What Causes Nasal Congestion During Menstruation?

Posted on Mon, 19 Jun 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 Answered on

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : i have shortness of breath. my nose and throat are dry and inside nose its kind of blocked but no mucus. i should take very deep breaths once in while to satisfy myself. i dnt have anxiety and any kind of health issue.
i get this problem when im nearing to periods or during periods or without that too. this disturbs my sleep. what is this. why its happening like this?what is the remedy? and i m not sure whether i have sinus.

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Nasal congestion

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to HealthcareMagic and thanks for putting up the query
This is very common for some females to have nasal congestion during their periods. This is due to water retention effect of hormones. You don't seem to have any sinus infection. You can use topical nasal decongestant like xylometazoline nasal drops for relief. The congestion subsides once the periods sets in.
All the medicines I have prescribed will be available at prescription only.

You should get a Xray paranasal sinuses done to rule out any sinus or nasal disease.
Any further questions are always welcome.
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (15 hours later)

Thanks for the reply. i have chest tightness and i breath through mouth if i want to take deep breath to satisfy. how to cure the water retention if at all that is the cause for shortness of breath? Do i have gastric problem?

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Nasal congestion

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for the information.
The hormonal changes are cyclical and if it is only hormonal it should be managed symptomatically only.
You should get a x-ray paranasal sinuses done and endoscopic examination of the nose done to rule out any nasal pathology.
If there is any nasal pathology, it should be managed first. You should use topical nasal decongestant drops for few days and tablet levocetrizine plus montelukast once daily for a week.
Follow up with the reports so that I can suggest you better.
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy