Fast Facts about PMS
Even when you've established your own individual cycle and are in the height of your reproductive years — from your late twenties through mid-thirties — your monthly cycle may not be a smooth ride. Most women experience some symptoms around their menstrual periods including cramps, swollen and tender breasts, mood shifts, and headaches. These symptoms can also happen — along with others — in premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Some research indicates that PMS can include as many as 150 separate systems, but all symptoms of PMS fall into two major categories:
Physical symptoms of PMS include bloating, water retention, pelvic pressure or cramping, clumsiness, and headaches or migraines.
Emotional symptoms can consist of irritability, anxiety, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and food cravings.
The Many Degrees of PMS
Some women never have PMS, while others — some studies estimate as many as 75 percent of all women — may have episodes of it throughout their adult lives. These women often find that PMS is more frequent and severe during their thirties. On the other hand, some women who have never experienced PMS or have had only occasional minor symptoms, report severe PMS phases as they enter perimenopause.
Alert
Although PMS symptoms can occur anywhere from midway through your cycle to the day you begin your period, no one symptom should ever last more than two weeks (by definition, if symptoms occur after the start of your period, it may not be PMS). If you have any symptom longer than fourteen days, or symptoms that disrupt your ability to cope with life, report it to your doctor.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
A less common but even more severe type of premenstrual syndrome is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Women who suffer from PMDD often experience severe depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and fatigue in addition to a wide range of physical disturbances. The symptoms can be serious, and sometimes include suicidal thoughts. Women who have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) usually have PMDD as well. Though PMS and PMDD differ in severity, diagnosis, and treatment, both seem to be linked to the way the body processes and responds to reproductive hormones.
Doctors diagnose PMS and PMDD based on when a woman's symptoms occur, not just the symptoms themselves. If you want to track your own premenstrual symptoms, you can keep a menstrual journal (see Appendix B: Keeping a Menopause Journal, for suggestions). If symptoms repeat at specific intervals, they may indicate PMS.
