Flu like symptoms with my period

I'm going through this same thing and you don't want ppl to think you are crazy. I have a lot going on with my hormones so I'm trying to get in with an endocrinologist. I had a pituitary tumor removed in 2006 and has not been the same since. Sometimes I feel like moving far away but also realize this problem is coming behind me.

Hey, I would suffer with mood swings, like I would go around angry mad, snapping at anything and anyone Other times I could be a sobbing sponge, cried about just having to make the effort to get dressed to go to work, or pay a Bill. I also suffered with feeling like I had a flu or head cold, it wasnt just the common menstrual cramps, it was literally body aches, stuffy head lil fever Sonetimes chills I dont know What was worse mood swings or flu/cold symptoms. I was diaganosed with depression and I have found that by being on a anti depressent helps with mood swings and some months even flu like symptoms I Sonetimes feel like Im burning up I can feel heat on my body I still get the sorta kinda migrane headache in my tempels, lower back pain and being bloated and minor cramps, but thé ant depressent helps with some of the Other symptoms not so much the intense feeling of being wrapped in a heat wave I think some of it we got to grin and bare it:) deal with it like true champs

I have all of these symptoms too- it is because of excess prostaglandins which is the hormone which allows the uterus to contract in order to slough off the uterine lining.  Apparently when excess prostaglandin gets into the blood stream it can cause these symptoms.

 

Here is the link to a site which explains it well. 

It's  normal, though incredibly inconvenient!!!

I noticed I was getting flu-like symptoms for a year, about 24-36 hours before my period. Fever, aches & pains. Eventually this pattern was accompanied by painful cramps, excessive bloating and a very painful abdomen. I was sent to A&E where they ruled out appendicitis and gave me antibiotics for 'pelvic inflammatory disease' which was ridiculous as I never had an STD, they just assumed I'd caught something nasty. In the end I went private and they thought I might have 'Familial Mediterranean Fever'. Soon as I had the scan I was diagnosed with advanced Endometriosis. They found it odd that my main symptom was fever and feeling really flu-like ill before menstruation. I had a laparoscopy and they cleared my tubes & took out an 'endometrioma' - blood-cyst type thing. Been on the pill since as apparently that's the only thing that prevents endo from setting in again. No more symptoms I was cured after being unclogged & sticking to the pill.

Wow just like everyone else I thought I was crazy.  I've started noticing symptoms about four months ago.  A day or so before my period I get sore throats, coughs and headaches.  This months I've felt very tired in addition to those symptoms.  My friends think I'm being dramatic or crazy but they don't understand how sick I actually feel. But it's great to know I am not crazy or alone!

For the past 5 years, I was dealing with the extremely heavy periods (bleeding through my clothes and having to wake up and change my pad several times in the middle of the night), along with headaches, body aches, and severe cramping and bloating. I also started suffering from seasonal allergies around this time. I am 37 years old, and it pretty much all started shortly after I gave birth to my now 6 year old daughter. I have seen several doctors, had ultrasounds, and all kinds of blood work and tests, and I am normal in all conceivable ways. My doctor tried to put me on the pill, but artificial hormones and I do not mix and they honestly make me a moody hag.

About 9 months ago, I added somewhat severe anxiety and insomnia to this lovely mix. I was starting to get depressed, and spent a week in Hawaii with my family on the trip of a lifetime and didn't enjoy it at all. That was when I hit rock bottom and knew that something had to change.

I have an amazing group of friends, co-workers, and family members that are all into the homeopathic remedies and were excited to share with me. And thankfully, I was open to anything at that point. So here is what I changed and what supplements I am taking. Obviously, everyone is different, and it's truly about trial and error, but I have never felt better. Everything I described above, including my allergies, has subsided:

- Cut WAY back on sugar, dairy and carbs. And I mean WAY BACK. Think Paleo diet/clean eating. I still splurge every now and then, but my normal daily lifestyle is considered low carb. This is probably the hardest part since in my opinion taking supplements is easy (See supplements below) and I LOVE food, but after a couple weeks when you start to feel SO MUCH BETTER, you will realize it's worth the sacrifice

*DIM-plus (someone else in this thread mentioned this, it really is a miracle. I take the max dose per day. It is an estrogen metaboliser that basically helps your body get rid of the bad estrogens that we are consuming in our diets and through household products and in the air we breathe)

*Zinc - (this, along with the DIM greatly improved the sinus and respiratory issues)

*Magnesium (great for anxiety)

*Fish oil

*Vitamin C

*Calcium

*Multi vitamin

If I start to feel run down, or someone around me is getting sick, I take Airborne or Emergen-C (something with extra zinc) and drink some green or white tea, and that usually helps me avoid it.

Two other things that I take that I believe are helping were given to me by my acupuncturist - a mushroom complex supplement for my energy level and sleep (has reishi, maitake, shiitake and turkey tail mushrooms in it) and a Chinese tonic/tincture called Xiao Yao Tang (aka Xiao Yao San).

