Ladies, does caffeine make your periods worse?

its_whisper
its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
Ladies, have you noticed during your period that coffee or consumption of caffeine, makes you have anxiety? or if you have depression it makes it worse?



Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Moderate amounts, no (2-3 cups of coffee or less). More than that does cause anxiety for me.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Moderate amounts, no (2-3 cups of coffee or less). More than that does cause anxiety for me.

    I usually drink a cup every morning. Usually I don't notice that my anxiety is worse, but last month I read that caffeine is linked to extreme anxiety issues related to PMS. I am worried that if i just cut my morning joe out cold turkey that I'll be moody from withdraw but i also want to help my anxiety out. Man, what a mess.
  • KosmosKitten
    KosmosKitten Posts: 10,476 Member
    Exact opposite for me, but I have diagnosed generalized anxiety, IBS and as a woman, periods (unfortunately). I've never noticed caffeine to make any of those conditions worse, but it might be because I've had caffeine coursing through my veins from a very early age, so I've built up a tolerance.

    For example, caffeine in general does absolutely nothing for me. I drink coffee because I enjoy the warmth and its taste (assuming it's not terrible tasting mud). It doesn't raise my anxiety or make my IBS worse (despite doctor's warnings that it would). As for periods, no changes due to caffeine consumption, but again, I may just be incredibly used to it. I can take caffeine pills and nada. Highly caffeinated coffee and energy drinks? Nope, nada.

    My anxiety actually normalizes a little bit from having a little bit of caffeine in my system. No idea why.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    its_whisper wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Moderate amounts, no (2-3 cups of coffee or less). More than that does cause anxiety for me.

    I usually drink a cup every morning. Usually I don't notice that my anxiety is worse, but last month I read that caffeine is linked to extreme anxiety issues related to PMS. I am worried that if i just cut my morning joe out cold turkey that I'll be moody from withdraw but i also want to help my anxiety out. Man, what a mess.

    I think my anxiety would be worse if I tried to eliminate caffeine during my period (or at least my fatigue, another symptom I have, would be a lot worse). Good luck!
  • ksmoira
    ksmoira Posts: 5 Member
    Yes definitely caffeine contributes to painful cramps for me. And anxiety if I have too much at any point in my cycle. Also worth noting that if you have urinary problems (like urges, overactive bladder), coffee is a bladder irritant. I drink coffee but these are things I keep in mind if I'm having a problem!
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    Opposite for me. The perfect mix of ibruprofen, caffeine and regular snacks are the key things that make the cramps, headaches and fatigue manageable. The caffeine is an integral part of the equation for me.
  • ksmoira
    ksmoira Posts: 5 Member
    If you get a lot of anxiety during PMS I might suggest less coffee. But you don't have to go cold turkey! American portions of coffee are big. Less might be better! I drink mine with lots of milk (good calcium). Also this is weird but I find that drinking coffee cold rather than hot, I am far less likely to get anxious!
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    I have been drinking coffee since a child ( I'm 25 now) and going more than a day without it I get really moody. Maybe last month was just a one time thing but my anxiety was extreme and I didn't know why. Like most of you, I need my daily dose of caffeine as it helps me feel normal. I might just cut it out for a day and see how my anxiety is. I'm almost afraid of my period this month! I start in 2 days. Wish me luck
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    CanesGalactica wrote: »
    Exact opposite for me, but I have diagnosed generalized anxiety, IBS and as a woman, periods (unfortunately). I've never noticed caffeine to make any of those conditions worse, but it might be because I've had caffeine coursing through my veins from a very early age, so I've built up a tolerance.

    For example, caffeine in general does absolutely nothing for me. I drink coffee because I enjoy the warmth and its taste (assuming it's not terrible tasting mud). It doesn't raise my anxiety or make my IBS worse (despite doctor's warnings that it would). As for periods, no changes due to caffeine consumption, but again, I may just be incredibly used to it. I can take caffeine pills and nada. Highly caffeinated coffee and energy drinks? Nope, nada.

    My anxiety actually normalizes a little bit from having a little bit of caffeine in my system. No idea why.

    Like you, caffeine doesn't really do anything to me. I don't get hyper, I don't feel energized. Without it though I'm a monster LOL. Idk why, but maybe like you I built up a tolerance.

