I’ve been dealing with shortness of breath and dizziness since March of 2020 as well. All year I’ve been in and out of doctors... primary care physician, ears/nose/throat specialist, Gastroenterologist, pulmonary doctor, endocrinologist... (i don’t have a thyroid so I thought maybe the dizziness and shortness of breath had something to do with my levels.... all the scans, procedures, blood work all show that I’m normal. One doctor told me it was due to anxiety but... I’m not usually one who struggles with anxiety. I told him that of course he’s going to see me as anxious because it’s been months of this...
I remember when it all started... I woke one night to everything spinning and that lasted for 5 days... spinning non stop. That same night I also had unbearable nausea and diarrhea, but never vomited. I never had a fever or cough but I did also deal with ear pain & the worst fatigue I ever faced. Dealing with thyroid cancer was a walk in the park compared to this. About a week after this all happened, the shortness of breath came. And it’s been one tiring year. I never had a covid test because the doctors were testing only health care workers at the time this all started. Fast forward to about 10 months... two doctors think I either dealt with covid or some KIND of virus that’s still wreaking havoc on my system and causing these chronic issues. One doctor thinks I’m now struggling with vestibular migraines because all my symptoms point to that as well... but I’ve noticed these last few months that the shortness of breath always peaks up about 7-10 days before menstruating... I’ve been reading how others also experienced this. So how do we address this and help ourselves heal and recover from it?
We hear shortness of breath and we think covid-19 but in general, you would likely have the hallmark symptoms if that were the case of cough and fever. Do you have those? Now, some women get shortness of breath due to hormonal changes too. Here's an article. https://www.healthline.com/health/shortness-of-breath-early-pregnancy Any chance you're pregnant? It can be an early sign of pregnancy too. https://consumer.healthday.com/respiratory-and-allergy-information-2/asthma-news-47/women-s-respiratory-symptoms-may-vary-with-menstrual-cycle-670473.html That is the notes from a seminar that talks about how our breathing can change due to hormonal fluctuations. So, if you get other symptoms, do see your doctor or touch base with them for guidance but otherwise, it might be these types of breathing changes.
Are you in an area where there is Covid-19? While a lot of women do experience shortness of breath before their periods come (apparently related to progesterone, or to hormonal action in general), with the coronavirus outbreak I would want to be checked for unexpected shortness of breath. It might be merely a coincidence that it's before your period. (Especially since it has never happened before.)