You will have some 450 to 480 periods in your lifetime. Even don’t experience PMS until your twenties or thirties, that still you’ll have between 200 and 300 periods preceded by days discomfort, and moodiness. That’s too much time spent bad—and since there’s no miracle cure for PMS, the best you is to learn to live with it.

But living with PMS doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek treatment, far from it. Instead, think of it as a process in which you try different approaches to help relieve your discomfort. When something works, stick with it. When it doesn't, try something else. This can mean you adjust your diet, seek medical help, or try alternative treatments, like herbal supplements or acupuncture. But consult your doctor.

PMS is a collection of nearly 200 different symptoms. It’s counterproductive to think there should be one solution for all of your symptoms, since there are multiple issues you need to address. Some symptoms will respond better to medication and others to lifestyle changes. Cutting back on salt in your diet may reduce your bloating, but it won’t necessarily help your headaches or your nausea, and it’s unlikely to reduce the number of arguments you have with your spouse, unless you’re arguing about table salt or French fries! Similarly, choosing to go on antidepressants may dramatically relieve your mood symptoms, but it won’t eliminate the sources of stress your life that make you irritated or angry.

The Importance of Coping Strategies

Because PMS is an ongoing problem, most women develop range of strategies to handle their symptoms. Over time, they’ve figured out that doing certain things and avoiding others makes the premenstrual phase more bearable: they may avoid their friends or seek their support, eat certain kinds of foods, take over-the-counter pain relievers, or call in sick to work.

Coping strategies, which are simply skills that we develop respond to life situations, are varied and highly personal. What works for one woman may not work for another. But some strategies are better than others.