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Menopause & Perimenopause
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is an array of emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral symptoms that occur cyclically during the premenstrual phase of the cycle and normally followed by relief during menstruation.
Premenstrual symptoms appear differently during the menstrual cycle. Some occur during the ovulatory phase, go away, and recur premenstrually. Others begin during the ovulatory phase and remain until some time after menses. The most common estimates are that 70 to 90 percent of the female popuations admit to experiencing premenstrual symptoms with 10 to 40 percent reporting significant interference with daily functioning.
Researchers have identified about 150 symptoms that women experience as distressful during their monthly cycle. From these 150 there are approximately 88 symptoms that were reported by women to be the most common. These 88 PMS symptoms can be grouped into five "clusters":
Cognitive - Attentional
Heightened Emotionality
Physical Complaints
Sexual Behavior and Feelings
Eating Behavior/Water Retention
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Description of PMS Symptoms
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Cognitive - Attentional: This refers to the degree to which PMS interferes with your thinking, attentiveness, concentration, ability to plan ahead, and ability to reason in stressful situations. Premenstrual women may have the tendency to mis-perceive and distort information, to be easily distracted and to be forgetful. You may notice that during the days prior to your period you feel less focused and more easily distracted. You may "lose your place" while reading, writing, or even driving. Women who have severe PMS often become unable to make important decisions. If you have mild PMS, you may not even become cognizant of of changes in your thinking patterns. This can contribute to a tendency to overreact to minor events.
Heightened Emotionality: This refers to the impact of PMS on emotional sensitivity. During the luteal (later half of the menstrual cycle) phase of your cycle you may experience a number of emotional shifts, such as becoming irritable, feeling tense much of the time, and being depressed. Research indicates that exercise can significantly reduce the symptoms of many women with moderate to high premenstrual discomfort in this area.
Physical Complaints: This refers to the physiological changes that occur naturally during your menstrual cycle. Symptoms such as bodily aches and pains, lower backaches, cramping, clumsiness, leg pain are common physical changes associated with PMS. During the premenstrual phase you may expect to have general aches and pains, headaches, and lower backache, for example.
Sexual Behavior and Feelings: Your menstrual cycle is directly related to both sexual desire and arousal. This cluster refers to increases and decreases in interest in sex and actual changes in sexual activity that are often reported in conjunction with PMS. Many women report an increase in sexual desire but are often less sexually active during their luteal phases.
Eating Behavior/Water Retention: This refers to increases in eating and drinking, water retention, bloating, and breast tenderness -- all symptoms commonly associated with PMS. Weight gain, eating too much and craving for sweets and salty foods often are also part of the premenstrual experience.
See: Women's Health
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