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Which Symptoms of PMS do I Have and How Do I Treat Them?

It is important for women of childbearing age to recognize the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and know how to treat them at home and when to ask for a doctor's help relieving them. A woman can have emotional/behavioral symptoms of PMS or she can also have physical signs and symptoms of PMS.

The emotional and behavioral symptoms of PMS include feeling anxious, moody, sad, socially withdrawn or tense. A woman may feel fatigued, or have trouble falling asleep. She may experience difficulty concentrating and may have crying spells for no particular reason. She can become angered or irritable over things that usually do not bother her.

The physical signs and symptoms of PMS may include headache, backache, joint or muscle pain, abdominal bloating and cramping, acne flare-ups, weight gain from fluid retention, breast tenderness, swollen ankles, and constipation or diarrhea. Most women with PMS only experience a few of these symptoms each month, but the symptoms can vary from one month to the next and also the symptoms can vary in intensity from mild to severe and change intensity from one month to the next.

Some women experience symptoms so severe that the symptoms interfere with her daily routine and she is unable to function as she normally would. When the symptoms interfere like this, she may have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is a severe form of PMS. When a woman has PMDD she may experience extreme depression or feelings of hopelessness, an anxiety, and she may have low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, and she may become irritable or full of tension. When she experiences these symptoms so severely that she is unable to function she should definitely see a doctor. Some women experience these symptoms so severely that they cause harm to themselves or to others.

PMS can be treated with a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, counseling, and to relieve physical symptoms she can use a heating pad, soak in a warm tub, take over-the-counter pain relievers, and diuretics. She should speak with her doctor before taking vitamin or mineral supplements and avoid overusing them; but they can be beneficial.

Your doctor will be able to help you by prescribing antidepressants to relieve fatigue, food cravings, sleep problems and some of the more severe signs and symptoms of PMS or PMDD. Use these medications only in the two weeks prior to the start of menstruation. Other drugs your doctor may choose to prescribe include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics, oral contraceptives, and medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera). These drugs help sixth cramping and breast discomforts, excess water retention, and increased appetite, weight gain, headaches, backaches, and depressed mood.