What Do Women Say About PMS

Women can experience either mild symptoms, moderate symptoms or severe symptoms for PMS each month. These symptoms can disrupt many aspects of life including work, school, home and relationship. The symptoms are very uncomfortable because they can be physical in nature such as headaches, abdominal cramping, and joint and muscle pain. They can also change the physical body such as increased acne, bloating abdomin-causing clothes to be tight.

The list of common symptoms women experience include:

Acne
Back pain
Bloated abdomen
Changes in appetite, including cravings for certain foods
Constipation
Crying spells
Depression
Fast heartbeat
Feeling irritable, tense or anxious
Feeling tired
Headache
Hot flashes
Joint pain
Mood swings
Not feeling as interested in sex
Tender and swollen breasts
Trouble concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Swollen hands or feet
Wanting to be alone
Weight gain

Women also say that they are distressed because there doesn’t seem to be a cause for all their discomfort.

Women do wish to know for sure that what they have is PMS by going to a doctor to receive a diagnosis. They may be asked to keep a symptom journal. This symptom journal will not only help the woman’s doctor to diagnose the problem but the symptoms that the woman has recorded in the journal can be used as a basis for a treatment plan.

Women have been treated with diuretics, antidepressants, birth control pills, and antihistamines and aspirin or acetaminophen for pain. Over-the-counter medications also cater to PMS such as Midol, Pamprin, and Premsyn PMS and women rely on these to control some of the PMS symptoms they have each month.

Women have also found that if they eat more complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads, pasta and cereals as well as foods high in fiber and protein they experience less symptoms or a decrease in severity of the symptoms. They have also reported positive results from avoiding salt in their diet, or by avoiding salty foods. By avoiding salt they can reduce the fluid retention they experience and have less bloating. If they cut back on caffeine consumption they can feel less tense, be less irritable, and have less breast soreness each month. Women have also discovered they are more likely to be depressed if they drink alcohol before their period each month.

Women who get at least 8 hours of sleep each night experience less PMS symptoms than if they get less sleep than they need.

Other things that women have done to help with PMS symptoms include eating six smaller meals instead of 3 larger ones, participating in aerobic exercises at least 4 to 6 times a week, and doing things like yoga that tend to relax them.