    I also have IBS and coffee helps me go which I'm grateful for. Otherwise I can go days without going to the bathroom. The joys of womanhood.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    ksmoira wrote: »
    If you get a lot of anxiety during PMS I might suggest less coffee. But you don't have to go cold turkey! American portions of coffee are big. Less might be better! I drink mine with lots of milk (good calcium). Also this is weird but I find that drinking coffee cold rather than hot, I am far less likely to get anxious!

    I usually only drink 1 cup so that's why I thought I'd just not drink any. I love iced coffee! hot coffee is okay but hand me a iced latte and my whole day is made :D
  • bonnielee708
    bonnielee708 Posts: 65 Member
    @its_whisper Could you please provide the link to that study? I'd like to know how they are defining extreme anxiety and the size of the sample cohort in the study. How much caffeine was being ingested and how was the beverage prepared? Caffeine is a stimulant, so I'd expect to see it have greater effects on people with anxiety disorders, but in people with no issues I'd not expect to see a large swing even during PMS or peri-menopause.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    @bonnielee708
    http://www.progressivehealth.com/a-link-between-pms-symptoms-and-caffeine.htm
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    Without caffeine I feel like I am walking through jello. Not worth the experiment to find out :)
  • MommaGem2017
    MommaGem2017 Posts: 405 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    its_whisper wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Moderate amounts, no (2-3 cups of coffee or less). More than that does cause anxiety for me.

    I usually drink a cup every morning. Usually I don't notice that my anxiety is worse, but last month I read that caffeine is linked to extreme anxiety issues related to PMS. I am worried that if i just cut my morning joe out cold turkey that I'll be moody from withdraw but i also want to help my anxiety out. Man, what a mess.

    I think my anxiety would be worse if I tried to eliminate caffeine during my period (or at least my fatigue, another symptom I have, would be a lot worse). Good luck!

    Oh my goodness, THIS!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    For me it messes with me hormonally, if you drink 2 or more cups of coffee a day it can raise your estrogen levels up to 70%, which coupled with my love of wine on most days reeked havoc on my period and I also had hormonal acne (along the jawline) Once I got those 2 things under control things started clearing up.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    Nope. They've always sucked. Actually worse now that I've lost weight....
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    I drink coffee daily as of a couple of years ago and I have never noticed a difference in my periods to what they were like before becoming a coffee drinker, but that's just me!
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    Nope. They've always sucked. Actually worse now that I've lost weight....

    That's interesting you say that. I lost 100 pounds and since my periods have been lighter. This past year though they have become painful which is new for me. When i was obese my periods were super heavy
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Nope, and I don't do a contraceptive pill stop week, thus I don't have this issue anyway. The only way I could imagine is that caffeine works as a very mild diurrhetic. Peeing more removes just a bit more magnesium and calcium, hence stronger cramps? No idea.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Nope, and I don't do a contraceptive pill stop week, thus I don't have this issue anyway. The only way I could imagine is that caffeine works as a very mild diurrhetic. Peeing more removes just a bit more magnesium and calcium, hence stronger cramps? No idea.

    I'm not sure but that would make sense. I tend to go number 2 more if i drink a lot of coffee but not so much pee. The only drink that makes me pee a lot is when i drink water.
  • raven3lise
    raven3lise Posts: 107 Member
    its_whisper wrote: »
    Ladies, have you noticed during your period that coffee or consumption of caffeine, makes you have anxiety? or if you have depression it makes it worse?



    For me, it's the exact opposite. I need the caffeine during my time because the fatigue is unreal.

    If you're getting new pains, you may have developed mild benign cysts on your ovaries which cause pain when they dislodge during your period. It's not as scary as it sounds; it's actually very common. At your next gyno appointment, have them check for indications of PCOS coming in. If you're "starting to show symptoms" like me, the pain seems to subside when you eat more meat-protein on your period.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    nope, exact opposite... it's why some PMS medicine even includes it:

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    edited August 2017
    No anxiety ... possibly more crampy.

    An extra calcium tablet seems to help.
  • czmiles926
    czmiles926 Posts: 130 Member
    Kind of unrelated but caffeine makes me really sleepy and spaced out for some reason, which I swear is the opposite to what it's meant to do.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    its_whisper wrote: »
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    Nope. They've always sucked. Actually worse now that I've lost weight....

