AF may be brief, with symptoms that come and go and end on their own. Or, the condition may be ongoing and require treatment. Sometimes AF is permanent, and medicines or other treatments can't restore a normal heart rhythm. The animation below shows atrial fibrillation. Click the start button to play the animation.
The hormones progesterone and estrogen play a significant role in fluid retention. When estrogen levels are elevated, women tend to retain more water than usual. This is why bloating is common in the days leading up to a woman's menstrual cycle - more estrogen means more water retention. During menopause, estrogen levels erratically fluctuate and bloating becomes more chronic.
There are at least seven causes of water retention. Most cases of water retention are due to âidiopathic oedema (edema)â which simply means that the water retention is not being caused by a specific disease. In most cases the cause is reversible by changing what you eat and how you exercise. Read the sections below to see what kind of water retention you have.