As if you weren't going through enough already at that time of the month, some women experience bleeding from their gums. Yes, your gums can bleed when you're in PMS or even during your period. Here's what you need to know about this condition, how it's caused, and what you can do to help combat it.

Hormone Shifts

The main reason why your gums bleed when you're experiencing PMS or your period is that there are hormone shifts happening in your body. Your hormones shift naturally when you approach your period at the end of the month. The body stops preparing itself to potentially care for a fertilized egg and reduces estrogen in the body. Progesterone levels rise, which is one of the signals for having a period in the first place.

Effect on Tissue

As you've probably noticed, that time of the month can impact your body in a lot of weird places. Women sometimes complain of swelling and pain in their legs, backs, and so on, and the gums are actually on that list, too.

Progesterone can trigger inflammation in the body, which can cause tissues to become inflamed and swollen. When this happens to the gums, it can trigger a condition called menstrual gingivitis, which (as it sounds) is a form of gingivitis that's specifically attached to having your menses. Sometimes pregnant women can also have problems as their hormones are subject to major shifts, too.

What to Do

Unfortunately, there's no real way to control the progesterone in your body other than by going on birth control pills. While this might be a good choice for some women, obviously not every woman is going to want to make that major a change in their lives just for the sake of their irritated gums.

The good news is you can likely improve your menstrual gingivitis or eliminate it entirely by going to your dentist. While menstrual gingivitis can exist by itself, it's also possible that you already have gingivitis and are just without symptoms most of the time. The added inflammation from progesterone may be just enough to trigger symptoms. By treating the underlying gingivitis, you can ensure that you have little to no symptoms during that time of the month in these cases.

If you're having problems with your gums during that time of the month, you don't have to look any further than the person who helps you with your gums normally: your dentist. Visit websites such as https://www.belgradedental.com/ to find out if you have baseline gum disease that's simply worse when you're on your period.