what is the CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PERIOD& BREATHING PROBLEM?

Question

I DO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BREATHING DURING MY PERIOD IS IT SOMETHING UNUSUAL? I NOTICED THIS MANY TIMES

Answer 1

Asthma and the Menstrual Cycle

Although they don't know exactly how, researchers suspect that reproductive hormones may play a key role in the experience women have with asthma.

A study conducted at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia of 203 women who came to the emergency room with a severe asthma attack found that more women had the attack around the beginning of their period than at other times in the menstrual cycle.

Emil Skobeloff, M.D., clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the William H. Spivey Research Lab at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, who was the lead researcher on the study, suspects that the occurrence of these severe attacks is somehow related to the declining levels of estrogen at that time in a woman's cycle. This would mean that the days surrounding the start of a woman's period--when estrogen levels are dropping--may be the time when women are most susceptible to severe asthma attacks, he says.

Dr. Skobeloff first suspected that reproductive hormones might play a key role when he noticed that women are admitted to hospitals more often than men for serious flare-ups of asthma and, after puberty begins, new cases of asthma are more likely in females than in males the same age. In one study, 75 percent of the hospital admissions for asthma were women and 25 percent were men. This is in stark contrast to hospital admission rates for children with asthma. In the childhood years, 65 percent of admissions are boys and 35 percent are girls.

From http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/62/9.cfm

A menstrual rhythm has been documented for exacerbations of asthma, which may have important clinical relevance to the patient with severe asthma. We report the case of a 26-year-old patient with menstruation-associated asthma who showed a dramatic response to oral contraceptives. It was noted that falls in peak respiratory flow rate coincided with ovulation. We concluded that oral contraceptive therapy is useful in this particular group of asthmatic patients.
Patients with menstrual asthma comprise 30 to 40% of menstruating female asthmatics.1 Although the relationship between progesterone or estradiol levels and airway hyperresponsiveness and between the menstrual cycle and airway hyperresponsiveness have been evaluated, no definite relationship has been described between each set of factors.2 3 4 While aldosterone levels may be related to the exacerbation of asthma, the levels measured in our patient during the follicular and luteal phases were not different, and administration of a diuretic agent (furosemide) was ineffective. Adrenocorticosteroid agents or hormone therapy have been used to treat the exacerbation of menstrual asthma. Oral contraceptives have also been used but were ineffective.2 5
Effective therapy using high-dose progesterone has been reported, and the response is thought to involve smooth-muscle relaxation and control of microvascular leakage.5 However, the risk of serious side effects potentially limits the use of high doses of progesterone. Because the exacerbation of symptoms coincided with ovulation in our patient, an oral contraceptive was given despite previous negative results.2 This completely eliminated premenstrual exacerbation of asthma. On the basis of clinical features, blood test results, and response to therapy, we speculate that menstrual asthma was due to a rapid fall in the progesterone level during the late luteal phase. Symptomatic exacerbation was observed soon after ovulation and was eliminated by suppression of ovulation. This observation suggests that improvement of asthma was due to the maintenance of stable levels of sex hormones and the disappearance of cyclic changes in these levels by administration of oral contraceptives. We conclude that symptomatic exacerbation of menstruation-associated asthma may be prevented by suppression of ovulation. Oral contraceptives are useful in this particular group of asthmatic patients.

From http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/116/1/252

Menstruation and asthma link

A new Australian study has confirmed asthma gets worse in the days leading up to and during menstruation.

Researchers at Brisbane's Mater Misericordiae Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital found nearly half the women studied suffered worse asthma symptoms around the time of their period than other times of the month.

The worsening of asthma was related to diminishing levels of the sex hormone progesterone prior to menstruation, Dr Glen Rice-McDonald told ABC Science Online.

Dr Rice-McDonald, from the Mater research team, said his study was 'prospective' in that it measured progesterone levels as well as asthma symptoms throughout the menstrual cycles of 51 women.

Forty-seven per cent experienced worse asthma symptoms either the week before, or during, their period. Women whose asthma symptoms deteriorated also experienced a significantly longer period of menstruation and higher levels of premenstrual tension.

To confirm that progesterone was the cause of the asthma worsening, Dr Rice-McDonald also measured the concentration of molecules which cause inflammation in airways. He found they rose as progesterone levels dropped and asthma symptoms worsened.

"Other studies have shown that there is a biologically plausible mechanism for a drop in progesterone leading to inflammation," he said.

Dr Rice-McDonald said this was the first Australian study to demonstrate a link between progesterone and the worsening of asthma symptoms. He also said it was the most accurate because previous research had been 'retrospective', asking women to recall whether their asthma symptoms were worse around the time of their period.

"We tested this recall [method] and found it was highly inaccurate," said Dr Rice-McDonald.

"A lot of people said 'yes', their symptoms were worse when, in fact, we didn't find a link. Others said 'no', and we found there was a link," he said. "We suspect there is a confusion between the symptoms of premenstrual tension and asthma in some women.

"The idea that there is a link between female sex hormones and fluctuations in asthma has been around since 1931 however it hasn't permeated the medical literature or standard practice," Dr Rice-McDonald said.

"When seeing female patients with asthma, most doctors don't consider the link between asthma symptoms and the menstrual cycle," Dr Rice-McDonald said.

In a related address, Sydney consultant respiratory physician Dr Deborah Yates said a woman's hormones could also affect the severity of other medical conditions including epilepsy and migraine.

This research was presented yesterday at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand in Brisbane.

From http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_263119.htm

Answer 2

This is very weird, because right now I am having a super hard time breathing and my period came yesterday.

Answer 3

I have asthma and notice that occurring during my period as well. I questioned my doctor about that, and she changed my birth control to include iron.
I also take iron pills everyday and that seems to help as well, but I would talk to your doctor first. If you don't need iron it can mess up some of your organs.

Answer 4

consult your doctor soon!