You don’t need a calendar to tell you when your period is coming — your premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms are doing a very good job of letting you know.
From breast tenderness to mood swings, more than 90% of women who are menstruating experience some degree of PMS. While many women develop only minor symptoms, others aren't as fortunate and their lives are significantly upended by PMS each cycle.
When it comes to seeking help for your PMS, Dr. Jose F. De Leon and the team at Kinwest OBGYN want to provide you with a few good guidelines. While there’s no cure for PMS, there’s a lot that we can do to manage the symptoms and improve your life.
When a health issue contains the term “syndrome,” it typically means that there’s a range of symptoms associated with the condition, which is certainly true of PMS.
Your menstrual cycles are governed by fluctuations in your reproductive hormones — each month, these hormones cycle through highs and lows as part of your fertility. The days between ovulation and your period are characterized by a sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone levels, which can affect your physical and mental health and lead to PMS.
Some common side effects of PMS include:
This list isn’t complete, but gives you an idea about the wide influence that PMS can have over your physical and mental health.
No two women share the exact same PMS journey, and there’s no single test to determine whether you have PMS. Most women do develop some symptoms, even if it’s only some mild cramping right before their period.
When it comes to seeking help for your PMS, here are some rules of thumb:
If you suffer from moderate to severe cramps before your period or you have debilitating headaches or back pain, it’s time to see our team for help. While there’s a degree of discomfort for most women when it comes to menstruation, if the pain casts a long shadow over your life, we want you to let us know so we can find solutions.
If you notice that your mood swings are severe or that symptoms of anxiety or depression flare up right before your period, there are ways to protect your mental health when you're dealing with PMS. Two examples are antidepressants and relaxation techniques that can calm the body and mind.
If you routinely need to skip school, work, or social engagements because of your PMS symptoms, the issue has become a significant functional and quality-of-life concern. If this sounds familiar, please make an appointment with our team so we can ease your PMS symptoms.
PMS symptoms should subside once your period starts and your reproductive hormone levels reset. If your PMS symptoms continue through your period, we want you to come in for an assessment.
If you’re experiencing severe symptoms of PMS, there’s a chance that you might have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is a severe form of PMS.
Whether you have PMS or PMDD, we want you to know that we’ll work with you until we can improve your symptoms and your quality of life. Some common PMS treatments include:
To figure out which approaches are best for your PMS, schedule an evaluation. Contact Kinwest OBGYN in Dallas and Irving, Texas, today to book an appointment.