After going through all of this, and finding out how much of it is simply due to our diets and the cr@p they are putting in our food, it no longer seems so scary. And really is reversable. In today's day and age, where doctors are becoming simply "pill pushers" and getting all kinds of incentives from the drug companies, you really have to become your own doctor. And this is not to say that you should not continue to see your family physician and ob.gyn, but I really only use them for medical tests to make sure there is really nothing seriously wrong with me, and then turn to my own devices for the rest.

I hope and pray that some of you read this and it helps you. I feel your pain, I was there for 5 years. And it is not hopeless. You will not suffer forever!!

 

its your thyroid

I'm also really relieved to see all these posts, this is my first month having these fluey aches and chills and headache while I started my period 2 days ago. The chills and aches started about an hour after my period. I'm overseas in cambodia ATM and am wondering if that has triggered it somehow (I live in Australia and haven't ever been OS before). Also wondering if any of you have looked into FIBROMYALGIA As a possible cause, I have had fibromyalgia for 2.5 years but this fluey period is a new level.

I feel better now I thought I alone. I am 19, and have the same symptoms. Right now I'm suffering from it. This is the second time that has happened to me. My first was last Septemeber 2013, I was still 18. I hate this thing, it happens whenever there are lots of things to be done with school, I have to go to school tomorrow for my report and midterm exams are next week. I had chills, slight fever( it comes and goes), my feet feels really tired, my I had a little pain in the back- hip area to be exact- but it's gone now after I asked my mom to give me a massage.Ad the chills come and go too, now I'm sweating. I exercise 2-4times/wk and I've been going dairy-free for the past 2months. I eat fruits too, I try not to skip fruits everyday. Mostly n apple,orange or ripe mango. My mom's anemic btw. I hope somebody could answer our questions soon and what could possibly cause such symptoms that we have. God bless everyone!

I went thru this. sounds like you have Lyme disease and probably coinfections

I have been having these flu like symptoms a week before my period is due for the past five months As well. Another thing I noticed that started up when I started getting sick was my hair was falling out and my skin has had these extremely dry patches that itch like no other. No amount of moisturizer has helped. I've taken vitamin c and multivitamins as well and it hasn't helped. every month I am out for two weeks being miserable. I have three young kids and I hate barely being able to take them out and do this.  everyone thought I was crazy when I started to state that I get sick before my period but they now see it and are baffled. I'm am just fed up with my body crapping out on me every month. Glad I'm not the only one out there. 

I was going to post the same thing! I got these symptoms about 6 years ago. RIGHT after I got Bit by a tick. Before this, iI had very normal periods. Now, I spot or bleed constantly, have back pain, stomach pain - and ALL the flu like symptoms right before my real period. I go through a super plus tampon every hour (sometimes every 15 min) I'm not anemic, I don't have celiac or endometriosis - (can you tell I've been tested for a lot?) I was tested for MS - do not have it but that was a red flag for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed as MS, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia.... The list goes on. I'm convinced now that my menstrual symptoms are also from the Lyme. I would love to say that everyone should get tested for Lyme and then itwill all get better! Unfortunately, you will probably find yourself in the same position, with no one knowing what to do. There are a few good Lyme doctors out there though. I encourage everyone to watch the documentary, "under our skin". See if it resonates. They don't talk about the menstrual issue - but when I saw The movie, I started crying. I finally knew what was wrong with me!

I have been experiencing flu like symptoms the past 6 months right before getting my period. It would come a couple of days before my period. Symptoms are always the same.. body chills, full body aches/ headaches, nausea (especially after eating). It gets so bad I would have to leave work and sleep for 12+ hours, getting up just to take more Tylenol. It's a crazy 1 day flu that happens once a month. When my period finally comes, symptoms dramatically subside. I went to my doctor and he told me that I'm getting a high level of progesterone and that's pretty much it... and to take motrin! I am 30 yrs old and never experienced this before... hoping this isn't forever!

It could be Toxic Shock Syndrome (it's caused from tampons and pads). I had these symptoms every period to the point I couldn't even go to school then I started taking this birth control called Lo Loestrin Fe & for whatever reason, I stopped having periods monthly so the sickness went away. I don't know if you want to take birth control pills daily but the monthly illness is now a thing of the past. I've been on the pills for two years now and haven't had any bad side effects, my mood hasn't changed, I haven't gained weight, no cramps or lower back pain and my ovaries haven't been hurting, or anything like that so I highly suggest it. Normally I can't take pills, even Asprin makes me sick but these pills don't make me sick at all. They're very light on your stomach.

Hi, this is all  so new to me and heartbreaking as well. I'm now experiencing severe flu like aches before during and after my period. Mine are now lasting up to two weeks. Are any of you experiencing this while on the pill (birth control)? I've heard that will help. I was just diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder so I can never take the pill again! I'm lining up all homeopathic remedies I can try. I heard primrose oil and Chasten berry extract. there's also a recent post of someone's coffe concoction that i'm going to try. I'm having my hormone levels checked by my PCP and will continue on to an endocrinologist if need be... we cannot live like this. I have two young boys and this is robbing me of my life!