Introduction
PMS or premenstrual syndrome is a medical condition that affects millions of women each month. Women in their twenties to their forties are mostly at risk, but any menstruating female can have PMS. This condition has a wide range of symptoms that affect each woman differently. In some months the PMS symptoms are quite pronounced and in other months there may be no symptoms at all. What is known is that PMS is responsible for both physical and emotional changes in a woman in the days before her cycle begins.
Symptoms of PMS
There are many symptoms of PMS. But not every woman has all the symptoms. The physical symptoms are headache, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, acne, bloating, muscle pain and breast tenderness. The most common emotional symptoms are mood swings involving anxiety, depression, irritability and/or crying jags. Other symptoms are increased appetite, food cravings and insomnia. Women with severe and crippling emotional symptoms are thought to have premenstrual dysphonic disorder or PMDD, a psychiatric condition.
For some women PMS lasts a few days. For others the symptoms can last a week or two before the menstrual cycle occurs. Because of the variety of symptoms doctors have a hard time definitively diagnosing PMS. But since PMS has symptoms in common with other conditions, doctors first rule out the more serious conditions. When tests rule out other diseases, doctors are then more confident that a woman is suffering from PMS.
How PMS Occurs
There is no one cause for PMS, but hormones play a major part. The ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone, the female hormones that guide the menstrual cycle. But the levels of these hormones are normal in women with PMS. Some researchers conclude that as the levels of the hormones rise and fall during the menstrual cycle, women with PMS are more sensitive to these changes. These continuous changes affect a woman's emotions and body. The symptoms of PMS seem to disappear during pregnancy and after menopause. With pregnancy the estrogen levels are very high and in menopause the estrogen levels are very low.
In addition to hormonal changes, chemical changes may contribute to the emotional symptoms. Estrogen and progesterone also affect brain chemistry, particularly the neurotransmitters. Low levels of serotonin in the brain may bring about depression, anxiety and irritability. Estrogen and progesterone also change the levels of endorphins which are responsible for feelings of pain and pleasure. Symptoms of PMS have been linked to mineral deficiencies of calcium and magnesium. For some women alcohol, caffeine and salty foods trigger PMS. As with many diseases, too much stress can also cause the symptoms.
Treatments of PMS
Doctors prescribe several medications to deal with the symptoms of PMS including antidepressants, oral contraceptives and anti-inflammatory drugs. But with a few lifestyle and diet changes some woman can eliminate or reduce the severity of symptoms. Eating foods high in fiber and calcium and low in sodium are also a good idea. Daily exercise and meditation to reduce stress can also help.
Tags: emotional symptoms, menstrual cycle, estrogen levels, estrogen levels very, Estrogen progesterone, Estrogen progesterone also