PMS

Quick Overview

• What is PMS? PMS is the abbreviation for premenstrual syndrome. It occurs about two weeks to a few days before menstruation begins and is associated with physical and / or mental symptoms. With the onset of the period, the symptoms disappear again. About 80 percent of women of child-bearing age are affected by PMS.
• symptoms: physical complaints such as pelvic pain, nausea, headache. Mental symptoms such as sadness, mood swings, depressive moods. The symptoms vary from woman to woman and from cycle to cycle.
• Causes: Not completely clarified. Cycle-related fluctuations in the blood levels of female hormones (estrogen, progesterone) probably play a central role.
• Riskikofaktoren: Stress, partnership problems, unbalanced diet, family history
• Treatment: sufficient sleep and exercise, balanced nutrition, relaxation and meditation exercises, hot water bottles and hot teas. In severe cases medication (pain medication, possibly antidepressants, dehydrating agents). Medicinal plants and homeopathic remedies often have a supporting effect.
• Forecast: PMS is not a disease in the classical sense and therefore not “curable” by medical treatment. After the menopause, the symptoms usually disappear.

PMS: symptoms

PMS concerns around 80 percent all women of childbearing age. You will get two to three days before the menstrual bleeding different physical and / or mental symptoms that disappear with the onset of the period. The type and extent of the symptoms varies from woman to woman. Moreover, they can vary from month to month.

Physical PMS symptoms

Possible physical PMS symptoms include:

• Abdominal pains
• Pressure in the lower abdomen
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Circulatory problems, dizziness
• Hot flashes, sweats
• back pain
• Impure skin, pimples

In addition, the appetite can change through PMS: some women suffer from Food cravingsothers complain about it Loss of appetite and feeling of fullness, Also nausea before the period as well bloating are possible. Some women also report one increase in weight before the period. This is based less on an increased food intake than on an embedding of water in the tissue.

Breast tenderness and chest pain before the period are also possible signs of PMS. Doctors speak of mastodynia. Characteristic are stinging or pulling pain. Often, the breast is also enlarged because of the hormonal imbalance before the period, water is stored in the breast tissue. With the onset of menstrual bleeding, these accumulations of water (edema) form again.

To distinguish from mastodynia is mastalgia. These are chest pain independent of the menstrual period (ie cycle-independent). They can be caused by cysts, a breast infection or breast cancer.

a headache before the period are also not uncommon in PMS. Many women suffer from menstrual bleeding in the middle of their head. In some people, the headaches grow to one migraine out. In general, before the menstrual period, women may be much more sensitive to stimuli such as bright light, noise, smells or touch, which are often perceived as extremely unpleasant. In addition, PMS sufferers are less able to deal with time pressure or stress during this time.

Psychic PMS symptoms

Mostly, PMS is not only associated with physical but also with mental health problems. Thus affected women are often in the period before the menstrual period irritated, Besides, they will get tired faster, need more breaks and more sleep than usual. Other PMS psychological symptoms that are commonly observed are:

• sudden tantrums
• depressive moods
• greater anxiety
• lack of interest
• listlessness
• inner unrest
• difficulty concentrating
• sleep disorders
• hyperactivity

Many women also feel in the period before the menstrual period faster overstrained, They make themselves more worried and have one Feeling of loss of control, Many are also sad or depressed tune. Often this is also the case Self-esteem impaired, This increases the negative overall sensation, which in turn can increase other PMS symptoms such as anxiety, difficulty concentrating and sleeping. Thus, the affected women often get into one Cycle of negative emotions.

The sadness or depressive mood before the period often has no objective reason. It can also disappear again suddenly. This inexplicable mood swings often cause problems with the partner, the family or friends.

If you suffer from PMS mental symptoms, that does not mean that you are mentally ill. The mental changes are – as well as the physical – caused among other things by the altered hormone levels. As well as the physical PMS symptoms, the mental symptoms disappear one to two days before menstruation.

PMS or pregnant?

Some PMS symptoms, such as mood swings, pelvic pain, nausea, and food cravings could also affect one pregnancy indicate. However, especially at the beginning of a pregnancy, there are further complaints clearly distinguishable from the PMS. These include above all the morning sickness, a permanently slightly elevated temperature and extreme fatigue. And at the latest, when the next menstrual bleeding fails, the question becomes clear: PMS or pregnant?

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDS)

In about five percent of PMS sufferers, the burden of premenstrual syndrome is so great that it interferes with their daily routine, work and family life. These particularly severe cases are referred to as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDS). It is – as opposed to PMS – as a disease.

PMS: causes and risk factors

The causes of PMS are still not clear. Doctors suspect that several factors trigger the symptoms. That will be one multifactorial origin or multifactorial genesis called.