    That's interesting you say that. I lost 100 pounds and since my periods have been lighter. This past year though they have become painful which is new for me. When i was obese my periods were super heavy

    I dunno, I don't have 100lbs to lose but 40lbs down right now, about 40% to goal, and I want to rip my ovaries to pieces.
  • bonnielee708
    bonnielee708 Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks @its_whisper for the link. I drilled down a bit on the website story, the comments that followed, and did a quick PubMed search for more recent studies, including one from 2016 that found no correlation between PMS symptoms and caffeine intake (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2016/07/05/ajcn.115.127027.short). The link you sent me to belongs to a company that promotes herbal supplements for health. I have not drilled down on the company or their other products because I am one another deadline and have other stories to chase this week, but I am curious to learn more.

    I am currently trying to unpack the relationship between hormonal fluctuations and mood after my doctor recommended anti-depressants instead of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat my peri-menopausal symptoms. I am edgy and not sleeping, but periods are still normal, but the suggestion surprised me because I have no reason healthwise not to use HRT. That said, if diet can help more than HRT, I am game to try since caffeine complicates the sleep and my lack of sleep has made me more anxious. I'd like to understand how much of it is hormone flux and how much may be diet.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited August 2017
    I have lifelong generalized anxiety disorder and mild, episodic depression. I drink about 12 oz coffee daily and if I drink more than that I tend to get jittery and experience more anxiety than usual. I'm naturally very hyper and people would describe me as "a squirrel climbing the walls" if I had the 1/2 pot of coffee my boss drinks during the day.

    However, I don't notice it impacting my periods much at all. I recently watched a vlogger discussing the importance of cutting out all caffeine while menstruating and I found that a new-to-me idea. I tried it last month and noticed absolutely no difference in my physical or emotional symptoms of menstruation. So this month it's back to my usual large cup of coffee with breakfast and no other caffeine to speak of (the odd cup of hot tea). My periods tend to be moderate and my cramping can be pretty severe for 1-2 days, but I don't notice any spikes in my level of anxiety.

    A little off-topic but my weight loss of around 130 lb seemingly caused my periods to be closer together by 4-6 days. I was always like clockwork and still am, they are just closer together now. I track them on a paper calendar and it was a very marked change right around the 90 lb lost mark that has sustained for 3+ years now. Aside from that, I have noticed no changes.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    czmiles926 wrote: »
    Kind of unrelated but caffeine makes me really sleepy and spaced out for some reason, which I swear is the opposite to what it's meant to do.

    99% of the time caffeine doesn't do anything to me whatsoever lol. I just can't go more than a day without it or I'm a zombie
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    seltzermint555 wrote: »
    I have lifelong generalized anxiety disorder and mild, episodic depression. I drink about 12 oz coffee daily and if I drink more than that I tend to get jittery and experience more anxiety than usual. I'm naturally very hyper and people would describe me as "a squirrel climbing the walls" if I had the 1/2 pot of coffee my boss drinks during the day.

    However, I don't notice it impacting my periods much at all. I recently watched a vlogger discussing the importance of cutting out all caffeine while menstruating and I found that a new-to-me idea. I tried it last month and noticed absolutely no difference in my physical or emotional symptoms of menstruation. So this month it's back to my usual large cup of coffee with breakfast and no other caffeine to speak of (the odd cup of hot tea). My periods tend to be moderate and my cramping can be pretty severe for 1-2 days, but I don't notice any spikes in my level of anxiety.

    A little off-topic but my weight loss of around 130 lb seemingly caused my periods to be closer together by 4-6 days. I was always like clockwork and still am, they are just closer together now. I track them on a paper calendar and it was a very marked change right around the 90 lb lost mark that has sustained for 3+ years now. Aside from that, I have noticed no changes.

    I am on day 2 of my period and I have drank coffee both days and I'm fine. I assume last month my anxiety was just worse than usual. Perhaps hormones? I assume they differ every month for every woman. My cramps are horrible but good ol midol is there for me. I don't think caffeine has anything to do with cramps?

    Yes I know what you mean! my weight loss caused mine to become closer together too! my periods have always been on time except for a few rare occasions, but back during my heavy years they would last longer than 5 days and be super heavy and disgusting. Now with the weight loss they are not as severe, although they still aren't fun lol. I track mine on a app called "my calendar" on android :) I tried the paper way and didn't keep up with it.
  • KristyDonovan
    KristyDonovan Posts: 67 Member
    Drink decaf coffee for pjs but add in a good matcha green tea for caffeine. Much more mellow
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