What are the effects of drinking alcohol during menstruation?
Generally speaking, "dà yī ma" refers to menstruation. Drinking alcohol during the menstrual period may have several negative effects on women's health, including exacerbating dysmenorrhea, increasing menstrual flow, affecting sleep quality, worsening anemia, and damaging liver function. Detailed explanations are as follows:
1. Exacerbating dysmenorrhea
Alcohol has a vasodilatory effect and may cause uterine contractions, thereby aggravating dysmenorrhea. If chilled alcoholic beverages such as ice-cold beer are consumed, they may even cause vascular spasms, further inducing or worsening dysmenorrhea.
2. Increasing menstrual flow
As a vasodilator, alcohol can increase blood supply to the endometrium. Drinking alcohol during menstruation may lead to increased bleeding from the endometrium, thus prolonging the menstrual period or increasing menstrual flow.
3. Affecting sleep quality
During the menstrual period, hormonal levels in women's bodies change, which may cause mood swings, insomnia, and other discomforts. Alcohol consumption can further disrupt the normal sleep cycle, worsening insomnia.
4. Worsening anemia
During menstruation, women lose a significant amount of blood, making them prone to chronic blood loss anemia. Alcohol may inhibit the body's absorption of iron, further aggravating anemia.
5. Damaging liver function
During the menstrual period, changes in female hormone levels may affect the normal function of the liver. The metabolism of alcohol also primarily relies on the liver; therefore, drinking alcohol during menstruation may further burden the liver, leading to impaired liver function.
Women should avoid drinking alcohol during their menstrual period and pay attention to maintaining a regular diet and lifestyle to protect their health.