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Most women experience some unpleasant/uncomfortable symptoms
before or during their menstrual cycle. These symptoms impact
different women in different ways, over different lengths
of time, with different levels of severity. It is the collective
grouping of these symptoms during your menstrual cycle that
is identified as premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.
The symptoms of PMS can be grouped into several broad categories:
| Psychological: |
Irritability, nervousness, anger, depression, fatigue,
crying spells,
anxiety, moodiness and emotional hypersensitivity |
| Gastrointestinal: |
Abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea, constipation, backache,
and pelvic pressure or heaviness |
| Skin problems: |
Acne flare-ups |
| Fluid retention: |
Periodic weight gain, breast fullness and sensitivity,
and edema |
| Respiratory: |
Increased allergic sensitivity and infections |
| Eye complaints: |
Conjunctivitis and visual disturbances |
| Neurologic and Vascular: |
Headache, fainting spells, dizziness, heart palpitations
and some
muscle spasms |
| Other: |
Decreased sex drive, appetite changes, food cravings
and hot
flashes |
It is, in part, this wide variety of symptoms that make effective
treatment of the symptoms a difficult and challenging task
for your provider. It may take several different treatment
protocols to come up with the correct plan for you. Your provider
will work closely with you during this process. |