The role of hormones

Most responsible for PMS seem to be hormones. These are the body’s own messenger substances that transmit messages between different organs and / or the brain. For the menstrual period are mainly the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone relevant. Together with other female hormones, they ensure in each cycle that an ovum ripens, ovulation (release of the egg from the ovary) takes place, and the uterine lining is prepared for the implantation of a fertilized egg. If it does not come to the fertilization, the egg cell including the prepared uterine lining with the menstrual period is repelled.

During ovulation, the estrogen concentration in the blood is highest. Many women feel the ovulation by a painful pulling in the lower abdomen. In addition, there is an increase in this time prolactin educated. This hormone causes the mammary glands to swell, which sometimes causes pain in the breasts.

The hormonal changes during the cycle can also Electrolyte and fluid shifts cause in the body. This could be responsible for at least some PMS complaints. Also, the substances that are formed during the breakdown of the hormone progesterone, are suspected to trigger PMS symptoms. In addition, PMS sufferers may be more sensitive to the interactions between progesterone and certain brain messengers such as serotonin.

Other possible PMS causes

Other factors that could contribute to the development of premenstrual syndrome include:

• low melatonin level
• Hypothyroidism (hypothyroidism)
• Disorders of the autonomic nervous system
• stress
• Problems in the partnership
• unbalanced diet
• nicotine consumption
• little exercise
• some hormonal contraceptives

In addition, a family history of mental illness (for example, depression) is considered a risk factor for one Premenstrual Dysphoric Syndrome (PMDS).

PMS: examinations and diagnosis

If you suspect you have PMS, you should discuss this with your gynecologist. The doctor will first ask you about your medical history (anamnese). Describe your condition as accurately as possible so that the doctor can get an accurate picture. You should prepare yourself for these questions:

• How long before the menstrual period the symptoms occur for the first time?
• Are you in pain and if so, where exactly?
• Do the complaints always occur before the beginning of your period?
• Do you only have physical ailments or do you feel mentally impaired?

To prepare can PMS diary help by recording when symptoms occur over several cycles. So you can give your doctor accurate information. This helps him to rule out other causes of your condition.

After the medical history follows one physical examination, With a gynecological palpation examination and an ultrasound examination of the uterus and neighboring organs, the doctor can exclude organic diseases such as a tumor as the cause of the complaints. In addition, the doctor (possibly together with other specialists) will examine whether the symptoms may be caused by a Hypothyroidism, one endometriosis or one depression caused. Also the beginning of the menopause must be excluded because PMS-like symptoms may also occur during this time.

Supplementary notes may be a blood test deliver. On different blood levels, the expert can read whether your symptoms are based on hormonal causes. In general, women with PMS symptoms show elevated levels of inflammation during symptoms.

PMS: treatment

The PMS treatment depends on how intense the symptoms are. In mild cases, it usually already helps, if you for enough sleep worry and regular sports float. In addition, one is recommended balanced nutrition: Make sure you have a carbohydrate-rich, low-salt and easily digestible diet. Avoid coffee, alcohol, and nicotine because they may increase PMS symptoms. Lower abdominal pain you can with a hot-water bottle or hot teas alleviate, relieve. Many women also help targeted Relaxation exercises or meditation.

In severe cases, when the symptoms affect the daily routine, such symptomatic therapy is not sufficient. Then the PMS should be treated with medication. Stand for Painkiller like ibuprofen, hormone preparations like the pill and mood-enhancing drugs (Antidepressants) to disposal. Massive water retention (edema) can with diuretic drugs (diuretics) be treated. For severe mental symptoms, one can psychiatric treatment make sense.

Sometimes you can too Dietary supplements For example, with magnesium or iron to relieve the symptoms. Discuss the use of such preparations with your doctor.

PMS: Homeopathy and medicinal plants

Many women at PMS rely on complementary therapies. Although their effectiveness is often not scientifically proven, many sufferers still report an improvement in their symptoms.

The homeopathy knows various means, which come into question with PMS. Depending on the nature of the complaints include, for example Calcium carbonicum (Water retention, especially with swollen breasts), Pulsatilla (Sadness with frequent crying), Natrum muriaticum (Irritability, sensitivity, crying) and Cyclamen (painfully swollen breasts, migraine-like headache etc.). Women can seek advice from an experienced therapist in choosing suitable homeopathic remedies.

The Herbalism may also help with PMS symptoms. For example, the effectiveness of herbal supplements with Chaste Tree scientifically well studied. Such preparations are used, for example, when an increased prolactin level causes pain and tension in the breasts. In mild depressive moods help preparations with Johannis herbs, For sleeping problems and nervous restlessness valerian and balm recommended. A doctor or pharmacist may recommend suitable medicinal herbs to women for their PMS symptoms and give instructions on how to use them.

PMS: history and forecast

An accurate forecast for PMS is not possible. Because it is not an acute illness that can be cured completely with a therapy. By the time of menopause, however, the PMS complaints generally disappear completely. Until then, let the PMSSymptoms in most cases with relaxation, getting enough sleep and exercise, as well as a well-balanced diet.