It's not just a fleeting discomfort
Mentioning the days before menstruation, most women immediately think of bloating, faint abdominal pain or emotional changes. However, a less noticeable symptom is the feeling of pressure or heavyness in the bladder area. Many people describe this feeling as always wanting to urinate, the bladder never being completely empty or discomfort appearing in the pelvic area when sitting for a long time.
According to Dr. Muthineni Rajini - senior obstetrics consultant at CARE Hospital, Hyderabad (India), this phenomenon is not uncommon. The bladder is located close to the uterus and pelvic organs. In the days before menstruation, changes in estrogen and progesterone hormone levels can cause the body to retain more water, causing pelvic tissues to slightly swell and put pressure on the bladder.
In the inherently cramped space of the pelvic area, even a small change can make the bladder more sensitive, creating a feeling of fullness or tension even though the amount of urine does not increase significantly," said Rajini.
Not only that, hormones also directly affect the sensitivity of the urinary system. This is the reason why many women often have morning sickness before menstruation even though the urine test results are completely normal.
When do normal symptoms become abnormal?
Experts believe that if the feeling of pressure in the bladder only appears a few days before menstruation and then disappears after menstruation, this is likely a physiological reaction related to hormones.
However, this condition should not be taken lightly if it is accompanied by signs such as painful urination, bloody urination, fever, severe pelvic pain or having to wake up many times at night to urinate.
Dr. Jill Krapf - obstetrician and gynecologist at the Washington Women's Health Center (USA) - said that prolonged or increasingly severe symptoms with each cycle may be related to underlying gynecological or urinary diseases. Among them, endometriosis is a noteworthy cause because lesions can develop near the bladder, causing pain and obvious discomfort during menstruation.
In addition to endometriosis, uterine fibroids, uterine gland tumors, interstitial cystitis or recurrent urinary tract infections can also cause similar symptoms.
Doctors recommend that women monitor the time of onset of symptoms during their menstrual cycle. Specifying the frequency, level of discomfort, and accompanying signs will help doctors determine whether the cause is endocrine fluctuations or an early manifestation of a disease that needs treatment.
Because in fact, not every feeling of pressure in the bladder before menstruation is worrying. The important thing is to recognize what is a normal physiological response of the body and what are warning signals that need to be listened to.
