The truth about premenstrual symptoms is that they affect the majority of women as a part of their menstrual cycle. It is possible that your body doesn’t really react to the changes that go on during the special part of the month, and so you may have mild symptoms or no symptoms.
Information on PMS symptoms
It is said that you are affected by the condition in case you have at least one symptom that stops you from performing your normal daily activities or affects your well-being or relationships with others. The symptoms vary from one woman to the other and even from one period to the other.
Some of the women say regarding PMS symptoms that their symptoms get worse during the periods when they are under more stress. It is said that the condition has about 150 symptoms, but usually people refer to the most common ones.
Physical premenstrual symptoms
It is common in case of the condition to experience breast tenderness or swelling, water retention, bloating or weight gain, acne, changes regarding the bowel movements, nipple discharge in case the breasts or nipples are pressed and food cravings, especially in case of salty and sweet foods.
Some other PMS symptoms include a change in the sleep pattern, lack of energy or fatigue, decreased sexual drive or pain. In the majority of the cases patients claim that they have migraines or headaches, muscle ache or joint pain, breast tenderness, or cramps or pain in the lower back before getting their period.
Behavioral premenstrual symptoms
It is almost impossible for these symptoms not to have an effect on your behavior, and so you may experience aggression, mood swings, aggressive outbursts or social withdrawal from friends and family.
Emotional and cognitive PMS symptoms
Patients could also be affected on a psychological level and they may be dealing with depression, hopelessness, sadness, irritability, anger, anxiety, lack of concentration and decreased alertness.
Further information on premenstrual symptoms
As it has been mentioned before, the symptoms appear during the luteal phase, which is the time period between ovulation and menstrual period. It is possible to be experiencing these symptoms during the entire phase, or only during ovulation. In case you are affected, you may see that the severity and maybe even the symptoms that you experience vary from one month to the other.
Severe PMS symptoms
In case the symptoms that you experience are severe, then it is said that you are suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, also known as PMDD. In the majority of the cases these symptoms disappear after the first 3-4 days of your period. This isn’t a common condition; it appears in about 5% of the cases.
The women with this condition say that they feel hopeless and they have a negative behavior, experience a feeling of shame and guilt, and feel like they have no control over their life.
There are numerous premenstrual symptoms and it is possible that the ones you have to experience haven’t even been mentioned.
