Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be at the mercy of your symptoms. You can treat PMS. Some of the easiest strategies involve self-treatment; that is, altering your diet, committing to exercise, and changing your lifestyle. For some women, over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen may provide all the relief they need; others may need more powerful prescription drugs. There are also dietary supplements, such as calcium or magnesium that have shown promise in relieving symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, mood-related symptoms, and migraine headaches. Some (though not all) women find that oral contraceptives can relieve their symptoms. (Chapter 18 discusses oral contraceptives as a PMS therapy in more detail.)

If your symptoms are more severe, you may want to contact expert who can help diagnose and treat your PMS. However, your choices are wide-ranging. Since PMS consists of so many types of symptoms, the “expert” label means different physician, psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist. Each specialist has different treatment plans or approaches. In addition, some dietitians, and practitioners of alternative medicine also themselves experts on natural PMS treatments.