugar, although most of us won’t notice this difference: a Harvard study into the impact of the menstrual cycle on blood sugar in non-diabetic women actually found that participants spent 66.8% of the day at a healthy blood sugar level during the luteal phase, compared to 68.5% in the follicular phase.

Dr Wylie says: “If you’re prone to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), hormonal shifts may make it harder to regulate blood sugar levels, leading to dizziness, weakening and sometimes even fainting.” 

While you don’t want to stop the hormonal fluctuations that come with the menstrual cycle (these are natural and a sign of good hormonal health), you can take steps to support your body through the changes these fluctuations might trigger.

For example, Dr Wylie recommends staying hydrated (dehydration can have a huge impact on blood pressure) and eating regular balanced meals with complex carbohydrates and protein (this will help to keep your blood sugar stable). This means eating meals packed with beans, legumes and whole grains, as well as good sources of protein such as meat, fish or plant-based protein sources like tofu.

Eating plenty of iron-rich foods will also help to prevent anaemia caused by a heavy period, which can cause dizziness during menstruation.

“If dizziness is severe, prolonged or associated with fainting, heart palpitations or other concerning symptoms, speak to a doctor to rule out underlying conditions like anaemia, low blood pressure or hormonal imbalances,” Dr Wylie adds. 

Images: Getty