All women have big changes in their hormone levels when they have their period. Sometimes these abrupt changes trigger a release of histamine, which can cause itching. It is not fun! Some women soon after giving birth get such bad histamine release that it causes hives everywhere for a couple of weeks! Lucky for you the histamine release with your period is milder. You can see if taking some ibuprofen or Benadryl around the time of your period makes a difference. If it doesn’t, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider and see if there are other options to feel more comfortable.
Honestly, I’m really not sure. I know vaginal itching can be related to hormonal changes during your period, but I don’t know about all over itching. Hopefully, our medical expert will be able to chime in with the reasons behind the itching. However, I do know about itchy skin. I have a terrible time with dry, itchy skin -- particularly in the winter. I find a cool shower helps relieve the discomfort and then I use a body lotion designed for itchy skin. If you have a rash or if the itching becomes unbearable, I’d make an appointment with your healthcare provider.
I have never experienced all-over skin itchiness specifically during my period, but I have had a lot of experience with skin irritation. For me the culprit was a skin allergy from an ingredient found in a lot of the products that were coming in contact with my skin. Is it possible that you are using more of a certain soap, perfume, or lotion during your period to stay fresh? Or are you eating more of certain foods or taking medications only during your period that could be causing an allergic reaction? New allergies can happen at any time, so think about if there is anything you are using more of during that time of the month, try eliminating it, and see what happens. During my skin itchiness quest (which was both all over and “down there”), I discovered that changing the type of pads, toilet paper, and laundry detergent I used solved my problem because they all had a common ingredient that I was reacting to!
I am not sure if there are any possible hormonal reasons that you could be experiencing itchiness only during your period, so I am interested in seeing what our health expert says. My best suggestion for you is to go to your healthcare provider and have him or her help you determine the cause.
