PMS

During their monthly menstrual cycle, majority of women experience some form of physical and emotional change that is unexplained by any real trigger. Unfortunately for some women, these changes cause a disruption of their day to lives making it difficult for them to function rationally in situations. There are two recognized disorders, one of which is premenstrual syndromes, commonly known as PMS. Some may think PMS may stand for perimenstrual and even postmenstrual, however, it is mostly just premenstrual. The symptoms for PMS have been shown to exhibit a week or two before the onset of bleeding. Furthermore, PMS is ten times more common that PMDD, at a prevalence of 30-85% of women. The symptoms are a cocktail of:

• Psychological
  • Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Irritability
  • Feeling or sense of being overwhelmed
  • Inability to deal with rejection
  • Social withdrawal
• Physical
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Disturbance in your appetite
  • Tenderness in your breasts
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue or weakness
  • Swelling of feet and legs
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • Backache
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intense cramps
  • Palpitations – tachycardia
  • Decreased sexual desire
  • Vomiting
  • Hives
  • Cravings for salty foods and food rich in carbohydrates
• Behavioral
  • Fatigue
  • Forgetfulness
  • Poor concentration.

Causes of PMS include:

• Noteworthy amount of stress
• Meager nutritional habits
• Side effect of birth control
• Inability to maintain weight
• Lack of exercise
• Post pregnancy
• Family history of depression.

Women who may feel they are having any of these symptoms for a period of time and reside in Denver should visit the Denver Holistic Center for more information.

Lastly, treatment proposed for PMDD and PMS consist of:

• A comprehensive journal
• Lifestyle changes
  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Sleep
• Nutritional supplements
  • Vitamins and minerals
    • Individual per case
  • Herbal remedies
  • Light therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Pharmacological
    • Psychotropic medication
    • Antidepressants
    • Benzodiazepines
    • Hormone replacement therapy
    • Oral contraceptives (regulate menstrual cycle)
    • Leuprolide – GnRH agonist
    • Danazol – synthetic androgen.

Conclusively, PMS along with PMDD are real diagnosis and they should not be taken likely. Nonetheless, many a times a symptom may be overlapping with PMS or PMDD, but may be a part of another underlying disease. The psychological symptoms may be a part of an undiagnosed psychiatric problem. Feel free to see your physician and maintain an in-depth journal with your symptoms so PMS can be determined from other syndromes or diseases.