Influencers are posting before-and-after photos to show how bloated women's bodies can get during th
Although each woman is differently affected by her menstrual cycle, you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who says she doesn't experience any sort of discomfort both before and during her period. For many women, one of these unpleasant consequences is bloating.
Influencers are showing the reality of how much their bodies bloat before and during their periods.
Period bloat is completely normal and occurs due to hormonal changes which result in water retention.
Influencers are being praised for posting side-by-side images taken just days apart to show the reality of how their bodies bloat around their periods.
"It is chaos, physically and mentally, for at least a week," personal trainer and fitness influencer Maeve Madden told Insider.
Here are 10 women showing the reality of period bloat.
Although each woman is differently affected by her menstrual cycle, you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who says she doesn't experience any sort of discomfort both before and during her period.
For many women, one of these unpleasant consequences is bloating.
Your stomach feels swollen and hard, you may feel puffy all over — it's not pleasant.
Period bloat is completely normal and occurs due to hormonal changes which result in water retention, however, it's not something many people talk about publicly.
For this reason, influencers who do show the reality of how their bodies change around their periods are being praised by their followers.
When personal trainer Courtney Pruce, for example, posted on her Instagram story that she was feeling "fluffy and swollen" due to her period, she received so many messages that she had to delete the post as her inbox was so overwhelmed.
"The general theme of the messages I received were all much of the same; lots of women sharing their past or repeated experience with getting the same physical affects pre-period," she told Insider.
Equally, London-based fitness influencer Maeve Madden recently shared two side-by-side images taken just a few days apart to show how much she bloats around her period, and she was wowed by how much it resonated.
Maeve Madden is a London-based fitness influencer in her 30s. Maeve Madden
Madden told Insider that the lead-up to her period is "chaos, physically and mentally, for at least a week."
She said that her bloat was particularly bad due to the extra stress of being under lockdown.
"I often talk about my period and the effects, especially not to feel guilty when taking time off to rest the body," she said.
"But this month was different, with the stress of COVID-19 there has been a huge effect on the body hormone balance, resulting in delayed, irregular, and heavy periods. This month for me I was way more anxious, swollen, and emotional than before, and I knew other women could relate to this."
Madden explained that she received an influx of direct messages in response to the post, but actually not as many public comments as she'd expected, which she found sad.
"In 2020, is speaking openly about your period still a taboo subject? It's something women have had since the dawn of time ... It blows my mind," she said.
Madden's advice for women is to "track your cycle, know when it's coming, understand your body, and listen to how you're feeling.
"When someone tells you, 'Oh just drink water to debloat,' tell them where to go. Every body is different. I generally lead a healthy balanced lifestyle, and it happens to us all.
"If you know it's coming you can prepare yourself for it, although every month I still have a meltdown and want to quit my job."
Here are 10 influencers showing the reality of period bloat.
A post shared by Victoria Grimes🇨🇦 (@victoriadariano) on Aug 13, 2017 at 10:02am PDTAug 13, 2017 at 10:02am PDT
Fitness influencer Victoria Grimes told her followers that not only does her stomach bloat during her period but her energy drops drastically, she feels depressed, she gets cramps, an upset stomach, and gas, and she's "moody and emotional."
A post shared by Lauryn (@lifting_lauryn) on Apr 5, 2017 at 11:30pm PDTApr 5, 2017 at 11:30pm PDT
Fitness micro-influencer Lauryn showed how different her body looks before and after her period by posting two photos taken just nine days apart.
"No, I wasn't pushing out my stomach in the picture on the left ... I just had so much bloating that my belly was hardened and poked out from my bust and down," she said.
A post shared by Yoga Teacher | Digital Creator (@janiceliou) on Jan 29, 2019 at 1:24pm PSTJan 29, 2019 at 1:24pm PST
"Camera angles are real, period bloat is real, the up and downs of life are real ... but you know what? You're not alone," said yoga teacher Janice Liou.
A post shared by Erika Weiss | Fitness Mentor (@workoutswitherika) on Jul 8, 2019 at 1:50pm PDTJul 8, 2019 at 1:50pm PDT
Personal trainer Erika Weiss pointed out that bloating is just water retention and is caused by a number of factors.
"Bloating is caused by water retention and can occur after huge DELICIOUS meals, PMS, heavily drinking on the weekends, traveling — you name it ... it's NORMAL," she wrote.
A post shared by Gabrielle Rodriguez (@gabsfit15) on Apr 24, 2020 at 5:50am PDTApr 24, 2020 at 5:50am PDT
Fitness influencer Gabrielle Rodriguez shared photos of her PMS body with and without posing and said: "Just because you see girls AND guys working angles and lighting, doesn't mean they don't have days where they feel like a whale too."
Instead of seeking ways to counteract bloat, she's urging her followers to embrace it.
A post shared by ✨Kaitlin✨ (@trainerkaitlin) on Nov 23, 2019 at 7:00am PSTNov 23, 2019 at 7:00am PST
Personal trainer Kaitlin stressed that period bloat, much like bloat of any kind, is not weight gain.
"[Your body] will change throughout the month," she said. "As we menstruate, as we ovulate, as we enjoy the f--- out of our Thanksgiving meal. IT'S OK!"
